Jhoan Duran has, once again, reset the mark for the fastest pitch of 2023.
With one out and two men on in the ninth inning of Wednesday's Twins-Mariners game, Duran unleashed a 104.8 mph fastball to Seattle third baseman Eugenio Suárez, who somehow put the ball into play for a groundout.
Duran ripped off four 104+ mph pitches en route to his 16th save of the season, including the final pitch of the game of the game to strike out Mike Ford. Duran threw 11 fastballs in the game and the slowest one was 102.7 mph.
The 25-year-old Twins flamethrower owns the fastest average four-seam fastball in 2023, averaging at 101.9 mph. Duran also owns the fastest average splitter at 98.7 mph and fastest average curveball at 87.8 mph.
Across Major League Baseball this season, only nine pitches have been clocked at 104 mph. Duran owns all of them.
Fifty-eight pitches have hit at least 103 mph this season in baseball and Duran owns 43 of them. A total of 224 pitches across MLB have hit at least 102 mph this season, and Duran is responsible for 122 of them.
Duran has eclipsed 100 mph 278 times this season. The next closest is Baltimore's All-Star closer Flex Bautista, who has hit 100 mph or greater 190 times.
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