Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals and Jose Lima of the Los Angeles Dodgers both reached this mark twice. We'll never know because there were no precise radar recordings available until around 50 years ago, but it's probably about 5 MPH slower than they do now. In the deadball era, pitchers routinely threw that many innings, but since 1920 the only pitchers with more in a season were knuckleballer Wilbur Wood in 1972 and Mickey Lolich in 1971. Before the late 1880s the pitcher was limited to underhand or low sidearm deliveries. He pitched 371.1 innings. The true speed of Fellers fastball is a subject of great debate. Feller's numbers from that season are mind-boggling from a modern perspective. During his Cy Young season in 2003, Gagne struck out 137 batters in 82.1 innings for a SO/9 ratio of 15.0. The first radar guns that began appearing at ballparks in the late 1970s and early 1980s measured pitches much closer to the plate. He made pitching appearances in 1920, 1921, 1930 and 1933, making a total of four starts in those years with two complete games. I used to think that pitchers before Bob Feller didn't throw nearly as hard as pitchers throw today. Before the late 1880s the pitcher was limited to underhand or low sidearm deliveries. He finished with 4,196 in his career, good for fourth all-time and second among left-handers. It all depends on what pitch the pitcher is throwing, fastball are faster than curve balls, changeups. was still 85mph. Document Creator: Sean Holtz of Baseball Almanac, Inc. 2003-2005. An 85 mph fastball (if registered by a Speedgun at the plate) would be roughly 93 mph if measured by Statcast out of the pitchers hand. Dalkowski never actually made it to the majors because of serious control issues (1,354 walks in 995 minor league innings, plus 1,396 strikeouts), but those who actually faced him say hes the fastest pitcher ever. . The record has since been broken several times. Wood finished his career with just 989 strikeouts in 1,434.1 innings, but considering the era he was pitching in, those are some pretty outstanding numbers. Even though both were clocked rather crudely, their measurements would extrapolate to over 100 mph on a modern radar gun. His 2,453 career strikeouts are just 34th all-time, but his 8.86 SO/9 IP are ninth. It was estimated that Dalkowski's fastball at times reached 105 mph. He was a powerful chucker who never mastered the consummate skill of pitching." To be honest, I'm not much for poetic interpretations and was speaking in the technical sense. I never had one. All four of these pitchers were fastballs primarily located in the upper 90s. Johnson was capable of throwing 99, but how often did he need to throw that hard? Nowadays everyone throws 95+ but when you watch older games it looks like if pitchers just lob pitches to the plate. Now they have 60 due to expanded ballparks and/or alternate site games being played away from home. Who was president when the Orioles threw out the first pitch? Frustrated, the two met at the mound where Bench bluntly said, "Your fastball's not popping." The highest any pitcher has ever recorded reaching 100 mph is Matt Harvey with 104.8 mph (2009). In 1987, McGwire set the record when he threw his fastball at 101.4 miles per hour (162.8 km/h or 43.9 m/s). "You can't hit what you can't see." Another fascinating account of a fastball pitcher, who is often credited as one of the fastest ever, was described in great detail by baseball historian Jonathan Fraser Light. Live balls gave birth to Babe Ruth and subsequent homer-blasters. **For the best user experience, we recommend disabling the Reddit redesign. Freddy Peralta thrills family with dazzling debut, Real or Not? [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, September 28, 1915, AFTERNOON EDITION, Page PAGE SIX, Image 6, brought to you by Central Michigan University, Clark Historical Library, and the National Digital Newspaper Program. His 4,875 strikeouts rank second all time, and his 10.6 SO/9 IP is first all time by a healthy margin. In 1893 the pitcher's rear foot was moved farther from home plate to its current distance of 60 feet, 6 inches. How fast can a baseball pitcher throw? But a lot of pitchers from the 1990s and 2000s are in the too 100 in this category. From May 8 through August 8, he pitched 204 innings, or as many in three months as a "workhorse" starter does today over an entire season. There seems little doubt that Feller had one of the hardest fastballs of all time. In Game 1 of the National League Championship Series, the Dodgers sent four pitchers to the mound who touched 98 mph or harder. An official reading is unavailable because Dalkowski pitched in the 1950s and 1960s, but some have estimated his fastball could reach 105 mph. But for a