ANAHEIM, Calif. – Los Angeles Angels rookie relief pitcher Ben Joyce threw a 105.5 mph fastball Tuesday night that was the fastest pitch in the major leagues this season and the fastest strikeout pitch in the pitch-tracking era that began in 2008.
Joyce’s blistering fastball struck out Tommy Edman to end half of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ ninth inning. The hard-throwing Joyce also threw a 105.5 mph pitch in college at Tennessee, but his fastest pitch in the major leagues was a 104.5 mph fastball.
Aroldis Chapman threw a 105.8 mph fastball in September 2010 and a 105.7 mph pitch in July 2016. According to Statcast, during the pre-Joyce pitch-tracking era, only Chapman and Jordan Hicks reached 105 mph in a major league game.
Joyce said he got a little extra momentum from the sellout crowd in the Angels’ 6-2 loss to the Dodgers. He also threw fastballs of 104.4, 104.0, 103.6 and 103.0 mph during his blistering ninth inning — three of them to Will Smith, who was eliminated after four pitches.
“Just a great game,” Joyce said. “A lot of fans were really excited, and I think that helped a little bit. … You could feel it the whole time. The stadium was almost shaking at times. It was definitely a cool atmosphere.”
Joyce’s 1-2-3 in the ninth inning tied the score at 2-2 before the Dodgers rallied and won in the 10th inning against reliever Roansy Contreras.
“It was two strikes, (so) I just tried to give it everything I had,” Joyce said of his 105.5 mph pitch. “I didn’t really notice the difference (compared to other fastballs). Honestly, I thought I threw a couple of others harder, so it was kind of surprising to see that (on the scoreboard).”
Joyce smiled to himself after seeing the speed on the scoreboard as he left the hill.
“Oh my God,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I’m just glad I was 90 feet from the batter’s box. That’s awkward.”
Only Chapman, Hicks and Jhoan Duran had thrown pitches at 104.5 mph or more in that era before the addition of Joyce this season, who pitched 10 innings for the Angels in 2023. He was outstanding in his second major league season, posting a 2.08 ERA in 31 appearances.
And even after his recent triple-digit performance, Joyce believes he will be even faster in the future.
“I’d like to think I could throw a little harder,” Joyce said with a grin.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
