Ben Joyce’s name first appeared on the national radar — no pun intended — when he threw a 105.5 mph fastball during his redshirt junior year at the University of Tennessee.
A couple months later, the Angels made Joyce their third-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft.
Tuesday, he did it again.
When Joyce struck out Los Angeles Dodgers hitter Tommy Edman in the ninth inning, his 105.5-mph fastball earned him a place in history.
Although it wasn’t the fastest pitch ever recorded, it wasn’t far off the 105.8-mph record set by Aroldis Chapman in 2010. Chapman has also touched 105.7 mph in his career; Joyce’s final pitch of the ninth inning Friday now ranks third, according to MLB researcher Sarah Langs:
BEN JOYCE
105.5 MPH
THAT’S THE FASTEST STRIKEOUT PITCH IN THE PITCH-TRACKING ERA (2008) AND 3RD-FASTEST PITCH OVERALL (105.8 & 105.7 FROM AROLDIS CHAPMAN) IN SPAN https://t.co/aQ9iGP4LcZ
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) September 4, 2024
Unlike Chapman’s fastest two pitches, Joyce’s was used to strike out a batter, making it the fastest strike three in the pitch-tracking era — if not ever.
Joyce, who has used his lifelong obsession with speed to carve out a path to the major leagues, was well aware of what he did in the moment.
“I looked up right after and saw it,” Joyce told Rhett Bollinger of 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.”
The record fastball momentarily stole the show from Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers’ star who was playing his first game in Anaheim as a visiting player. Ohtani began his MLB career with the Angels from 2018-23 before signing a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers last December.
Read more: Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani Closing in on Historic 50-50 Season
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 3: Ben Joyce #44 of the Los Angeles Angels smiles after a media interview during a team victory over the New York Mets at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on August 3, 2024 in Anaheim, California. Joyce threw a 105.5 fastball on Tuesday.
Brandon Sloter/Getty Images
Joyce inherited the Angels’ closer’s role after the Angels traded Carlos Estevez to the Philadelphia Phillies at the trade deadline.
Read more: Philadelphia Phillies Make Huge Trade For Angels’ Carlos Estevez
Perhaps the adrenaline of facing the Dodgers’ vaunted lineup in the ninth inning of a 2-2 game brought out the juice in Joyce. His previous MLB career-high speed was 104.8 mph, achieved twice this season.
Angels manager Ron Washington has been less hesitant to place his young players in prominent roles as the season winds down. The Angels were hoping veterans Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon would help the club avoid a ninth consecutive losing season. Instead, the Angels (57-81) have fallen to fifth place in the American League West.
Moments like Tuesday’s from Joyce offer hope for brighter days ahead.
“He needed every part of it to get through those guys,” manager Washington said of Joyce. “That’s a juggernaut over there. But Ben has been doing that ever since he got here. So it’s nice to see that he was able to come in and shut that down in the ninth and give us a chance to get out there and win it.”