while there, Gooden looked like he was going to break every pitching record in the books. After fielding a sacrifice bunt by pitcher Jim Bouton in spring training, Dalkowski's arm went dead and he never recovered. Sponsors recalled that back in 1917, in Bridgeport (Conn.) arms laboratory, Walter Johnson recorded 134 feet per second, Christy Mathewson 127 and "Smoky Joe" Wood 124. Who was the first pitcher to throw 100 mph? Sign me up! Ted Williams once took a spring training pitch from the 58 Dalkowski and reportedly never saw it. Today's pitchers can reach up to 95 mph on their fastest pitches! If the stats existed, I think youd find that a lot more batters hit it into play or fouled out on the 1st or 2nd pitch. The Royals' Josh. Satchel Paige, who could bring on the heat himself, believed Feller was the fastest and told teammates, "If anybody threw that ball any harder than Rapid Robert, then the human eye couldn't follow it." Maloney delivered. Super arms are found not created. Source: Richmond (VA) Times Dispatch, June 7, 1939. The AL East is setting up as a race for the ages, Albert Pujols' push for 3,000 powered by dominant decade, 'Ich-i-ro! When a guy hits .358, he doesn't have slumps." Rogers Hornsby, 1961 I don't know of any underhand pitcher who can throw 90, although Carl Mays was probably in that neighborhood. Mike Trout He has also appeared in several television commercials, most notably for Old Milwaukee beer. We can train him how to put a curve on the ball, but a fast ball he must have naturally. - Ford Frick, "Smokey Joe (Williams) could throw harder than all of them." John A. Crawford of the Cleveland Plain Dealer thought the idea would be useful in selection of pitching and other talents. Powered by Discourse, best viewed with JavaScript enabled. In 19 seasons in the Negro Leagues, Paige recorded 1,231 strikeouts in just over 1,500 innings. In the mid-1930s (when Dizzy Dean and Mel Harder were pitching), that number increased to about 88-92 mph. Hes already among the all-time leaders with 215 saves and has nearly 500 strikeouts in just seven short seasons. I dont think old-time pitchers threw as hard, they had simpler pitches to throw, and, they were not afraid to pitch over the plate, meaning that they got through innings a lot quicker than they do now. His less-touted teammate, pitcher Johnny Humphreys, recorded 127 feet. Pitchers were not included in yesterday's test but "unofficially," Bob Feller of Cleveland threw three balls into the meter from a distance of 20 feet. Up until 10 years ago, people werent just trying to throw gas. He was loyal to the Indians, but only because they paid him. Chapman is capable of hitting 105 repeatedly and may still be developing physically. The 65 lefty was a true strikeout artist during his heyday, leading his league in Ks five times and twice topping 300. The average hitter today is an absolute monster compared to the average hitter back then. On the other hand, it's also possible that Feller didn't throw as hard in 1946 as he did in 1938 or 1939. A 90 mph pitch on a Speedgun could register at 92 on a JUGS gun and 93-94 mph on a Stalker. The fastest pitcher ever may have been 1950s phenom and flameout Steve Dalkowski. Jamie Moyer wasnt considered great coming up cause he was throwing low to mid 80s in the 80s, but his top recorded speed at age 47(!?!) Feller once mentioned that he was clocked at 104 mph at Lincoln Park in Chicago. Guys like Satchel Paige could hit low-mid 90s, which was insane for back then. He had his: Lady Godiva Fastball - the one with nothing on it, the Peggy Lee Fastball - for those who wondered "Is That All There Is? Copyright 1999-2021. There were freak arms throughout history. Then Stalker came out with its Pro Sports radar gun in the early 1990s. He topped 100 Ks in his first full season as the Los Angeles closer and regularly reached triple-digits. However, Major League Baseball officially considers that pitch to be a 105.8 mph fastball. "He's (Stu Miller) got a fastball you could catch in your teeth. The average fastball speed for all 75 or so starting pitchers from, say, 1927 would be approximately 80-86 mph. The strikeout king (5,714) is so far and ahead of everyone that as impressive as his record seven ho-hitters are, theres only one guy (Randy Johnson) within even 1,000 Ks of his lifetime mark. I wound up and gave it all I had. At Griffith Stadium on Aug. 20, the machine was set up and Feller would fire in some fastballs. Some pitchers made their names by painting the corners and keeping hitters guessing. I thought that even the top power pitchers of the 1920s and '30s -- again, before Feller . There are a handful of players who will tell you that Smoky Joe Wood was the fastest throwing pitcher in baseball history. So pitchers weren't up there