José Alvarado’s return makes the Jhoan Duran-led Phillies bullpen feel ‘complete’ (for now)

In Jhoan Duran’s second appearance since arriving in Philadelphia, he threw the two fastest pitches ever recorded by a Phillie.

Duran hit 102.7 mph and 103.3 mph on the radar gun with his four-seam fastball, twice breaking the previous record of 102.5 mph set by José Alvarado.

When Duran accomplished that feat on Aug. 3, Alvarado was serving his 80-game suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. But he was reinstated this week, and the Phillies’ bullpen now has triple-digit heat from the left and right-handed side.

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“Oof,” said manager Rob Thomson. “Alvy’s Alvy. That’s some fire coming out of there, no doubt about it.”

The potential 1-2 punch of Alvarado and Duran this year will only last until the end of September, as Alvarado is ineligible for the postseason because of MLB’s drug policy. But until then, he is a valuable reinforcement for the pennant race.

Duran said he was happy when Alvarado returned, and his addition makes the bullpen feel “complete.”

“It’s crazy, because he’s a lefty,” said Duran, who was acquired from the Twins at the trade deadline. “Not every lefty throws like him. He throws really hard, so aggressive to the home plate.”

Duran said Alvarado and Red Sox reliever Aroldis Chapman are the left-handed power arms who impress him the most.

“We were good,” Duran said, “but now we’re really good.”

The positive first impression has gone both ways. Alvarado returned to a bullpen that has bigger differences than just one new member. In past years, Thomson deployed his bullpen with a closer-by-committee, and Alvarado was a significant member of that committee.

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Now, Duran is the Phillies’ sole closer — complete with an elaborate entrance and light show — and is tabbed for the ninth inning in save situations. As a result, roles within the bullpen are more concrete.

It has worked so far. Duran is a perfect 6-for-6 in save opportunities in a Phillies uniform.

“I’m just super happy and super excited that we could add another powerful arm to our bullpen,” Alvarado said through a team interpreter. “I’m just proud and excited to see what our pitching staff has been doing these past few months, and it’s just something that makes me really happy.”

Thomson hoped to ease Alvarado back into leverage situations after he was reinstated on Tuesday. No one was sure what kind of reception he would receive from the home crowd in his first appearance since the suspension, but he received an ovation as he jogged out the bullpen door on Wednesday.

“I think they understand that it was an honest mistake,” Thomson said. “And I really love the fact that they welcomed him back.”

Pitching in a low-leverage spot with a six-run lead in the eighth, Alvarado tossed a clean inning against the Mariners. He capped his outing by getting Cal Raleigh to strike out swinging on a curveball.

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Alvarado almost exclusively relied on his sinker and cutter in 2024 but entered spring training this season with a revamped curveball, wanting to add more dimension to his arsenal. He continued to work on the pitch during his suspension.

“As I was developing my cutter, I think I backed off a little from the curveball, so I think it was a great time to work on it during these past months,” Alvarado said. “Just time to show it today, when working toward home plate and trying to have that command.”

Duran throws a curveball, too. Like Alvarado, it’s a tertiary option for him. Duran leans more on his four-seam and his splinker, a splitter-sinker hybrid that can reach 100 mph. But that just means hitters usually aren’t expecting a curveball, making it all the more potent when he does throw one.

“It’s really good,” catcher J.T. Realmuto said of Duran’s curveball. “Just his ability to command it. … Him being able to make an adjustment on that pitch, that’s good for me to see, because some guys you can’t always trust to throw two-strike breaking balls and get them where they want to.”

That’s the only overlap in their arsenals. And since Duran and Alvarado throw from opposite sides, their curves break in opposite directions. Despite their firepower, they’re more different than they are alike as pitchers.

But that also means there are things they can learn from one other.

“I like to learn,” Duran said. “So I have started talking with him and asking a couple questions.”