ANAHEIM — The Angels have still blown more saves than they’ve locked down this season, but right-hander Ben Joyce is determined to turn that statistic around, and do it the hard way.
Joyce threw the fastest pitch by a MLB reliever in nearly two years on Saturday evening during the ninth inning of a 1-0 win against the Kansas City Royals, helping nail down the win and give the Angels their 19th save of the season, which remains the lowest total in the majors.
The 104.5 mph four seamer Joyce fired on the first pitch to John Rave on Saturday was the fastest pitch by a reliever since he smoked a 105.5 mph fastball past Tommy Edman of the Dodgers to strike him out on Sept. 3, 2024.
“I was just sitting there smiling, like, ‘man, it’s awesome having him out there.’ ” said Angels manager Kurt Suzuki, who has watched his team blow 21 saves this season. “His presence, what he can do on the mound, just gives you so much more comfort.”
Joyce has only appeared in five games since returning from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder in May of 2025, but has already thrown the 19 fastest pitches by the Angels this season.
“I’m just trying to get out there and get a zero,” Joyce said. “At the end of the day, if that comes with it, it’s the cherry on top.”
Joyce said he doesn’t go number hunting when on the mound, but it’s hard to avoid seeing the velocity on his pitches at Angel Stadium because it’s displayed behind home plate.
“Sometimes, I’ll just see where we’re at the first few pitches,” Joyce said. “It doesn’t really matter, you’ve got to go out there with what you’ve got.”
Joyce, who will turn 26 next month, said he enjoys watching fellow hard-throwing right-hander Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers, who limited the Dodgers to one run in six innings on Saturday in a 4-1 win at Dodger Stadium.
Joyce and Misiorowski combined to throw the five hardest pitches in the MLB on Saturday, all 104 mph or better.
“It’s incredible what he’s doing, especially as a starter. One hundred pitches and he’s throwing that hard, it’s incredible,” Joyce said of the 24-year-old Misiorowski. “It is a competition, I guess, but I want him to do well too. It’s good for the game of baseball and it’s awesome to watch. What he did (Saturday) against that lineup is incredible. So, I’m watching it more as a fan, I guess, and it’s very cool to see.”
KIKUCHI UPDATE
The morning after Yusei Kikuchi struggled through another rehab start, Suzuki did not seem overly concerned.
The left-hander allowed seven runs in the first inning on Saturday night for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga. He surrendered eight runs and seven hits overall in 4 2/3 innings, striking out eight and walking two on 80 pitches.
“A guy with his experience and how long he’s been in the big leagues, I think you just want him to feel good,” Suzuki said. “I think when you put him in a major league game, when the lights are on, it’s a different story, but the main thing is he’s feeling good, feeling strong and all those things you want him to feel in a rehab start.”
Suzuki had not had a chance to debrief with Kikuchi before Sunday’s game to determine the next step in his return from the shoulder inflammation, which has kept him out since late April.
Kikuchi, 35, gave up six runs (four earned) in three innings in his first rehab start on July 30 and 10 runs over five innings in two starts with Triple-A Salt Lake earlier this month.
Kikuchi is in the second year of a three-year, $63 million deal.
DAY OF REST
After driving in five runs in the previous two games, including the only run on Saturday, Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel got the day off for the series finale against the Royals on Sunday.
“We have a stretch of 13 (straight) games and we’ve got an off day (Monday),” Suzuki said. “I feel like giving him two days to kind of reset his body and get him ready to go on another stretch again.”
UP NEXT
Angels (RHP George Klassen 1-1, 5.52 ERA) at Astros (RHP Cristian Javier 1-3, 6.68 ERA), Tuesday, 5:10 p.m., ABTV, 830 AM