Jhoan Duran is one of the best closers in baseball. The Philadelphia Phillies right-hander features one of the nastiest arsenals in the game, overpowering hitters from the minute he toes the rubber.
Following another dominant save against the Chicago White Sox, Duran’s teammate Brandon Marsh was asked if he what his approach would be against the flamethrowing closer. Marsh delivered quite the answer.
“Walk back to the dugout, I don’t know,” said Marsh. “He’s amazing, I feel like he can execute any pitch of his.”
Brandon Marsh Sums Up How Hitters See Jhoan Duran’s Stuff
GettyJhoan Duran has laid waste to MLB hitters in 2026 with an assortment of physics-defying pitches.
Hitters like Marsh are rightfully terrified about facing Jhoan Duran’s arsenal. The right-hander’s pitches not only are coming in with a lot of velocity, but also defy the laws of physics.
It all starts with a four-seamer that averages north of 100 MPH. His secondaries a splinker (classified as a splitter on Statcast), a sweeper, and a knuckle curve. His splinker sits in the upper-90s and his sweeper regularly breaks 90 MPH. Both pitches carry elite velocities relative to the pitch type.
Having a fastball that speeds up swing decisions on hitters creates some devastating effects on secondary pitches. Four of his five offerings carry a whiff rate of at least 36.4%. The sweeper leads the group with a 70.0% whiff rate.
With that type of arsenal, hitters are putting up very little resistance. Collectively, they are putting up a meager .167/.221/.236 slash with a 42.9% strikeout rate. His dominance left Marsh momentarily speechless in that postgame scrum.
It was that same stuff that caused the Phillies to target the closer at last year’s deadline. They paid a premium for one of the best closers, with prospects Eduardo Tait and Mick Abel going to the Minnesota Twins. But for a closer like Duran, that’s a price worth paying for a contender.
The Phillies haven’t had much postseason success. But they’re hoping to change their fortunes around with one of the best bullpens in baseball. Baseball Reference credits them with the most wins above average (WAA) of any bullpen in MLB on June 5, with Duran leading that charge.
Jhoan Duran’s Ninth-Inning Dominance Keys Phillies Turnaround
GettyJhoan Duran gives the Phillies an elite lockdown arm for the ninth inning.
Duran’s ninth-inning brilliance has played a key role in the Phillies’ 2026 turnaround. The club was 9-19 when they fired Rob Thomson on April 28. Under interim manager Don Mattingly, the team is 25-10 and look like the juggernaut that people expected entering the season.
On the season, the right-hander has allowed just four runs over 20.2 innings. He’s punched out an astonishing 33 hitters to just five walks. Duran is a perfect 14-for-14 on save opportunities.
The Phillies can feel confident that a lead after eight innings will turn into a win. The team is a perfect 29-0 on the season when leading after eight.
“He’s been nails for us. We’re going to keep relying on him at the end of games, and hopefully be in a position to have him pitch for us a lot more this year.”
When crafting the bullpen, managers often work backwards from the closer. For Don Mattingly, the ninth inning belongs to Duran. It creates a level of trust for the other relievers, knowing that if they can get their All-Star closer a lead, they’ll win.
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