Apr 8, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies public announcer Dan Baker throws out the first pitch on opening day against the Oakland Athletics at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports Bill Streicher
Friday, Citizens Bank Park was treated to a closer entrance that the stadium — now in its 22nd season — has never seen anything like. As Jhoan Duran trotted on for his first save attempt as a Phillie, the lights were cut off and the intro that he became so associated with as a member of the Minnesota Twins electrified a sellout crowd at his new home ballpark.
JHOAN DURAN EVERYONE pic.twitter.com/RlYLHoB0at
— cam ! (@aokstott) August 2, 2025
But when Duran reached the mound and the lights came back on, the familiar voice of long-time — and that's probably underselling it — public address announcer Dan Baker added a new element to the closer's entrance.
Now pitching for the Phillies, No. 59 ... JHOAN DURAN!
In a conversation with On Pattison Sunday afternoon, Baker said he loved the entrance of the newest Phillie into the game.
"Fantastic! Glad to be a part of it," Baker said enthusiastically.
Could Baker have envisioned anything like Duran's entrance when he began his career?
"Well, they didn't exist then — you're going back to 1972," Baker said. "But over the years, you saw theatrics in other sports and now more so in baseball. But it was a lot of fun. The fans seemed to really enjoy it."
Baker is now in his 53rd season as the public address announcer for the Phillies. He began on the job in the second season at Veterans Stadium. He's been the full-time PA announcer during every season at Citizens Bank Park with the exception of the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, when he had a cancerous tumor removed from his sinus.
Baker's right cheek bone had to be removed in August of 2020, and it was initially replaced with bone and tissue from the lower half of his left leg. Weeks before the Phillies celebrated his 50th season in August of 2022, the replacement became infected and doctors had to drill down on it and replace it with skin from his left arm.
Since then, by all accounts, Baker has turned the corner and been healthy. It's allowed him to resume his career, which he's still really damn good at. Friday's Duran was just the latest example of that.
And Baker, now 78, still has a child-like joy about the job that he's happy to continue to adapt at.
"I love doing it. This is my happy place," Baker said. "When I walk into Citizens Bank Park — just like when I walked into Veterans Stadium — it just energizes me. And seeing my co-workers and seeing the fans ... you know, a lot of them say hello ... whether they know me or not, whether I know them ... 'Hey, hi, how are you, it's good to see you.'
"And then a beautiful day like today, the city skyline — my favorite city is Philadelphia, it always has been," Baker said. "I'm gonna keep on going. I'd like to go for at least another seven years, which would give me the record for longevity for Major League Baseball public address announcers."
