Ben Joyce continued to add to his legacy on Friday.
The Los Angeles Angels reliever made waves around MLB after he fired a 104.5 mph fastball in a scoreless seventh inning against the Seattle Mariners. The pitch was the hardest thrown during the 2024 season thus far. The Angels defeated NL West rival Seattle 6-5 in 10 innings on a walk-off two-run home run from Willie Calhoun.
Joyce's pitch was the fastest in MLB since Minnesota Twins reliever Jhoan Duran threw a 104.8 mph fastball against the Mariners on July 19, 2023. It also surpassed the fastest pitch Joyce had thrown in MLB, as he hit 103.9 mph against the Houston Astros on June 8. Joyce joins Aroldis Chapman, Jordan Hicks and Duran as the only pitchers to hit 104.5 in the pitching-tracking era, which began in 2008. Chapman's 105.8 mph in 2010 is still the hardest-thrown ball.
Following the game, Joyce said he did not realize how fast he had thrown the pitch.
“I've been feeling really good, but I didn't really think anything of it at the time,” Joyce said. “I was trying to go out there and get some outs. But yeah, overall, the body felt great and everything felt really good.”
Video: Ben Joyce throws 104.5 mph pitch vs Seattle Mariners
Joyce threw a 103 mph fastball to the Mariners' Josh Rojas on an 0-1 count. Rojas fouled off Joyce's 104.5 mph fastball on an 0-2 count. However, Joyce got the last laugh as he struck out Rojas on an 87.1 mph slider on the next pitch. That's a 17.4 mph variation on the two pitches.
Joyce wasn't the only pitcher throwing fireballs Friday night. Athletics pitcher Mason Miller also hit 104 mph on the gun against the Phillies.
Ben Joyce fastest pitch came with Tennessee baseball
While Joyce has the distinction as one of the hardest throwers ever in MLB, he stands alone when it comes to college baseball. While at Tennessee, he fired in a 105.5 mph fastball on the first pitch of Cole Foster's seventh-inning at-bat on May 1, 2022, against Auburn. On that day, Joyce fired 28 of 33 fastballs faster than 103 mph, throwing 15 of at least 104 mph and three of 105 mph or more.
Joyce's excitable fastball helped him become a third-round pick for the Los Angeles Angels in the 2022 MLB Draft. The 23-year-old made his MLB debut last season, appearing in 12 games and posted a 5.40 ERA in 10 innings with 10 strikeouts and nine walks. Control remains a pain point for Joyce, whose walks-per-nine innings remains above three this year, but that is down 8.1 walks-per-nine in his limited 2023 action.
The right-hander started the season in Double-A Rocket City but has a 2.93 ERA across 13 appearances. Joyce has harnessed his control this season with 13 strikeouts and six walks in 15.1 innings. Over his last 10 outings, Joyce has not allowed a run across 13.1 innings, struck out 12 and walked five.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Angels pitcher Ben Joyce throws fastest pitch of 2024 MLB season at 104.5 mph
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