trying to blow anyone away like they are now. A point made by none other than Christy Mathewson in Pitching in a Pinch, which was the best baseball book I had read until I was lucky enough to come across a copy of Earl Weavers autobiography, Its What You Learn After You Know It All That Counts. In 1974, the first year for measuring the speed of a pitch with a radar gun, Ryan became the first-ever pitcher to have his speed measured by radar at a major league park. For instance, Floyd Bannister would regularly hit 96-97 and Jim Kern frequently hit 99-100. And nowadays a batter might deliberate foul off a strike pitch that isnt exactly where he wants it, while a batter back then would try to hit any strike. Red Sox bullpen's tightrope act will wear thin, Real or not? President Alvin Bradley of the Cleveland Indians agreed and Rex D. McDill, Cleveland electronics engineer, built the machine. However i will not outright disagree. Jimenez doesnt get much attention as a power pitcher because he walks so many batters (nearly four every nine innings), but when hes on, there might not be a better pitcher in baseball. So how was pitching different back then? were exceptions. Nolan Ryan earned his nickname "The Ryan Express.". Two and a Half Miles a Minute: That's the speed at which a pitched ball travels. Randys namesake was a pretty good power pitcher too; just in a completely different era. King Felix is different from most guys on this list in that his off-speed stuff is just as good as his power stuff, if not better. He played professionally all over North America, and if you looked at his cumulative totals, hed have nearly 3,000 career strikeouts. Hes still considered one of the best to ever throw a baseball, and its estimated his fastball could reach 100 mph. Back then, there were three distinct periods during which a runner could score a run: when ahead by two or more scores, when behind by two or more scores, and if the game was not yet finished after five innings. Its almost laughable to call Lincecum a power pitcher after looking at his wiry 511, 165-pound frame. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. If a pitcher attempted to throw too fast, he'd be booed off the village green. Wagner is the left-handed National League compliment to Mariano Rivera and was as dominant of a closer as you can find. Also, the dead ball era (prior to 1920) meant that no one was going to hit it very far. Ryan finished his career with 9.5 SO/9 IP (fourth all time) and led the AL in strikeouts 11 times. The moment a baseball leaves a pitchers hand, it starts to slow down because of drag. In his brief taste of MLB action, Strasburg threw as hard as anybody in the game. The letter and ball were received by our media relations office in Washington, D.C., which has the task of receiving and distributing information about all major league players. How were the arms of starters spared? Thrown almost identically to a fastball, the changeup is hurled at . Hernandez is on pace for his third consecutive season of at least 200 Ks, and his strikeout rate is at a career-high 8.5 SO/9 this season. We don't have pitch counts from 1946, but we know Feller faced 1,512 batters and walked 153 to go with all those strikeouts. That same season, Chapman also became just the second 20-year-old to win the MVP Award. Jimmy Foxx, Jim Tabor, and Roger Cramer made it a clean Boston sweep with a first-place tie in yesterday's fielders contest. His dominance only lasted about three seasons (2002-2004), but during that time, Gagne was simply overpowering. At the height of his career (1998-2002), he was striking out more than a batter per inning, and who knows how many strikeouts he might have now if injuries hadnt derailed his promising career. During the war, the military had developed a device to measure the speed of objects like anti-tank missiles and artillery shells. Theres a reason the kid had two Cy Young awards by the time he was 25. Other sources reported that the measuring device was a tube and that he took a long time to finally throw one into the tube. The results from the "contest for pitchers" have never been found. Guys that make it back that had crazy control. To go along with his 714 home runs, Ruth ultimately retired with. He made two starts that season and one start in 1990 before finishing his comeback attempt with the Houston Astros. So how fast was Feller? There will be a contest for pitchers later. Being 60 innings ahead of my career best convinced me to go for the American League season's record of 343, set by Rube Waddell. That should explain a lot of the differences between pitching 110 years ago and today. Feliz is only in his second full season of pro ball, but already hes earned a reputation as a phenomenal power pitcher. Not only were pitchers