Jhoan Duran, the fiery closer for the Minnesota Twins, became the eighth pitcher in MLB history to pitch at 104+ mph three times in Wednesday’s 7-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants.
Confronting Wilmer Flores, Duran illuminated the radar weapon with a 103.3 mph fastball and afterward followed with fastballs timed at 104.4 mph and 104.6 mph. With a fastball that reached 104.0 mph, he later ended the game by striking out Casey Schmitt.
These three heaters have surpassed the previous record of 103.8 set by two prominent relievers, lefty Aroldis Chapman of the Yankees and Cardinals pitcher Jordan Hicks, to become the fastest pitches in Major League Baseball this season.
Duran’s typical fastball this season has soared from his hand to the catcher’s glove at 101.5 mph, the quickest in the major associations, as per Baseball Academic. With an average speed of 100.8 mph, Hicks ranks second in the majors. No other pitcher is averaging more than 100 mph.
His splitter, which he calls a “splinker” on the grounds that it’s a blend of a sinker and a splitter, comes in at a normal of 98.6 mph. That surpasses Tampa Bay’s Pete Fairbanks’ average splitter speed of 93.7 mph, which ranked second.
No. 1 is Duran’s average curveball speed of 88.2 mph. 2 in the majors, behind right-hander Joe Kelly of the White Sox (88.4 mph).
To recap, Duran tosses the…
- Hardest fastballs
- Hardest splitters
- Second-hardest curves in the majors
Duran said in January, while at TwinsFest in Minneapolis, that he accepts he can hit 105 mph on the radar firearm this season.