Jhoan Duran made his Philadelphia Phillies debut Friday night, and it didn’t disappoint.
Duran made his way out of the bullpen wearing No. 59 to a loud roar from the crowd at Citizens Bank Park, just two days after he was traded to Philadelphia by the Minnesota Twins for a pair of Top 100 prospects: Mick Abel and Eduardo Tait.
Who is Jhoan Duran?
Duran is a 6-foot-3, 230-pound right-hander from the Dominican Republic.
He entered Friday with a 6-4 record, a 2.01 ERA and 16 saves in 49 games with the Twins this year.
Jhoan Duran records save in debut
Duran secured the victory with just four pitches as the Phillies completed the comeback against the Detroit Tigers to win 5-4 on Friday night.
Jhoan Duran wears No. 59 for Phillies
The Phillies are doing their best to welcome Duran with open arms.
Duran wore the No. 59 throughout the first four years of his major league career with the Twins. The number was already in use in Philadelphia, by manager Rob Thomson.
Usually, when a player is inquiring about a jersey number, there is some level of bargaining that takes place to complete the swap. That wasn’t needed — Thomson willingly gave up the number to Duran.
‘The number really doesn’t mean much to me,’ Thomson said. ‘But if it makes you feel better, I’m all-in. He said, ‘Yeah.’ Then it’s all yours.’
Thomson will wear the No. 49 in honor of former New York Yankees pitcher Ron Guidry.
Watch Jhoan Duran entrance
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