Phillies new closer fired up following first appearance

The Philadelphia Phillies got one of the biggest deals done at the trade deadline, bringing in Minnesota Twins closer Jhoan Duran. 

Duran, 27, has been fantastic this season, with a blistering 1.97 ERA across 50 appearances. Trading for Duran was the biggest deadline deal that Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski made in his five seasons with the Phillies, and it already seems to be paying off after Duran's first appearance with Philadelphia.

Duran earned a save in his first appearance with the Phillies in a 5-4 win against the Detroit Tigers. Following the game, the flamethrower pitcher was fired up about the reception from the fans, as transcribed by Phillies Nation's Ty Daubert. 

“That’s an honor to me,” Duran said. “… I can say they love baseball. They do everything for baseball. I love that. It still feels incredible. It’s amazing.”

It's no wonder the fans were excited to see the team's new closer; the Phillies lead their division and still managed to improve at the trade deadline. Not only does Duran's average four-seam fastball top out at over 100 mph, but he also has one of the most electric entrances in the league. 

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Duran's save with Philadelphia marks No. 17 for the season for the 27-year-old. The hard-throwing right-hander isn't just a rental for the Phillies. Though Duran is on a one-year, $4.12 million deal, he's under team control through the 2027 season, giving the Phillies a consistent option to close out games for the next few seasons.

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