PHOENIX — Arizona Diamondbacks designated hitter Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a home run unlike any other ever tracked, turning on a 103.9 mph pitch from San Diego’s Mason Miller to tie Tuesday’s game in the eighth inning.
It was the fastest pitch homered off of since pitch tracking began in 2008, according to MLB researcher Sarah Langs, and he crushed it 439 feet for his second home run of the ballgame.
The Diamondbacks, however, finished 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position and lost to the Padres 10-5 in 11 innings. San Diego snapped Arizona’s three-game winning streak and evened the series at Chase Field.
“The real meaning was the time of the game and what it meant to the team to tie the ballgame,” Gurriel said via Spanish interpreter Rolando Valles. “That was the most important thing. Unfortunately, it didn’t turn into a win, but that was the most exciting thing.”
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.!!! Off 103.9 mph
That’s the fastest pitch homered off of under pitch tracking (2008) https://t.co/D2ne9wWDoL
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) August 6, 2025
The Padres scored five runs on six hits in the 11th inning off Jake Woodford, as Luis Arraez flipped the go-ahead RBI single on a bloop to left field. After climbing back to force extra innings, the D-backs went quietly in the bottom of the 11th.
The Diamondbacks (54-60) fell to 4-8 in extra innings this season, as only the Red Sox and Mariners have more extra-inning losses.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. turns on 104
Gurriel had fouled off Miller’s previous four pitches before he perfectly connected on a fireball thrown down the middle. The ball left his bat at 107 mph. He threw his bat toward the home dugout and pounded his chest as he started to take off around the bases.
Gurriel said fouling off pitches always helps a batter time up a pitcher in any at-bat, and with how hard the fastballs were coming in, the key was just reaction.
“Impressive,” Geraldo Perdomo said. “I was surprised, like he’s not supposed to. It’s 104, but thank God.”
“Big league hitters will get wood on a bullet,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “The more you see it, the more in sync you get with it. It’s just about getting your hands back, your front foot down and just setting your boundaries, setting your marker. … It looks very intimidating, but if you start to see it and you see it enough, you’re gonna start to time it up and catch it.”
The previous record for hardest pitch hit for a home run came last September, when Ian Happ of the Chicago Cubs went yard on a 103.2 mph fastball from Miller — whom the Padres acquired at the trade deadline from the Athletics.
It was Gurriel’s second two-run home run of the night, as he gave Arizona a 2-0 lead in the first inning against Padres starter Yu Darvish. Gurriel has eight career multi-homer games.
Perdomo set up both home runs with two-out walks.
Missed chances late
In the bottom of the ninth, Blaze Alexander singled and Alek Thomas was hit by a pitch with one out.
San Diego called on closer Robert Suarez, and Arizona countered with pinch hitter Adrian Del Castillo, who popped out. Corbin Carroll struck out to end the threat.
Woodford came in for the 10th with Arizona running low on available relievers, and he successfully stranded the runner with a pair of ground outs.
The Diamondbacks continued to struggle with runners aboard, failing to even get Carroll — who started on second base — over 90 feet to third in the 10th. San Diego intentionally walked Ketel Marte, and Perdomo flew out. Lovullo said he wanted Perdomo to swing as opposed to bunting. Perdomo came into the game hitting .342 with runners in scoring position.
Gurriel hit into the inning-ending double play a batter later.
Ryne Nelson solid before bullpen struggles
D-backs starter Ryne Nelson delivered 5.2 innings with two earned runs and eight strikeouts. He allowed six hits but managed to limit the damage and exited with a 3-2 lead.
“Ran into a little bit of trouble in the second,” Nelson said. “Other than that, I felt like the cutter and slider felt really good today. … I’m starting to free up some of the other stuff, being able to land some sliders in there for strikes and not be as predictable sometimes.
“I feel like it allows the two-strike fastball to play a little bit better. It wasn’t perfect … but overall, I feel like progress is being made.”
Nelson came back out for the sixth and struck out the first two batters. His pitch count was at a season-high 100, and with left-handed Jake Cronenworth coming up, the Diamondbacks turned to southpaw reliever Kyle Nelson.
The game became a mess for a while, as Nelson walked the bases loaded, throwing 12 balls and three strikes. That stretch sucked a lot of life out of Chase Field, and he was booed back to the dugout.
Rookie Andrew Hoffmann, a hero of Monday’s win as he pitched in high leverage for the first time in his career, entered the game with the bases loaded and Fernando Tatis Jr. coming up. Hoffmann struck out Tatis on Monday, but this time Tatis worked a walk. Ball four appeared to be in the strike zone.
Hoffmann managed to keep the game tied, but veteran Kendall Graveman failed to follow suit.
Kyle Nelson, Hoffmann and Graveman threw 46 pitches and only 16 strikes between them, as Graveman allowed the go-ahead runs on a two-run double from Ramon Laureano.
“Would’ve been a great game to win,” Lovullo said. “We were down against a very tough bullpen. We just kept fighting. … We definitely had problems closing out some innings and had to make some different pitching moves.
“Tough game to lose.”
Up next for Diamondbacks
The series concludes on Wednesday evening at 6:40 p.m. MST. Anthony DeSclafani will start for Arizona against San Diego southpaw Nestor Cortes.
Catch the game on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app.
