Jhoan Duran is officially a Philadelphia Phillie, and he made quite an entrance at Citizens Bank Park on Friday night. Known for one of the most electrifying introductions in baseball, the former Twins closer got his first chance to wow a new crowd and the Phillies didn’t hold back.
With Philadelphia holding a narrow 5-4 lead after a late-game comeback, Duran entered from the bullpen for his first save chance with the team. To the crowd’s delight, the Phillies used the same lights, music, and graphics that made Duran’s appearances so memorable at Target Field likely with help from the Twins, who appear to have shared the original production.
His grand entrance was even more striking in front of a sold-out home crowd, and Duran delivered in dominant fashion. He secured the save on just four pitches, all of them blazing “splinkers” clocked at 98 to 100 mph. Now anchoring the bullpen for a first-place team with championship ambitions, Duran remains under team control through the next two seasons.
The Phillies acquired him from Minnesota on Wednesday in exchange for two top-100 prospects: right-hander Mick Abel (23) and catcher Eduardo Tait (18). Both have promising futures, but for Twins fans, it stings to see their former closer thriving and getting a superstar’s welcome in a much bigger spotlight.
Minnesota, meanwhile, continued their surprising roster teardown. After dealing Chris Paddack earlier in the week and Duran midweek, the Twins shipped out eight more players on Thursday in a massive fire sale. Many debuted for their new clubs on Friday. Carlos Correa went 0-for-4 (playing third base) in his return to Houston. Ty France also went hitless in his Blue Jays debut, while Harrison Bader contributed a walk and scored off the bench in the Phillies’ win.
