Phillies closer Jhoan Duran said that he is “100 percent” on Saturday, hours after he was carted off the field in a game against the host Washington Nationals.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Duran was not limping ahead of Saturday afternoon’s matchup between National League East rivals.
“It’s crazy, you know?” Duran said. “Yesterday I don’t have power in my leg and now I’m normal, like nothing happened.”
On Duran’s fourth pitch of the ninth inning on Friday, Paul DeJong hit a hard grounder that struck the pitcher in the lower leg and bounced toward the first-base line.
Duran came off the mound and raced toward the ball before slowing down and then stopping in foul territory. He spoke with manager Rob Thomson and the club’s trainers before finally exiting the field after a long delay.
“He ran like a shot over to retrieve the ball, and then once he got there, I think the adrenaline wore off and the pain set in,” Thomson said. “Before the cart came out, it took a long time and he said, ‘I feel better, I think I can walk over to the dugout.’ But there’s all these steps here and we wanted to use the cart.”
X-rays were negative on the 27-year-old, who was acquired by the Phillies on July 30 from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for right-handed reliever Mick Abel and minor league catcher Eduardo Tait.
One of the hardest-throwing pitchers in the major leagues, Duran is 4-for-4 in save chances for his new club with a 0.00 ERA in four innings. Overall this year, he has 20 saves in 22 opportunities with a 1.86 ERA in 54 appearances. He has 56 strikeouts and 18 walks in 53 1/3 innings.
In four major league seasons, the first 3 1/2 with the Twins, Duran is 78-for-87 on save chances with a 17-23 record and a 2.42 ERA in 227 appearances, all in relief.
–Field Level Media