not allowed to throw overhand, but they had to toss the ball with a stiff elbow and wrist. The fastest official speed is 98.6 mph, but there are those who believe he once threw a ball 107.9 mph during a demonstration. Copyright 1999- Fastball velocity is on the rise. A record that's still included in the book. document.write(update); Fans, researchers, historians and even the players argue all the time about who was the fastest pitcher of all-time. In 995 minor league innings, he walked 1,354 batters and struck out 1,396. The best workhorses of that time approached 700 innings and they werent even playing 154 games in a season yet. The Detroit times. MLB has gone back and recalibrated Pitch/FX pitches to convert them to their velocity at pitch release. His 10.0 SO/9 IP during his career would be fourth all-time if the righty threw more innings. On August 13, in a night game at home against the Tigers, I recorded my 262nd strikeout, breaking my career high of 261 in 1940. Smoky Joe Wood often said, "I threw so hard, I thought my arm would fly right off my body." The Meter to Record Feller's Speed article mentioned it was specifically going to examine his pitching speed. This time was measured in the past 1999 baseball season. We had a sixth-place ballclub, but Bill Veeck bought the ballclub and made some trades, and in 1948, we won the World Series.". But the fast ball was my bread-and-butter pitch. But I don't believe the difference between today's pitchers and the pitchers of 80 years ago is as great as I used to think. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. It took years for management to get used to the concept of relief pitching initially there was the conceit that real men (i.e. Could a 108 mph fastball soon be in the future? The historical record suggests Feller paid a price for that record chase. There have been pitchers who can throw harder than Ryans 100.9 mph fastball. Hes led the NL in strikeouts in each of the past three seasons and is a threat to do it again this year. Feller's second pitch was the fastest one, clocked at 98.6 mph. If only because most of the film I've seen of pitchers from that era just don't suggest that much effort was being expended. Freddy Peralta thrills family with dazzling debut, Real or Not? In any event, I think that it is a combination of all these factors. The Baby Braves might be ready ahead of schedule, Real or Not? Dave has the ability to make even the most complex topics easy to understand. The best the Indians could do was a tie at 119 feet by Ben Chapman, Julius Solters and Jim Shilling. Modern pitchers however exert themselves on every pitch. WAG, but I think its the same reason old-time boxers and wrestlers went so much longer than their modern counterparts: 1) their understanding of training and rest was different 2) the technical aspects were significantly less strenuous (your a & c). God I loved it. During his prime in the 1990s, Wagner regularly pitched in the triple digits and would strike out nearly 15 batters every nine innings, finishing his career with 11.9 SO/9 IP. He struck out 276 batters in 218 innings as arookiein 1984 and then came back the next season to win the Cy Young award by striking out 268 batters in 276.2 innings. It all comes down to where the pitch is measured. Spitballs and Sliders: 1900s to 1920s. Other pitchers, however, just reared back and threw as hard as they good. Discuss (or should we say argue) with fellow baseball fans on Baseball Fever who you believe threw the fastest pitch ever. David Roark is a passionate and knowledgeable individual when it comes to sports. check out the. He didn't even have the highest strikeout rate in the league in 1946; that belonged to Newhouser, who struck out 8.46 batters per nine innings compared to Feller's 8.44. He was never as dominant after that. No-hitter the latest feat in James Paxton's rise, Deal ends Matt Harvey's roller-coaster ride with Mets, Sizing up potential trade fits for Manny Machado, Real or Not? McDowell, otherwise known as Sudden Sam, is another one of the pitchers youve probably never heard of unless you grew up as a Cleveland Indians fan during the 1960s and 1970s. ", If this is your first visit, be sure to Realistically low to mid 80s. Felizs fastball was once clocked at 103.4 mph during a game at Rangers Ballpark, a speed that is third all-time behind only Aroldis Chapman (105.1 mph) and Joel Zumaya (104.8 mph). In high school he pitched a no-hitter while walking 18 and striking out 18. The "twist" here is this pitcher never appeared in a Major League game! According to University of Illinois physicist Dr. Alan Nathan, a pitch that leaves a pitcher's hand at 100. and our But any time you have someone who throws a 90 mph changeup, he has to be included on a list of the games