With the Los Angeles Dodgers in the house, Los Angeles Angels flamethrower Ben Joyce was a little extra amped up Tuesday night. Joyce threw a 105.5 mph fastball by Tommy Edman to close out the ninth inning with the score tied. It is the fastest strikeout pitch in the pitch tracking era (since 2008) and the third-fastest pitch ever recorded.
Here is Joyce's 105.5 mph heat:
"I looked up right after and saw it (on the scoreboard)," Joyce said after the game (via MLB.com). "It was just a big-time game and all the fans were into it. So I feel like that helped a little bit. It was two strikes, so I kind of just tried to give everything I had."
Prior to Joyce, the fastest strikeout pitch ever recorded was a 104.7 mph heater by Aroldis Chapman just last month. Here are the fastest pitches of the pitch tracking era:
- Aroldis Chapman: 105.8 mph (Sept. 24, 2010)
- Aroldis Chapman: 105.7 mph (July 18, 2016)
- Ben Joyce: 105.5 mph (Sept. 3, 2024)
- Aroldis Chapman: 105.4 mph (July 18, 2016)
- Aroldis Chapman: 105.2 mph (July 22, 2016)
There have been 12 pitches at 105 mph since pitch tracking began nearly two decades ago. Chapman has nine of the 12. Joyce threw one Tuesday night, and Jordan Hicks threw the other two on May 20, 2018.
The 105.5 mph gas didn't come out of nowhere. Joyce, who hit triple digits regularly in college, threw a pitch 104.8 mph last month, and his average -- average -- fastball this season is 102.1 mph. Surprisingly, Joyce has struck out only 23.2% of the batters he's faced this season despite that fastball. The MLB average for relievers is 23.3%.
Joyce, 23, is one of the few bright spots on an Angels team that has already clinched a ninth consecutive non-winning season. The 2022 third-round pick has a 2.08 ERA in 34 2/3 innings and has emerged as a bona fide late-inning force.
