There’s a simple reason for why we’ve seen such an emphasis on velocity with MLB pitchers in recent years:
It’s extremely difficult to hit triple-digit velocity.
But Astros slugger Yordan Álvarez is just that good, and he made some Statcast history in the process on Saturday.
Ben Joyce — who wowed fans and scouts with his 105-plus mph heat at Tennessee — was tasked with facing Álvarez in the Angels’ game against Houston. Álvarez took the first pitch at 102 mph for a ball, and that was all he needed to time up the flame-throwing righty.
On the second pitch, Álvarez got the barrel through the zone and slapped a double down the left-field line off a 103.9 mph fastball (with 106.3 mph exit velocity).
Power vs. Power
Ben Joyce threw this pitch 103.9 MPH, and Yordan Alvarez lined it 106.3 MPH for his third extra-base hit of the night. 😤 pic.twitter.com/d2c8F8mxgq
— MLB (@MLB) June 9, 2024
And in doing so, he became the first MLB player in the Statcast era to get an extra-base hit off a pitch exceeding 103 mph in the regular season. The only other time an extra-base hit happened off that kind of heat was in the postseason when Carlos Ruiz hit a double off Aroldis Chapman in 2010.
Yordan Alvarez doubled off a 103.9 mph Ben Joyce pitch
that’s the 4th-fastest pitch anyone's had base hit on in pitch-tracking era (2008, incl PS), behind only:
8/31/16 Francisco Cervelli 1B
8/7/16 Stephen Vogt 1B
2010 NLDS G3 Carlos Ruiz 2Ball off Aroldis Chapman at 104.2… https://t.co/8YpSUf6kbe
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) June 9, 2024
That’s just more proof as to how good MLB players are at baseball. It shouldn’t even be possible to catch up with that velocity.