Down by one run in the top of the ninth inning, New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez had a chance to keep the Mets alive against the Los Angeles Angels as he stepped up to the plate. Ben Joyce had other plans.
Joyce showed Martinez three pitches.
The first: a 103.7 MPH fastball down and away, in the zone for a strike. The second, relatively slower, a 103.2 MPH fastball over the middle of the plate that Martinez got a bat on for a foul ball.
Then, Joyce gave it all he had to end the game. A 104.7 MPH fastball that Martinez whiffed at with no chance. It was way too fast. You could almost see flames coming off this one:
Ben Joyce, 104.7 MPH Fastball. 😳 pic.twitter.com/1Ol4UnZAFE
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 4, 2024
"I laughed after he struck me out. I was kind of smiling, I was like, 'Woah.' I had to look up at the radar. I was like, 'That was different,'" Martinez said after the game. "Kudos to him, man, he throws hard and he goes right at you. Not sitting there, you know, flipping stuff. He's power, power. Let's go, you know? And I can put some respect on him because of that."
Joyce, in his sophomore season, has pitched 24.2 innings and logged one save, with an ERA of 1.82. He is the only relief pitcher in MLB to face at least 50 batters in medium- and high-leverage situations and not give up an earned run. If he can keep pitching like this, he should find himself a nice relief role in the league.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Angels Closer Ben Joyce Earned J.D. Martinez's Respect With Absurdly Fast Final Pitch.
