ANAHEIM -- Don¡¯t blink. You might just miss one of Ben Joyce's fastballs.

Joyce has been lighting up radar guns yet again this season, including uncorking a 104.5 mph fastball in a scoreless seventh inning of the Angels¡¯ 6-5 win over the Mariners in 10 innings on Friday, the hardest pitch thrown by any pitcher this season.

The 0-2 four-seamer to Josh Rojas was fouled back, but Joyce then struck out Rojas on the very next pitch with a wicked 87.1 mph slider. It helped bridge the gap to allow Willie Calhoun to hit his second homer of the night, a walk-off two-run blast in the 10th.

Afterward, Joyce said he didn¡¯t even realize how hard he had thrown the pitch.

¡°I've been feeling really good, but I didn't really think anything of it at the time,¡± Joyce said. ¡°I was trying to go out there and get some outs. But yeah, overall, the body felt great and everything felt really good.¡±

It was the hardest pitch thrown by any big leaguer since Twins relief ace Jhoan Duran threw a 104.8 mph fastball against the Mariners on July 19, 2023. It was also the hardest pitch thrown by Joyce in the big leagues, surpassing his 103.9 mph heater against the Astros on June 8. He joined Aroldis Chapman, Jordan Hicks and Duran as the only pitchers to hit 104.5 mph in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008). The hardest pitch recorded in the pitch-tracking era is Chapman's 105.8 mph in 2010.

It wasn¡¯t the hardest of Joyce¡¯s career, however, as he turned heads while at the University of Tennessee in 2022, unleashing a 105.5 mph fastball, which is the hardest ever recorded by a collegiate player. It led the Angels to select Joyce as a third-round pick in the 2022 Draft.

Joyce took some time in the Minors to harness his control and had a brief taste of success in the Majors last season, although he also dealt with a nerve issue in his right forearm that kept him out of action for three months. This season, he opened the year at Double-A Rocket City again and started to throw more consistent strikes, while also adding a sinker to his arsenal once he got back to the Majors.

The results have been incredibly encouraging, as Joyce is starting to look like a future closer. After allowing five runs over his first two innings to open the year, Joyce has reeled off 10 straight scoreless outings. He¡¯s struck out 12 and walked five batters in 13 1/3 innings over that stretch, including his scoreless frame against the Mariners on Friday.

¡°It¡¯s just been a good pitch mix,¡± Joyce said. ¡°Adding the sinker has been an extra wrinkle that helps. It¡¯s been helping the four-seam play better as well. Just throwing my three or four pitches for strikes is huge. Just getting ahead and being in attack mode.¡±

Joyce hit Luke Raley with a 103 mph fastball to open the inning but settled down from there, getting Mitch Haniger to pop out to first before striking out Rojas. Raley was then caught stealing to end the inning, as he couldn¡¯t get a good enough jump with Joyce¡¯s fastball coming on at 102.9 mph.

Joyce's four-seam fastball averaged 102.9 mph on the night and is averaging 101.6 mph on the season. He mixed in six sinkers, averaging 96.3 mph, and it's become a key pitch for him to add to his fastball/slider combination. It's been a major reason why the 23-year-old has started to find some consistent success in the Majors.

Manager Ron Washington was impressed by Joyce¡¯s velocity, but noted that he¡¯s seen him become a different pitcher since learning how to throw the sinker from veteran reliever Hunter Strickland in early June.

¡°I don¡¯t know if he¡¯d ever hit 104 before, but he has that in him,¡± Washington said. ¡°But his sinker is his bread and butter. I don¡¯t want him to forget that. He can go to 100 when he needs to in certain situations. But big leaguers don¡¯t care how hard you throw if it¡¯s straight.¡±

Washington added he believes Joyce can become a closer in the future but that he¡¯ll need to continue to throw strikes and not get too carried away with just velocity.

¡°There¡¯s no doubt about it,¡± Washington said. ¡°He¡¯s growing, man. He¡¯s starting to believe in himself and his ability to throw the ball over the plate. If he can do that, he¡¯s going to be a real good one.¡±