PHILADELPHIA -- Jhoan Duran is the Durantula.
He got the nickname a few years ago in Minnesota. It suited him. He has a spider tattoo. He has spiders on his spikes. He has spiders, well …
“Everywhere,” he said Friday afternoon.
Phillies fans got their first glimpse of Duran and his spine-tingling entrance show, which features spiders crawling in fire throughout the digital billboards at Citizens Bank Park, in the ninth inning of Friday night’s 5-4 comeback victory over the Tigers.
Duran’s first save with the Phillies (62-47) put them in first place with a half-game lead over the Mets (62-48) in the NL East.
“Here, I’ve got a chance to win the World Series,” he said.
Duran was the Phillies’ marquee acquisition before Thursday’s Trade Deadline. They got outfielder Harrison Bader, too. Both played on Friday night. Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Bader and Brandon Marsh will platoon in center field for at least the next six games. It was somewhat surprising, considering president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said that Bader is “going to play a lot.” But things can change quickly, and Bader could get more playing time soon.
Statistically, Bader is the Phillies’ best offensive outfielder.
He pinch-hit for Max Kepler in the seventh. He walked and scored the game-tying run, which delighted a raucous crowd.
There is no question about Duran’s role. He is the closer, putting an end to the mixing and matching of Phillies relievers in the late innings.
Duran brought excitement to the mound on Friday. He brought firepower.
His four-seam fastball averages 100.2 mph. He throws a splinker (a split-finger/sinker mashup) that averages 97.5 mph. It had extra juice on Friday, when Duran retired the side in the ninth on four splinkers (officially categorized as splitters).
They were 98.4, 99, 99.7 and 98.8 mph.
“I didn’t throw my fastball yet,” Duran said.
The Phillies badly needed a pitcher like Duran if they want to win the World Series. The bullpen has been a problem in each of the past two postseasons. It can’t happen again.
“Plain and simple, he has close-the-door stuff,” Bader said. “I saw it all year. I’ve seen it on the other side.”
The Phillies were fine-tuning Duran’s ninth-inning show before Friday’s game. In the top of the ninth, it was ready. Duran made his final warmup pitches. A gong rang, announcing to everybody that Duran was near. He descended the bullpen stairs. The bullpen door opened, he stepped onto the field and the ballpark’s lights turned red.
Then the song played. It is “El Incomprendido" by Farruko, but it is mixed with "Hot" by Pitbull and Daddy Yankee.
Fans had been instructed to turn on the lights on their phones. They did.
It was a goosebumps experience.
“I still feel incredible,” Duran said. “It’s amazing.”
His teammates enjoyed it, too.
“It looked good from my locker,” said Bryce Harper, who was ejected in the seventh inning. “It was great. We all know what it was like in Minnesota when he came in the game.”
Duran said the Phillies called him following Wednesday’s trade -- they sent the Twins Top 100 prospects Mick Abel and Eduardo Tait -- and asked if they could recreate that Minnesota magic in Philly.
“Yes, why not?” Duran said.
Duran brought his uniform number to Philly, too. He wore No. 59 with the Twins, but it is the number that Thomson has worn in Philadelphia. The Phillies asked Duran if he wanted it, although they mentioned it was Thomson’s number.
“Damn,” Duran said.
Duran didn’t want it. He wanted to be respectful of his manager. But Thomson called Duran following Wednesday’s series finale in Chicago.
“The number really doesn’t mean much to me,” Thomson told Duran. “But if it makes you feel better, I’m all in.”
Duran accepted the offer.
“My wife almost cried,” Duran said. “That was a big thing for me. I got everything with that number. In the Dominican, I got a house, I got a pool. In the pool, I put that number [in it], too. So, I’ve got that number everywhere. So that’s special for me.”
Thomson grinned as he shared his version of the story.
“The only one that’s upset at this point is my wife, because all her merchandise has ‘59’ on it,” he said. “We’ve got to go buy her new stuff.”
Thomson will wear No. 49, in honor of Ron Guidry, his longtime friend with the Yankees.
These are the things that happen following trades. Players get a new number, or they need to negotiate for the number they want. They have to get used to living in a new city. But the Phillies are trying to make Duran as comfortable as possible, giving him the song and the spider and flames he is used to seeing in the ninth.
“It’s not easy,” Duran said. “I woke up really early -- three in the morning in Minneapolis -- and took a flight today to here. I tried to sleep in the hotel. I didn’t sleep because my little boy, he’s got a lot of energy. You know? I came here, said hi to everybody, felt comfortable and did my job.”