PHILADELPHIA — 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.

But something was off. There was no bell tolling, no music.

“You know (the operator) may be nervous, too — like me,” Duran said. “So that’s OK.”

The nerves slipped away, Duran said, as soon as he threw the first pitch. Perhaps the moment wasn’t as pictured: a delayed entrance, a four-run deficit, giving up a hit. But Duran had finally made it to an All-Star Game — one in which he threw just four pitches, ending the top of the ninth for the National League.

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 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.

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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.

It is Duran’s approach to his routine, Phillies pitching coach Caleb Cotham said, that makes him different from a typical hard-throwing reliever.

“It’s not this ‘just throw hard’ mentality,” Cotham said. “He pitches. He works on pitching a lot. He works on his delivery. He’s got drills that are specific to him. He’s really regimented in his scheduling. So, he’s as much of a pitcher as any other guy. That’s not as apparent just because you could look at him and say, ‘Well, he just throws 100 to 103 (mph), just grips and rips.’”

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.

The righty always finishes by throwing at least two or three of each of his pitches — 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.

“Because sometimes you can be too calm,” Duran said. “You don’t want to be too slow. You want to feel you’re in the game, but it’s not too quick, it’s not too slow. We want to be in the middle.”

Jhoan Duran hangs out in the outfield before Tuesday’s game with his fellow All-Stars, including Pirates ace Paul Skenes. (Emilee Chinn / Getty Images)

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.

“If you were just watching him,” Cotham said, “nothing really changes. He just continues to try to make pitches. Part of it is (because) he’s familiar with those high-octane moments. But he’s just kind of in his own world, making pitch to pitch to pitch.”

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.

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.

“As soon as I was in the major leagues,” Duran said, “she wanted me to be an All-Star. She always reminded me, ‘Hey. You are an elite pitcher. You’re a great pitcher. You can be there. You need to be there.’”

So when Duran told her he’d 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’ 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.

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

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.

“It’s like when you have a little kid and you buy a toy for them,” Duran said Saturday of his All-Star nod. “I feel like that.”

The Phillies’ 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’s pace will remain his own — one grounded in calm.