Los Angeles Angels rookie reliever Ben Joyce threw a 105.5 mph fastball on Tuesday night that was the fastest pitch in the majors this season and the third-fastest in the pitch-tracking era since 2008.
Joyce’s blazing fastball struck out Tommy Edman to end the Los Angeles Dodgers’ half of the ninth inning with the fastest pitch thrown for a strikeout in the pitch-tracking era. The hard-throwing Joyce also threw a 105.5 mph pitch in college at Tennessee, but his fastest pitch in the majors had been 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. Only Chapman and Jordan Hicks had touched 105 mph in a major league game during the pitch-tracking era before Joyce joined them, according to Statcast.
Joyce said he had a little extra oomph from the bipartisan sellout crowd attending the Angels’ 6-2 loss to the Dodgers. He also threw fastballs clocked at 104.4, 104.0, 103.6 and 103.0 mph — three of them to Will Smith, who struck out on four pitches — during his blazing ninth inning.
“Just a big-time game,” Joyce said. “A lot of fans were all into it, so I feel like that kind of helped a little bit. … You could feel it the whole time. The stadium was almost shaking at times. It was a cool environment, for sure.”
