Joe Musgrove had a lot of firsts in 2022. He was a first-time All-Star. He had an ERA under 3.00 for the first time in a full season. He made his first start in a playoff game. He threw the fastest pitch ever on Antarctica.
That last one might be the coolest of them all. Literally and figuratively.
Musgrove went with a group from the Challenged Athletes Foundation to Antarctica with two goals: throw the fastest heater ever in the world's coldest place, and shine the spotlight on some of the greatest adaptive athletes alive.
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He was joined by Landis Sims, a teenager who was born with no hands or feet yet made his high school baseball team and hit .400 ... Roderick Sewell, the first double double above knee amputee to finish the Ironman World Championship ... and Justin Phongsavanh, a bronze medalist at the Tokyo Paralympic Games for the javelin throw who currently holds the event's World Record.
Fellow pitcher Sean Manaea also went on the trip and served as Joe's catcher for the historic moment.
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Joe's goal was to break 80 MPH. A few warmup pitches was all it took for him to hit 86 MPH, which is not easy to do when all your joints are frozen.
Getting to Antarctica is not exactly an easy trek. Trying to do something like this made it exponentially harder. Due to the environmental impact, Joe had to go through a rigorous permitting process. The "Environmental Impact and Wildlife Risk Assessment" that was done by multiple government agencies to make sure throwing a pitch on the ice would not upset the ecosystem took five months to complete.
Musgrove and the group were led on the trip by Polar Expedition Guide Neill Drake. After Musgrove was done, Sims got to throw a pair of pitches, as well. The two have developed a strong friendship over the last few years and Joe wants to make sure this accomplishment is less about him and more about highlighting the amazing athletes of the CAF.
“I’m constantly inspired by Landis Sims and the athletes from Challenged Athletes Foundation who overcome their challenges every day to achieve their goals,” said Musgrove in a statement. “Antarctica is one of the most remote and extreme destinations in the world. I can’t think of a better place to showcase pushing the limits of what’s possible.”
The Guinness World Records folks still need to give official recognition that Musgrove now owns the fastest pitch in the sub-Arctic but that should be a mere formality. Oh, and Joe did it on his 30th birthday. The good news there is: it'll be a birthday to remember forever. The bad news is: good luck finding a way to top it.
For information on the Challenged Athletes Foundation and all the wonderful work they do, click here.
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