PHOENIX — Lourdes Gurriel Jr.‘s bat was faster than a speeding bullet, or at least faster than anything Padres right-hander Mason Miller could throw at him.
The Diamondbacks outfielder turned on 103.9 mph offering from Miller and hit a two-run game-tying home run in the eighth inning of his team’s eventual 10-5 loss in 11 innings Tuesday night at Chase Field.
It was the fastest pitch under pitch tracking (since 2008) hit for a home run, and it left Gurriel’s bat at 107.1 mph and traveled a Statcast-projected 439 feet.
Miller, whom the Padres acquired from the A’s at the Trade Deadline on Thursday, was throwing serious heat Tuesday, topping out at 104.2 mph. That’s the fastest pitch thrown by a Padre under pitch tracking.
The Padres went into the eighth with a 5-3 lead. After retiring the first two hitters of the inning, Miller walked Geraldo Perdomo before allowing the homer.
The fastest pitch in the Majors under pitch tracking was Aroldis Chapman, who threw a pitch 105.8 mph in 2010.
