Baseball’s fastest pitch of the season belongs to this Red Sox player
No, it's not Chris Sale.
Countless pitches have been thrown this far into the 2017 MLB season, but none faster than one from a certain Red Sox player.
Facing Anthony Rizzo of the Chicago Cubs on April 28, Joe Kelly threw a 102.2 mph two-seam fastball, which remains the fastest pitch in the league this year. It also matches the fastest recorded pitch in Red Sox history, thrown by Daniel Bard on July 30, 2009.
Upon learning of his accomplishment, Kelly seemed to offer a rather nonchalant response: “Oh, sick.” According to the 28-year-old pitcher, all his throws “feel the same” to him.
Kelly also currently holds MLB’s second-best pitch velocity, with an average speed of 98.9 mph, only behind St. Louis Cardinals’ right-hander Trevor Rosenthal. On the season, he has pitched in 23.1 innings across 20 games and boasts a 1.54 ERA.
