Jhoan Durán on Phillies manager Rob Thomson handing over No. 59 jersey: 'My wife almost cried'

Yahoo

2 days ago

Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski gave up right-handed pitcher Mick Abel and catcher Eduardo Tait, a pair of top 100 prospects, to get closer Jhoan Durán from the Minnesota Twins.
Then Phillies manager Rob Thompson gave up his jersey number for the flame-throwing pitcher.
After being traded to Philadelphia on Wednesday, Durán inquired about wearing No. 59.
"They said, 'No, only one person has it,'" Durán recalled Friday. "And I said, 'Who?' They said, 'You don't know who has that number?' I said, 'No.' They said, 'It's the manager.'"
Durán added before smiling: "I said, 'Damn.'"
Reporters broke out in laughter. Durán laughed, too.
Durán didn't push for Thompson's number. Thompson made the first move. He wanted to, especially for a pitcher who is 6-4 with a 2.01 ERA and 16 saves this season and averages 100.2 mph when he throws his four-seam fastball.
Although the trade happened on the road during the Phillies' 9-3 loss to the Chicago White Sox, Thompson called Durán afterward.
'We were chit-chatting, and I just said, 'Hey, look, the number really doesn't mean much to me,' Thomson told reporters Friday. 'But if it makes you feel better, I'm all in.
"He said, 'Well, you know ... yeah, I've had it my whole career.' And I said, 'Then it's yours.'"
Durán said he's "got that number everywhere," including as part of the design of his family swimming pool in his native Dominican Republic.
When asked Friday how much it meant to him that he was able to keep No. 59, Durán gave a sigh of relief.
"My wife almost cried," he said.
Thompson's wife, on the other hand, has to get used to a new number.
'The only one that's upset at this point is my wife,' Thomson joked. 'Because all her merchandise has 59 on it. Now we got to go buy her new stuff.'
Thompson will be wearing No. 49, which he said is a nod to former New York Yankees star Ron Guidry. Thompson coached for the Yankees from 2008-17 before joining the Phillies' staff.
The wardrobe change is one Thompson welcomes.
He's got his closer for a potential second-half run that the Phillies are hoping ends with their first World Series championship since 2008.