PHILADELPHIA — Two weeks ago, Jhoan Duran wiped his mouth with his jersey and winced while walking off the playing surface at Citi Field as the New York Mets doused each other with water bottles behind him in celebration of a walk-off win.
Philadelphia’s new star closer had his usual stuff: the high-octane fastball and the sharp splitter/sinker hybrid. But the Mets hit it anyway, tallying four base hits in a row in the bottom of the ninth inning. Duran didn’t record an out in that Aug. 26 Phillies loss, the team’s second in a three-game New York sweep.