102.9 mph! Doval punctuates save on game-ending gas
This browser does not support the video element.
Talk about ending on a high note.
Monday night’s game between the Giants and Padres was tightly contested, ending 1-0 in favor of San Francisco, but it didn’t come without an exclamation point. Giants reliever Camilo Doval came in for the save in the ninth, and after getting two outs, he turned up the heat against Josh Bell.
After slinging three straight 100-plus mph pitches to Bell, Doval emptied the tank and got him swinging on a 102.9 mph cutter to end it. That pitch is tied for the fastest pitch a Giants pitcher has thrown in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008). It’s also the third-fastest thrown for a strikeout this season, trailing only Ryan Helsley’s 103.1 mph pitch on May 1 and Jordan Hicks’ 103 mph heater on July 7.
It’s becoming a common occurrence to see the 25-year-old righty throw heat, as Doval also owns three of the next four fastest pitches for the Giants, with two of those coming this season. The player he’s tied with at the top? Brian Wilson, who was a three-time All Star and a World Series champion in San Francisco. Not bad company, right?