Baseball fans in Philadelphia have never seen anything quite like this.
Jhoan Durán made his second appearance for the Phillies Sunday night since arriving via trade from the Minnesota Twins. He secured his second save in those two games. And he closed the 2-0 shutout over the Detroit Tigers with the fastest pitch in Citizen’s Bank Park history.
Durán’s 103.3 mph fastball on a 2-2 count against All-Star Riley Greene set the new stadium record. And it got Greene swinging and missing at the top of the zone to end the game.
It also got Phillies fans on their feet. And it wasn’t the only record Durán set Sunday night.
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Durán threw five pitches in the top of the ninth of 102.4 mph or faster. Each of them was faster than any pitch previously thrown by a Phillies pitcher in the 22-year history of the ballpark.
The save capped a standout weekend for the Phillies in the aftermath of acquiring Durán as their bonafide new closer. They end the weekend with a half-game lead over the New York Mets atop the NL East thanks to winning two out of three against the fellow first-place Tigers. Durán closed out both wins.
Durán lights up park with electric entrance
For the second time in three nights, Phillies fans were treated to the entrance that followed Durán from Minnesota, complete with daunting bell chimes, flames and a creepy digital spider that’s a nod to his nickname, the Durantula.
On Friday, Durán secured a 5-4 win with a 1-2-3 effort in the ninth.
On Sunday, he entered the game in charge of a shutout after eight sensational innings from Cristopher Sanchez. He did not let Sanchez or Phillies fans down.
Durán started the inning with a six-pitch groundout of pinch hitter Kerry Carpenter. He induced another groundout on his first pitch to Spencer Torkelson.
He then threw five straight fastballs of 101-plus mph to Greene before his 103.3 mph laser ended the game. It was the exact kind of performance the Phillies envisioned when they acquired Durán. And it lowered his season-long ERA to a pristine 1.93.
In a baseball postseason where the margins are slim, a strong closer can be difference between advancing and not. The Phillies are hoping that Durán turns out to be a difference maker when the stakes are at their highest.
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