104.7: Angels’ Joyce gets 1st save and strikes out Martinez with fastest pitch in majors this season

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — J.D. Martinez has faced many relief pitchers during his 14 years in the majors.

The New York Mets designated hitter though could only laugh and smile after striking out against Los Angeles Angels rookie Ben Joyce.

Joyce struck out Martinez with a 104.7 mph cutter, the fastest pitch in the majors this season. It eclipsed the 104.5 mph pitch he threw on July 12 against Seattle.

According to Sportradar, it is also tied for the sixth-fastest pitch since 2009.

It also was the final pitch of the game and gave Joyce his first big league save as the Angels held on for a 5-4 victory over the Mets.

When he was told that it was the fastest pitch in the majors this year, Martinez said: “I’m going to be all over Instagram striking out.”

Before Saturday night, the fastest pitch Martinez faced was a 102 mph fastball from San Francisco’s Camilo Doval on May 24.

Joyce’s first pitch to Martinez was 103.7 mph fastball for a called strike. Martinez then fouled off a 103.2 mph heater before the hard-throwing, right-hander kicked it into another gear.

“Kudos to him. He throws hard. He comes at you,” Martinez said.

The matchup between Martinez and Joyce was the perfect power vs. power matchup at the end of the game. Martinez gave the Mets a 4-2 lead in the seventh inning with a grand slam, but the Angels rallied in the bottom of the inning on Zach Neto’s three-run homer.

Joyce then came in with two outs in the eighth inning and retired the last four batters he faced, including Martinez.

“I felt pretty calm, but it was a different level of adrenaline for sure,” Joyce said. “It was a different level there. It was an 0-2 pitch. Just try to let it eat and ended up getting a good result.”

Before throwing the final pitch to Martinez, Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe ran out to talk to Joyce, because Joyce couldn’t hear what O’Hoppe called.

Joyce — who has not allowed a run in 18 straight outings since June 14 — has eclipsed triple digits with 41.3% of his pitches this season (163 of 395), which ranks second in the majors. Oakland’s Mason Miller leads at 49.4%.

After the Angels traded relievers Carlos Estévez and Luis García, Joyce will get more save opportunities during the final two months of the season. He was a third-round pick by the Angels in the 2022 draft and made only 12 appearances last year due to an elbow injury.

Stepping into the closer’s role also gives Joyce a chance to become only the third pitcher since pitch tracking started in 2009 to register 105 mph. Cincinnati’s Aroldis Chapman has the fastest at 105.1 mph in 2010 against San Diego’s Tony Gwynn Jr. and 105.0 mph in 2016 for the Yankees against Baltimore’s J.J. Hardy. St. Louis’ Jordan Hicks had two 105.0 mph pitches to Philadelphia’s Odubel Herrera in 2018.

“Definitely. I mean only .3 away. So we’ll see,” Joyce said about possibly reaching 105.