Phillies Manager Classily Let Newly-Acquired Jhoan Duran Take Jersey Number

Duran said the gesture from Rob Thomson nearly moved his wife to tears.

The No. 59 means a lot to Jhoan Duran and his family. / Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

After processing the emotions of leaving a city he perhaps was not ready to say goodbye to, Jhoan Duran, acquired by the Philadelphia Phillies from the Minnesota Twins ahead of the trade deadline, ran into a problem.

His jersey number of choice, No. 59, was taken by Phillies manager Rob Thomson. It's the first—and only—number Duran has ever worn in the major leagues, and thus, it became a significant number to him.

Luckily for him, Thomson didn't feel that way about the number.

"The number really doesn’t mean much to me," Thomson told The Associated Press. "But if it makes you feel better, I’m all in. He said, ‘yeah.’ Then it’s all yours."

And so Thomson gave the No. 59 to Duran and took No. 49, a nod to former longtime New York Yankees pitcher and coach Ron Guidry.

Duran, who has the No. 59 inscribed on the bottom of the pool at his Dominican Republic residence, said his wife was incredibly moved by Thomson's generosity.

Jhoan Duran to @AntSanPhilly on what it meant for Rob Thomson to give up No. 59 so he could have it: “My wife almost cried.” pic.twitter.com/jg4Vdn10d3

— On Pattison (@OnPattison) August 1, 2025

"My wife almost cried," Duran said.

Thomson's wife, on the other hand, was not a happy camper, as the Phillies skipper joked to reporters.

"The only one that’s upset at this point is my wife," he quipped. "All her merchandise has 59 on it. Now she has to go buy new stuff."

The Phillies on Wednesday acquired Duran from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for pitcher Mick Abel and catcher Eduardo Tait, two top-10 prospects in Philadelphia's farm system. And the club has wasted no time in making Duran feel at home, first with getting him his jersey number and then ensuring that his extravagant ninth-inning entrance, complete with flame graphics, animated spiders and music pumping throughout the stadium to dimmed lights, would continue in the City of Brotherly Love.

"It's an honor to be a part of this team," Duran said Friday. "I see my dream coming true. I can't explain. It's like, too many emotions coming through, so I feel really, really good to be here. And I know here I got my chance to win a World Series. And I wanted to do my 110% to take the ring. That's what I wanted."

Duran, armed with a triple digits fastball and wicked splitter-sinker hybrid, has emerged as one of baseball's best closers over the course of his last three seasons with the Twins. He has pitched to a 2.01 ERA with 16 saves in 49 1/3 innings. The Phillies' 16 blown saves are tied for the fourth-most in the National League.

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