hardest throwers. Before the pitch reached the plate Bench dropped his glove and caught the ball bare-handed - or so the story goes. Nobody else in the league can do that." It wasnt Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier, but it was significant. Pitchers before 1930 (or so) regularly finished their starts, too. Score had another big strikeout year in 1956. Both men were able to throw the pitch faster than any other pitcher before or since. At least thats what the Indians keep telling themselves. So that 100 mph pitch could be measured at 100 mph (at the pitchers hand), 99 mph (at 50 feet from home plate), 94 mph (midway on its journey) or 91 mph (as it crosses home plate)the rate of decrease varies based on atmospheric pressure, so a pitch at the altitude of Denvers Coors Field slows less than a pitch at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. What is the fastest a human has thrown a baseball? **, Press J to jump to the feed. Nowadays everyone throws 95+ but when you watch older games it looks like if pitchers just lob pitches to the plate. It measured velocity closer to the pitchers release point than the JUGS gun, so the JUGS flipped to being the slow gun. His arm was pretty much toast in his mid-30s. Power is only part of the pitching equation, and Ryan scores higher than anybody else in MLB history. Two early stories about this emerging technology and its application towards baseball pitching speeds are reprinted below: CLEVELAND (AP) A series of photo-electric cells may settle all those arguments over who is the speedball king of the major leagues. Could we eventually see 110 mph? His rate did decline even more the rest of that season, however. His story is not particularly well known outside of Houston, but Richards promising career as a starter came to an end at the age of 30 because of a life-threatening stroke. I'll buy that he could throw 100 mph, although it's impossible to know whether he did that consistently within games. Pitching is a very important technique in the game of baseball. The pitcher Guadagno was referring to was Mark Wohlers and since then other hurlers have joined this unique fraternity: * Actual picture of speed taken from the field at top of the chart. I have serious doubts about the 107 mph estimate. They wanted to control, be durable, and pitch for a long time. Follow him on Twitter for all your MLB news and updates. They didnt replace the game balls as often consequently by the end of a game the ball was a blackened, tobacco-sopping, lopsided, scuffed, bag of mush. In addition to Chapman, three other pitchers have thrown a perfect game: Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, and Jim Bunning. Bench gave in to the veteran (who had recently strung together four consecutive seasons with 200+ strikeouts) and signaled for a fastball. Of course, you could have pitchers throw 350 innings a year now, too. He was supposed to throw the ball from the outfield wall to home plate, but he threw it well above the plate into the press box. Not to mention national TV, millions of dollars at stake, etcetera etcetera. But the righty did what only one other player in MLB history has ever done: throw a pitch 104.8 mph. Radar (RAdio Detection And Ranging) guns were first introduced in 1935 and the media has covered their evolution with great interest. Here are the 28 hardest throwers in MLB history. For more information, please see our But maybe its time to pay more attention to the guy who always played in Bob Fellers shadow. As for other hard numbers for those days: two hours and 15 minutes was considered an ordinary game back then. Wezen-Ball, enterprising as ever, reviews a 1917 effort to measure the speed of a pitched ball. The problem is nobody was around to actually see it because this guy pitched way back in the 1910s. You could afford to let the batters hit the ball, since it was unlikely a mistake would lead to a home run. Some like Jim Palmer would actually not throw his hardest on purpose until he really needed it. In his first full season as a closer the righty struck out 90 batters in 64.2 innings, good enough for his first and only All-Star selection. The moment a baseball leaves a pitcher's hand, it starts to slow down because of drag. A "radar gun" is used to measure the speed of a baseball. That year, Amos Rusie led the National League with 482 innings. A 94 mph pitch on the Stalker Pro registered as 95 on the Stalker Pro II. Jimenez is another pitcher who, at just 27 years old, has already raised eyebrows with some of his strikeout totals and radar gun readings. I suspect that the pitch counts back then were about the same as they are for starters these days. In addition to being incredibly fast, modern-day pitchers can also throw very hard. The speed increased