{"id":802341,"date":"2026-07-15T18:32:24","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T18:32:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/802341\/"},"modified":"2026-07-15T18:32:24","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T18:32:24","slug":"inside-the-routine-that-helped-phillies-closer-jhoan-duran-to-a-dominant-first-half","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/802341\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the routine that helped Phillies closer Jhoan Duran to a dominant first half"},"content":{"rendered":"

PHILADELPHIA \u2014 Jhoan Duran ran from the bullpen with Citizens Bank Park clothed in darkness aside from the flames licking the ribbon boards and the Liberty Bell in the outfield.<\/p>\n

But something was off. There was no bell tolling, no music.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know (the operator) may be nervous, too \u2014 like me,\u201d Duran said. \u201cSo that\u2019s OK.\u201d<\/p>\n

The nerves slipped away, Duran said, as soon as he threw the first pitch. Perhaps the moment wasn\u2019t as pictured: a delayed entrance, a four-run deficit, giving up a hit. But Duran had finally made it to an All-Star Game \u2014 one in which he threw just four pitches, ending the top of the ninth for the National League.<\/p>\n

It is hard to quantify just how much Duran has meant to the Phillies since his arrival at the 2025 trade deadline. After a summer of shakiness, the club found its long-term closer in Duran, who slipped into the clubhouse seamlessly and endeared himself to the fanbase with his dominant fastball and an electrifying entrance<\/a> unlike anything this ballpark had seen. So it was fitting that he got to perform before the home crowd Tuesday night, capping a stellar first half in which he produced a 1.38 ERA in 32 2\/3 innings and notched 24 saves.<\/p>\n

How Philly landed the All-Star Game for America\u2019s 250<\/p>\n

Tyler Kepner and more<\/p>\n

The road to this All-Star appearance was paved over years, yes, but also in little moments each day of this season. Duran, his coaches said, is stubborn about his daily routine. He is not prideful, they said, but does take pride in being intentional in his work.<\/p>\n

It is Duran\u2019s approach to his routine, Phillies pitching coach Caleb Cotham said, that makes him different from a typical hard-throwing reliever.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not this \u2018just throw hard\u2019 mentality,\u201d Cotham said. \u201cHe pitches. He works on pitching a lot. He works on his delivery. He\u2019s got drills that are specific to him. He\u2019s really regimented in his scheduling. So, he\u2019s as much of a pitcher as any other guy. That\u2019s not as apparent just because you could look at him and say, \u2018Well, he just throws 100 to 103 (mph), just grips and rips.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Duran heads to the outfield each day with the rest of the relievers, beginning his throwing program after stretching and plyometric work. He varies distances as he plays catch with bullpen catcher\/assistant catching coach Hector Rabago, incorporating long tossing two or three times a week.<\/p>\n

The righty always finishes by throwing at least two or three of each of his pitches \u2014 fastball, splinker, split-change, curveball and sweeper. Then he goes to the mound (at least a few times a week), visualizes the game and throws. As Duran works through all of this, he tries to keep his mindset just as he would in a game: calm and in control.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause sometimes you can be too calm,\u201d Duran said. \u201cYou don\u2019t want to be too slow. You want to feel you\u2019re in the game, but it\u2019s not too quick, it\u2019s not too slow. We want to be in the middle.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Jhoan Duran hangs out in the outfield before Tuesday\u2019s game with his fellow All-Stars, including Pirates ace Paul Skenes. (Emilee Chinn \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

This even-keeled mindset is perhaps his best trait, those around him said. Cotham pointed to a game in Cincinnati last week, when Duran hit a batter who quickly stole second, and then gave up a single. Duran was unshaken, striking out the next two batters. No runs scored.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you were just watching him,\u201d Cotham said, \u201cnothing really changes. He just continues to try to make pitches. Part of it is (because) he\u2019s familiar with those high-octane moments. But he\u2019s just kind of in his own world, making pitch to pitch to pitch.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a skill learned from being a starting pitcher in the minor leagues, Duran said. Like any other starter, he said he was encouraged to breathe and take his time so he could stay in the game as long as possible. The habits stuck.<\/p>\n

So, when he appeared on the mound at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday, the worries left. After all, it was a moment he had worked toward for years, pushed by those around him at the ballpark but also his wife, Aida.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs soon as I was in the major leagues,\u201d Duran said, \u201cshe wanted me to be an All-Star. She always reminded me, \u2018Hey. You are an elite pitcher. You\u2019re a great pitcher. You can be there. You need to be there.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

So when Duran told her he\u2019d made the NL All-Star roster, she jumped up and down. Aida struggled to sleep the night before the game, Duran said, and felt nervous on the red carpet as they walked with sons Jacob, 4, and Raymond, 10. There is a photo of the Giants\u2019 Luis Arraez, who played with Duran in Minnesota, holding Jacob when he was younger. So Jacob was particularly excited to see the four-time All-Star.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Jhoan Duran and his family walk the red carpet during All-Star festivities in Philadelphia. (Brad Penner \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

The feeling of making his first All-Star team, of running out of the bullpen at the game before his family and the fans who have come to love him, was almost too much to fathom.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like when you have a little kid and you buy a toy for them,\u201d Duran said Saturday of his All-Star nod. \u201cI feel like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Phillies\u2019 bullpen will likely change again by early August, but Duran has established himself as a constant. Wherever the Phillies go from here, whatever October run they hope to make, he will be at the heart of it. As the second half nears and the days speed by, Duran\u2019s pace will remain his own \u2014 one grounded in calm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PHILADELPHIA \u2014 Jhoan Duran ran from the bullpen with Citizens Bank Park clothed in darkness aside from the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":802342,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[558],"tags":[64,63,591,2365,85],"class_list":["post-802341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-mlb","tag-philadelphia-phillies","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802341","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=802341"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802341\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/802342"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=802341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=802341"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=802341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}