The 100.8 mph “splinker” that Jhoan Duran threw to Alex Verdugo on Monday night was the first off-speed pitch in MLB history at 100+ mph, according to Minnesota Twins communications director Dustin Morse.
Jhoan Duran, 101mph Splinker (with Tail). pic.twitter.com/PoFoLWyhTV
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 30, 2022
According to Baseball Savant, not only does Duran leads the majors this season with an average splitter speed of 96.2 mph, his four-seam fastball also leads the majors with an average of 100.7 mph. His curveball is second in baseball at an average of 87.7 mph.
Nobody comes close to Duran in terms of splitter velocity. Do-Hyoung Park, who covers the Twins for MLB.com, says Duran owns the top 68 spots in the pitch-tracking era for splitter velocity.
“That pumps you up like very few things I’ve ever seen from a pitcher. Ever. The end goal is to get three outs. There are a lot of different ways to do that. But my god, that is some insane stuff,” said Twins manager Rocco Baldelli Monday night.
Here’s a clip of every pitch Duran threw in the seventh inning.
Jhoan Duran's Stupid Stuff. 🥴
[That last pitch is a 100.8 mph Splinker. 😳] pic.twitter.com/s7TDJTws9A
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 30, 2022