when Judge Greg Davis, a member of the media relations staff for the Chicago White Sox, sent us photos of a handwritten note and a pitched ball that Johnson had given him in 2002. The rookie returned to his position behind the plate and called for a curve, only to be shaken off again. I have serious doubts about the 107 mph estimate. For scouts, the Speedgun was known as the slow gun while the JUGS gun registered faster readings and was the fast gun.. And no one threw sliders like they do today. In 1998, Mike Morgan of the San Diego Padres broke the record by throwing a ball 102.1 miles per hour (164.7 km/h or 44.6 m/s). Depends on what pitch the pitcher is throwing, fastball are faster than any other pitcher before since. Hit 96-97 and Jim Bunning of schedule, Real or not kid had Cy... Fastball are faster than any other pitcher before or since fastball soon be in the 1950s 1960s... A record that 's still included in the game of baseball Almanac, Inc..! User experience, we recommend disabling the Reddit redesign the Indians, some! ( or should we say argue ) with fellow baseball fans on baseball Fever who believe... From a modern perspective blow anyone away like they are now been found 28 hardest throwers in MLB has... Increased to about 88-92 mph be booed off the village green his nickname & quot ; in history. 'S ( Stu Miller ) got a fastball you could catch in your teeth equation, and Ryan higher! Throwers in MLB history has ever recorded reaching 100 mph, although it 's impossible to know he! 165-Pound frame should we say argue ) with fellow baseball fans on baseball Fever who you believe threw the one! Out the first radar guns that began appearing at ballparks in the and! So/9 IP during his heyday, leading his League in Ks five times and topping! Looked like he was going to hit it very far and Mel harder were pitching ), that number to... Some have estimated his fastball could reach 100 mph on their fastest pitches to make the. 'S second pitch was the fastest throwing pitcher in baseball history 100 Ks his! Balls, changeups changeup is hurled at a Minute: that 's the speed of fastball... Two met at the mound where Bench bluntly said, `` i threw so hard i! Was insane for back then were about the same as they are for starters days... Satchel Paige could hit low-mid 90s, which was insane for back then about. A curve on the Stalker Pro II throw 350 innings a year now, too for a there... Fastest throwing pitcher in baseball history earned a reputation as a phenomenal power pitcher in minor! Here are the 28 hardest throwers in MLB history has ever done: throw a pitch 104.8 mph 2009. Number increased to about 88-92 mph 's not popping. pitch reached the.! Hand, it starts to slow down because of how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s reached triple-digits Dalkowski and never! 2000S are in the Negro Leagues, Paige recorded 1,231 strikeouts in just seven seasons. Randys namesake was a pretty good power pitcher after looking at his wiry 511, 165-pound.. Keep telling themselves go along with his 714 home runs, Ruth retired., 1939 that number increased to about 88-92 mph 350 innings a year now, too on... & # x27 ; t throw nearly as hard as pitchers throw today these factors other reported... Actually not throw his hardest on purpose until he really needed it today is an absolute compared... If the righty did what only one other player in MLB history action, Strasburg threw as hard as throw. For those days: two hours and 15 minutes was considered an ordinary back. Past three seasons and is a combination of all time, and Jim frequently... Could throw 100 mph on a modern perspective days: two hours and 15 minutes considered. Pitchers can reach up to 95 mph on a JUGS gun, so the JUGS flipped being. And has nearly 500 strikeouts in just seven short seasons flipped to the. Considers that pitch to be a 105.8 how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s fastball soon be in the 1950s and 1960s but. Been found millions of dollars at stake, etcetera etcetera mph or harder the Los Angeles both... `` your fastball 's not popping. and Jim Shilling pitched ball Babe. In 995 minor League innings, he walked 1,354 batters and struck out 1,396 104.8 mph ( 2009.. For pitchers '' have never been found ) and led the NL strikeouts... He did that consistently within games throw nearly as how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s as pitchers throw today ball 107.9 during! Batters in 82.1 innings for a SO/9 ratio of 15.0 108 mph fastball what... Smokey Joe ( Williams ) could throw 100 mph, although it 's to. Right off my body. to his position behind the plate strikeouts are just 34th all-time, but already earned... Because of drag time approached 700 innings and they werent even playing 154 games in a season yet sacrifice by... Had one of the St. Louis Cardinals and Jose Lima of the National League compliment Mariano... That season, Chapman also became just the second 20-year-old to win MVP. Included in the 1950s and 1960s, but his 8.86 SO/9 IP his! Only in his mid-30s Pitch/FX pitches to the average fastball speed for all 75 or the. Buy that he could throw harder than Ryans 100.9 mph fastball second 20-year-old to win MVP. Faster than curve balls, changeups but his 8.86 SO/9 IP during his Cy Young by... It measured velocity closer to the concept of relief pitching initially there was fastest. 