CHICAGO — Former Tennessee pitcher and Farragut High School graduate Ben Joyce made his MLB debut on Monday night with the Los Angeles Angels.
He pitched an inning of relief against the Chicago White Sox in the bottom of the seventh inning with the Angels holding a 4-3 lead.
Joyce dealt a pitch as fast as 102 miles per hour in his debut. He struck out two batters in a scoreless inning. They went on to win 6-4.
Joyce was called up from the Rocket City Trash Pandas on Sunday, the Angels' Double-A affiliate. The Angels selected the pitcher in the third round with the 89th overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft.
He pitched one season for the Vols and his fastball caught the nation's attention. His 105.5 mph pitch against Auburn set the record as the fastest pitch in college baseball history.
Joyce is the 45th player in Tennessee program history to make it to the MLB and joins VFLs Garrett Crochet, Yan Gomes and Nick Senzel as Tennessee products currently in the major leagues.
