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Phillies skipper Rob Thomson gave Jhoan Duran a warm welcome to Philadelphia.
Upon Duran being dealt to the Phillies, the star reliever ran into a problem — he and Thomson both share the same No. 59.
It’s the only number that the right-hander has worn since being called up to the big leagues in 2022, and Thomson, who has led the Phillies to three straight playoff appearances, said the number does not mean that much to him and gave Duran the right to wear No. 59.
“The number really doesn’t mean much to me,” Thomson told reporters Friday. “But if it makes you feel better, I’m all in. He said, ‘Yeah.’ Then it’s all yours.”
Thomson added that the only one who is going to be sad is his wife because she will have to get new gear.
“The only one that’s upset at this point is my wife,” Thomson joked. “All her merchandise has 59 on it. Now she has to go buy new stuff.”
Duran took it much more seriously, however, and showed his gratefulness for his new manager’s generosity.
“My wife almost cried,” Duran said before Friday’s 5-4 win against the Tigers. “Cause they said that they did not have No. 59 available for me and that only one person has it. When I asked who, they said, ‘You don’t know who has that number?’ They said the manager, and I was like, damn.”
Duran recorded his first save and his 17th of the season as a member of the Phillies on Friday, posting a scoreless ninth on just four pitches.
Duran lowered his ERA to 1.97 in the Philadelphia victory.
The Phillies traded away prospects Eduardo Tait and Mick Abel to acquire the flamethrower from the floundering Twins.
