ANAHEIM, Calif. –
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.”
Joyce’s 1-2-3 ninth kept the game tied 2-2 before the Dodgers rallied to win in the 10th 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). I thought I threw a few other ones harder, to be honest, so it was kind of surprising to see that (on the scoreboard).”
See also Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s tough Bronx persona is under fresh scrutiny with a resurfaced childhood nickname from her suburban upstate New York upbringing casting doubt on that publicly portrayed image. The progressive champion’s latest spat with President Donald Trump over the Iran strikes again called into question her true upbringing when she declared on X she was a “Bronx girl" to make her a point against the president. The 35-year-old congresswoman wrote in part on X: "I’m a Bronx girl. You should know that we can eat Queens boys for breakfast. Respectfully," she said, referring to the president’s upbringing in Queens as she called for his impeachment over his decision to bypass Congress in authorizing U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Ocasio-Cortez was born in the Bronx but moved to Yorktown – which is nearly an hour outside New York City -- when she was 5 years old and went on to attend Yorktown High School where she graduated in 2007. She was considered an accomplished student there and well thought of by teacher Michael Blueglass, according to a 2018 report by local media outlet Halston Media News. “There, known by students and staff as ‘Sandy,’ she was a member of the Science Research Program taught by Michael Blueglass," the report states. “She was amazing," Blueglass said, per the report. “Aside from her winning one of the top spots and going to the [Intel International Science and Engineering Fair], she was just one of the most amazing presenters in all of the years I've been at Yorktown. Her ability to take complex information and explain it to all different levels of people was fantastic." After high school, Ocasio-Cortez attended Boston University, where she majored in economics and international relations, per the report. Ocasio-Cortez’s “Sandy" nickname — which carries a more suburban and preppy tone — appears to undercut her politically crafted image as a tough, inner-city fighter, one she has portrayed since her famous 2018 congressional campaign where she eventually ousted former 10-terms Congressman Joe Crowley. New York GOP Assemblyman Matt Slater, who now represents Yorktown, added to the scrutiny of Ocasio-Cortez’s persona in the wake of her brash with Trump and released images of Ocasio-Cortez from his high school yearbook. He claimed he and the rising Democratic star attended Yorktown High School at the same time when she was a freshman and he was a senior. "I saw the attacks on the president and her [Ocasio-Cortez] claims that she's a big, tough Bronx girl," said Slater. "To sit there and say that she’s a Bronx girl is just patently ridiculous." "Everybody in our community knows this is just a bold-face lie," said Slater on "Fox & Friends First" last week. "She grew up in Yorktown, she was on my track team." "She's lying about her background, she's lying about her upbringing," Slater claimed. Slater’s post sent social media ablaze and prompted Ocasio-Cortez to respond after an image if her family’s home was posted online. “I’m proud of how I grew up and talk about it all the time," Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X Friday responding to the post. “My mom cleaned houses and I helped. We cleaned tutors’ homes in exchange for SAT prep." “Growing up between the Bronx and Yorktown deeply shaped my views of inequality & it’s a big reason I believe the things I do today!"
Joyce smiled to himself after seeing the speed on the scoreboard while leaving the mound.
“Oh my goodness,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I’m just happy that I was 90 feet away from the batter’s box. That’s uncomfortable.”
Only Chapman, Hicks and Jhoan Duran had thrown pitches recorded at 104.5 mph or faster in this era before they were joined this season by Joyce, who pitched 10 innings for the Angels in 2023. He has been excellent in his second season in the majors, posting a 2.08 ERA in 31 appearances.
And even after his latest triple-digit feat, Joyce believes he has more speed in his future.
“I would like to think I could throw a little harder,” Joyce said with a grin.
