Ben Joyce: A Step Closer to MLB’s Fastest Pitch Record
There is nobody in the current generation that can match Ben Joyce of the Los Angeles Angels to throw the hardball. He is slowly inching towards making it a point that none in history has ever done so.
With 105. 5 mph fastball to clinch the strike out of Los Angeles Dodgers utility man Tommy Edman, Joyce came 0. 3. The ball was released at 105.1 mph, just 3 mph short of the record set by MLB for the fastest pitch. Only Aroldis Chapman with pitches that record 105. 8 mph and 105.7 mph, he said, he’d thrown the ball harder off the pitcher’s mound.
The radar gun used during the event registered a speed of 106 meters per hour. It is also important to note that the pitch is the fastest strikeout pitch in the major leagues’ baseball history.
This is not the first instance when Joyce has attained 105, as evidenced by the above analysis. 5 mph, that too could do it in college, when he was a flamethrower in Tennessee.
For many years, his exceptional leadership has been widely recognized, and his success has consistently been attributed to his strong command. Up to now, that was rather successful in 2024, comparatively speaking. However, the place that gives room to Joyce in history, society, and politics remains limited.
BEN JOYCE JUST THREW 105.5 MPH 🔥 pic.twitter.com/3BNim2It0P
— MLB (@MLB) September 4, 2024
The Fastest Pitcher Ever: A Complex Question of Measurement and Timing
Statcast has only existed since 2015 using radar tracking technology, while MLB used the PITCHf/x tracking system, which was less accurate than Statcast during the 2006-2015 when Chapman’s record pitch was thrown.
Before PITCHf/x, measuring velocity through radar guns posed potential problems for legendary pitchers like Nolan Ryan because of inaccuracies. The mechanics MLB pitchers have used to develop stretching programs that prepare them to achieve high velocities are the best in the world.
The determination of the fastest pitcher ever is somewhat ambiguous because of the challenges related to measurement and the unfamiliarity with Trackman.
And, of course, that velocity did not have much of an impact on the Angels because the 104. A 6-2 Dodgers overshadowed a fourth-inning, two-bagger by Mookie Betts channeling J.R. Richard’s win in questions in earlier extra-framing. This is something that made the return to Angel Stadium kind of eventful for Shohei Ohtani.
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