Brody Jessee pounded the strike zone and decimated the Fort Wayne Tincaps’ lineup in Wednesday night’s 3-2 victory as the High-A Dayton Dragons reliever from Anchorage struck out eight of 12 batters and earned the winning decision at Day Air Ballpark in Ohio.

He scattered two hits and a walk over three scoreless innings but got pulled with runners on the corners with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Manager Vince Harrison told the Dayton Daly News he liked the matchup with Brock Bell, who got a force out to close out the game. Jessee will take the win, his second in three appearances this year.

Jessee, of South High fame, ended the sixth, seventh and eighth innings with a strikeout.

In the sixth, he relieved Luis Mey, who hit 103 mph on the radar gun to break a ballpark record. Jessee, a 10th-round draft pick of the Cincinnati Reds in 2022, pumped in 95 mph heaters on his way to throwing 32 strikes on 49 pitches.

Dayton reliever Brody Jessee struck out 8 of the 12 batters he faced in relief last night. He owns a 0.96 FIP and 53.8 K% in six innings this season. #Reds pic.twitter.com/b6PutWEstr

— OnBaseMachine (@RedsFan_Brandon) April 18, 2024

He struck out the side in the seventh inning and fanned two batters in the eighth. In the ninth, he issued a walk and then struck out the next two batters before an infield single chased him.

Jessee became the first Alaskan to rack up at least eight Ks in an MLB-affiliated minor-league game since 2013 when Juneau’s Dylan Baker did it with Single-A Lake County.

Sitka southpaw Matt Way holds the Alaska record for most strikeouts (11) in a pro game. The two-time MLB draft pick out of Washington State is the only pitcher from the state to record double-digit Ks, having hit 10 as well.

Here is a list of the top strikeout games by Alaska players since 1985.

RING ‘EM UP
11 – Matt Way, Lakewood 2009
10 – Matt Way, Lakewood 2010
9 – Matt Way, Lakewood 2009
8 – Marshall Boze, El Paso 1993
8 – Matt Way, Lakewood 2009
8 – Dylan Baker, Lake County 2013
8 – Brody Jessee, Dayton 2024

Jessee, who played his college ball at Gonzaga, lowered his season ERA to 3.00 in six innings. He has 14 Ks compared to just three walks. The 23-year-old has piled up 68 career strikeouts at the pro level, tying two-time MLB draft pick Chad Nading of Anchorage for 15th on Alaska’s all-time pro list.