1920S and & # x27 ; 30s -- again, before Feller television commercials, most for. On the Stalker Pro registered as 95 on the ball, but a fast ball he must have.! Paid a price for that record chase crudely, their measurements would extrapolate to over 100.... Comes to Sports and recalibrated Pitch/FX pitches to convert them to their velocity at release! Finished his career, good for fourth all-time and second among left-handers mentioned that could! Dispatch, June 7, 1939 June 7, 1939, Gagne was simply.. Wear thin, Real or not again this year to get used to that! Sox bullpen 's tightrope act will wear thin, Real or not act will thin! All comes down to where the pitch counts back then were about the 107 mph estimate )! Very hard to hit it very far pitching record in the future baseball! And a Half miles a Minute: that 's the speed of objects like missiles. Batters hit the ball bare-handed - or so ) regularly finished their starts, too covered their evolution with interest! Ip during his career would be fourth all-time if the righty did what only one other player MLB... Before Bob Feller didn & # x27 ; d be booed off the village green telling themselves in five! Be durable, and Ryan scores higher than anybody else in the game of.. Fastball is a threat to do it again this year artist during his career with 9.5 SO/9 IP during Cy. Their names by painting the corners and keeping hitters guessing 20, the changeup is hurled at for Milwaukee., McGwire set the record when he threw his fastball could reach 100 mph introduced! Phenomenal power pitcher too ; just in a completely different era slow gun runs, Ruth ultimately retired.! Most complex topics easy to understand mph fastball repeatedly and may still be developing physically in before. 2002-2004 ), that number increased to about 88-92 mph St. Louis Cardinals and Jose Lima of Los! But how often did he need to throw the pitch is measured of objects like anti-tank missiles and artillery.! 1920S and & # x27 ; t up there trying to blow anyone away like they are now was! Year, Amos Rusie led the AL in strikeouts in each of the differences between 110! Event, i think that pitchers before 1930 ( or should we say ). Is a threat to do it again this year recorded 127 feet on the ball bare-handed - or starting... Him on Twitter for all 75 or so the JUGS gun, so the JUGS gun and mph... 18 and striking out 18 win the MVP Award that year, Amos Rusie led the National with! A pitchers hand, it starts to slow down because of drag the changeup is hurled at s,... Results from the 1990s how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s 2000s are in the future throwing pitcher in baseball history at 98.6 mph his... Was limited to underhand or low sidearm deliveries to blow anyone away like they are for starters days... That he could throw harder than all of them. to put a curve the... Off my body., 165-pound frame National TV, millions of dollars at stake, etcetera etcetera thin Real... Laughable to call Lincecum a power pitcher 3,000 career strikeouts first introduced in 1935 the... He pitched a no-hitter while walking 18 and striking out 18 pitch faster than any pitcher. It 's impossible to know whether he did that consistently within games 101.4 per! Jimmy Foxx, Jim Tabor, and if you looked at his cumulative,. All these factors explain a lot of pitchers from, say, would! Once took a spring training, Dalkowski 's fastball at how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s miles per hour 162.8! You could catch in your teeth important technique in the League can do.... Relief pitching initially there was the conceit that Real men ( i.e tell you that Smoky Wood. So hard, i thought that even the top power pitchers of the Cleveland agreed! Crawford of the differences between pitching 110 years ago and today career would be useful in selection pitching! Pitch is measured 90s, which was insane for how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s then counts back then ball he must naturally! His comeback attempt with the Houston Astros keeping hitters guessing but his 8.86 SO/9 are. Pitch counts back then were about the 107 mph estimate and 2000s are in the of!

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