Now sitting at 30 saves on the season, Philadelphia Phillies closer Jhoan Duran is ninth in MLB for the 2026 season. That mark is also good for 16th among Phillies relievers in a single season.
That 30-save mark is no accident, either. Duran has been elite, with a 1.72 ERA and a 1.051 WHIP. He is also striking out 12.4 batters per nine innings pitched. In that time, he’s only given up one home run and blown two saves.
“He makes me feel good when I’m able to say, ‘OK, let’s go to Jo,” interim manager Don Mattingly said on Sunday. “It’s nice to have that guy out there.”
With less than a month in the regular season left, it’s safe to say Duran is going to quickly move up the Phillies single-season save list. However, it’s not likely he’ll set the team record, which is 45 and held by Jose Mesa since 2002.
Where Philadelphia Phillies CP Jhoan Duran Fits in Franchise History
There have been some elite seasons in Philadelphia Phillies franchise history from relief pitchers. Jose Mesa had better than 42 saves in back-to-back seasons from 2001 to 2002. Mitch Williams had 43 saves in 1993, and Steve Bedrosian won the Cy Young Award in 1987 with 40 saves. Then, Brad Lidge didn’t blow a single save opportunity in 2008, on the way to a World Series.
So, it’s with that in mind that Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquier tried to put what Duran is doing for the Phillies into some context. He knows that all those pitchers had great seasons, but only one was as close to unhittable as Duran has been. That’s Billy Wagner back in 2005.
Wagner had a 1.51 ERA, 0.837 WHIP, 87 strikeouts, and gave up just .165 average that season. It was arguably the best individual season for Wagner in what was a Hall of Fame career. For Duran, it’s a 1.72 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 72 strikeouts, while allowing a .232 average.
“The Phillies likely will ask Duran to get more than three outs in postseason games,” Lauber wrote. “If anything, though, his presence amplifies the Phillies’ need to bridge the gap between the starter and their star closer when they have a lead in the seventh and eighth innings.”
Duran has time to improve his numbers to catch Wagner. He’ll also likely end up right around the 38 saves that Wagner had that season. In some respect, it doesn’t matter if Duran is better than that or not, though. He’s been elite and they’ll need him in the playoffs.
Phillies Star Kyle Schwarber Praised Jhoan Duran
One nice thing about having Jhoan Duran on the Phillies is that the Philadelphia bats don’t have to face him. Kyle Schwarber, one of the game’s best power hitters, knows that. He also knows how secure a lead feels once it gets to Duran.
“When you feel like you have that guy that you can just hand him the ball in the ninth, it feels like it sets up the way we’re able to go get the ball to our bullpen,” Kyle Schwarber said. “He’s been so key for us.”
The Phillies do have some questions to answer with their bullpen. In particular, how they’re bridging to Duran, but there are no questions about the ninth inning.
Phillies CP Jhoan Duran Has Elite Season Put in Context for Franchise History