Jhoan Duran steals show with entrance, save in Phillies debut earning praise from Middleton
Jhoan Duran's entrance may have been longer than his ninth inning.
A sight to behold, Duran came out to his viral music from the bullpen. The bell from The Undertaker set the tone, followed by the custom mix of two popular Latin music tracks: "El Incomprendido" by Farruko and "Hot" by Daddy Yankee and Pitbull.
The sellout crowd at Citizens Bank Park couldn't contain the excitement with the Phillies holding a 5-4 lead. As the stadium went dark, the phones came out and the lights began to flash.
The stage was set for Duran to nail down his first save in his Phillies debut. It didn't take long.
"I threw four pitches," Duran said. "It was great. Easy work."
Those four pitches were all splinkers. Duran finished out a Phillies comeback victory over the Tigers to take the series opener — and regain first place in the NL East. In one of the most electrifying games of the year, Duran stole the show in his debut.
Four splinkers: 98.4 mph, 99 mph, 99.7 mph, 98.8 mph. Strike, pop out, ground out, line out. Ballgame.
"I haven't thrown my fastball yet," Duran said with a laugh.
Duran capped a long day with the easy save, but it was a whirlwind of his first day in Philadelphia. He left Minneapolis at 3 a.m. on a flight to Philadelphia and admitted he tried to sleep in the hotel, but couldn't because his newborn "had a lot of energy." He arrived at the ballpark around noon and introduced himself to everybody before getting into his pregame routine.
It wasn't a normal day at the ballpark, but Duran made it one when he entered the game in the ninth inning. This was exactly what the Phillies believed they were getting when they acquired Duran. The newest closer was getting congratulations from owner John Middleton immediately after the game.
Middleton's words to the new acquisition? "Welcome to Philadelphia."
Duran couldn't have made a better first impression in a Phillies uniform, giving the organization a reminder of what the scene could be like come October. It will be difficult to beat the Phillies in the ninth inning with Duran on the mound.
"It looked good from the locker," said Bryce Harper, who was ejected for arguing a check swing in the seventh inning. "We all know what it was like in Minnesota when he came in the game."