It took one game for Phillies to win Jhoan Duran trade

Friday marked the first game since the MLB trade deadline for the Philadelphia Phillies. It was also the debuts for the club's two big deadline acquisitions in closer Jhoan Duran and outfielder Harrison Bader, per MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. In a wild weekend game down at Citizens Bank Park, Duran capped it off with his first save as a Phillie.

You can't always control when relievers can come into the game and for a while into the game, it didn't appear that Duran was going to get an opportunity. The Phillies fought back from a three-run deficit and retook the lead, 5-4 heading into the ninth inning. The Phillies’ late lead paved the way for Duran and his entrance to produce one of baseball's most electric atmospheres. It became a night of lights off and camera phones out.

It took one game for Phillies to win Jhoan Duran trade

A lot was made of Duran when the Phillies traded for him in exchange for two top prospects in Mick Abel and Eduardo Tait, per Bob Cooney of NBC Sports Philadelphia. He certainly fulfilled every bit of that deal in his first save opportunity.

Phillies fans were surely feeling nervous, hoping his debut would be a positive one and it surely was as he only needed four pitches to record his first save in a Phillies uniform. All of his pitches were 98 and 99 mph splitters.

Many were pleasantly surprised by Duran's entrance and outing and that included the man who gave up his jersey No. 59 for him, Phillies manager Rob Thomson.

“He was electric," Thomson stated. "4 pitches, the first pitch was a 98 mph splitter. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that before.”

Baseball fans know that the unpredictability of the game doesn't always allow moments to perfectly line up, but the Phillies got just that. Duran's save on Friday marks his 17th on the year and drops his ERA to 1.97. “Durantula” has officially arrived in Philadelphia and he will fit right into an upgraded Phillies' bullpen.

“I still feel incredible,” Duran said after the game, per Zolecki. “It’s amazing.”

Duran and the Phillies didn't have to wait long for his first save with the club and there's hopefully a lot more of them to come beyond just the remainder of 2025.

“I can see they love baseball,” Duran said after the game, per Matt Gelb of The Athletic. “They do everything for baseball. I love that.”

He's not set to become a free agent until 2028, that is if the Phillies don't re-sign him before then. If he does stick around with the same dominating stuff, he could easily have a chance to surpass Jonathan Papelbon’s 123 saves as the Phillies' all-time saves leader.