ANAHEIM, Calif. — Los Angeles Angels pitcher Ben Joyce retired all four hitters he faced in 1⅓ innings for his first big league save, and concluded the effort with a 104.7 mile per hour fastball, the fastest pitch in the majors this season, during his club’s 5-4 win over the New York Mets on Saturday night.
The hard-throwing right-hander struck out J.D. Martinez for the final out. According to ESPN Stats & Information, it was the hardest pitch thrown to strike a batter out in the pitch-tracking era, which dates back to 2008.
“It was hard, I’ve never seen a fastball like that,” Martinez said. “That’s the fastest fastball I’ve ever faced.”
Martinez, who hit his second grand slam in eight games in the loss, took it in stride, though, and had fun with it in his postgame media availability.
“He threw it, I laughed,” he said. “After he struck me out, I was kind of smiling. I was like ‘Whoa.’ I had to look up at the radar, and said, ‘That was different.’ But kudos to him. He throws hard, and comes right at you.”
Joyce has a 23-inning scoreless streak and has not allowed a run in 18 straight outings since June 14.
“It was a different level there,” he said of the record pitch. “It was an 0-2 pitch. Just try to let it eat and ended up getting a good result.”
Zach Neto drove in a career-high four runs, including three with the go-ahead home run in the seventh inning for the Angels as they rallied for the win. Neto connected on a cutter from Huascar Brazoban (1-3) and put it in the Mets’ bullpen in left field to put the Angels back on top.
Michael Stefanic started the rally with a two-out base hit and Nolan Schanuel drew a walk to set the table for Neto’s team-leading 17th homer of the season. Neto also had an RBI single in the fifth inning as the Angels snapped a three-game losing streak.
Matt Moore (5-2) notched the win as the Angels overcame Martinez’s 10th career grand slam. He also hit one on July 26 against Atlanta.
The Mets’ designated hitter is batting .333 (12-for-36) with 11 RBIs in his past 10 games.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
