Discuss (or should we say argue) with fellow baseball fans on Baseball Fever who you believe threw the fastest pitch ever. 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. Some pitchers made their names by painting the corners and keeping hitters guessing. "They put me in the Hall of Fame? 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. How fast can a baseball pitcher throw? . Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Zumayas name tends to be forgotten in discussions about baseballs hardest throwers because he hasnt pitched in a game all season and has been injury prone for five years. . People are people. Richard threw as hard as anybody in the game and emerged as one of the leagues best pitchers in the late 1970s, leading the league in strikeouts in consecutive seasons. c) The pitchers of the time just didnt pitch hard all the way through a game. So how was pitching different back then? By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. In a game against the Detroit Tigers on August 20, 1974, the then-Angels . The right age to start throwing a slider or curveball is between 14 and 15 , which gives a player enough time to develop the pitch (takes 1-3 years) so that it's good by the time the college recruiting process heats up. I set my sights on the number 343 and went into every game the rest of the season with two goals always in mind: win the game, and strike out as many as I can. Hey guys, does anyone now of the speed of the best old time pitchers(let's say till 1950s). Wow that fast! Theres a reason the kid had two Cy Young awards by the time he was 25. In 1963 for Elmira he finally started throwing strikes. Except nobody told Feller about the plan. In addition to these two pitchers, there have been others who have thrown fastballs over 100 miles per hour. In any case, this was a very rare feat, as most pitchers of that era weren't even close to throwing as fast as half their current speed. When you have a good curve ball, it makes your strike zone larger because the hitters swing at pitches that are outside. "You can't hit what you can't see." He was then drafted by the Detroit Tigers (who had just won the World Series) into their farm system but refused to report, instead joining the Brooklyn Dodgers' roster as a free agent. In 1940, the Hall of Fame right-hander threw the only Opening Day no-hitter in MLB history. Wagner is the left-handed National League compliment to Mariano Rivera and was as dominant of a closer as you can find. What is the world record speed for throwing a baseball? The historical record suggests Feller paid a price for that record chase. He walked 21 in one minor league game and struck out 21 in another. Up until 10 years ago, people werent just trying to throw gas. After fielding a sacrifice bunt by pitcher Jim Bouton in spring training, Dalkowski's arm went dead and he never recovered. . (Yes, nitpickers, Im aware that John Wheeler ghosted Mattys book.). Their speeds were shown by a gravity drop interval recorder. Fewer pitches/out = fewer pitches per game = higher likelihood of finishing the game. In baseball statistics, pitch count is the number of pitches thrown by a pitcher in a game. The new meter, which gives an immediate reading which engineers said compared with standard laboratory meter accuracy, is built in a trailer. Other fast pitchers have included Carl Hubbell, Jack Quinn, and Roy Halladay. Perhaps I'm wrong on this, but it's just a theory of mine. how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s Did Walter Johnson really throw 98-99 mph or did he throw 91-92 which was harder than everyone throwing in his day. I think some of these things are a bit overblown. The best the Indians could do was a tie at 119 feet by Ben Chapman, Julius Solters and Jim Shilling. In baseball, the dead-ball era was the period from around 1900 to the emergence of Babe Ruth as a power hitter in 1919, when he hit a then-major league record 29 home runs; only three players since 1890 had even hit 20. Its hard to disagree considering that the righty piled up 2,581 strikeouts (26th all-time) during his career and led the AL in Ks seven times from 1938-1948. Likewise, in the technical sense, Steve was a left-handed pitcher. 14. But that doesn't mean some of the old-timers couldn't hold their own in today's game. Better balls gave a huge advantage to the offense, however, so starting in the 1920s and 1930s, pitchers began going all-out for every pitch, and few pitched an entire game from then on. Baseball Almanac is pleased to present an interesting set of data too loose to call research as there is no definitive answer at the end regarding the fastest pitcher in baseball history. What is Mitchell Starc's fastest ball speed? 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. Today's games often last three or four hours! He never finished outside of the top nine in strikeouts every year between 1969 and 1984. Matt Anderson, has thrown the fastest pitched baseball which measured 103 miles per hour (166 km/h or 46.0 m/s). The most widely quoted response is Nolan Ryan, whose fastball was "officially" clocked by the Guinness Book of World Records at 100.9 miles per hour in a game played on August 20, 1974, versus the Detroit Tigers. He has been playing sports his whole life and loves to talk about them. The record has since been broken several times. In 1989, Nolan Ryan returned to the mound with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Because 1) they weren't asked to max out, and 2) everyone in every sport is stronger and faster, more dynamic today than yesterday; why would pitchers be any different? I wound up and gave it all I had. So how fast was Feller? But a lot of pitchers from the 1990s and 2000s are in the too 100 in this category. Today's pitchers can reach up to 95 mph on their fastest pitches! A rookie catcher named Johnny Bench was behind the plate and eight-year veteran Jim Maloney was on the mound. In high school he pitched a no-hitter while walking 18 and striking out 18. Gerrit Cole's approach bringing Cy Young results, Mookie Betts vs. Bryce Harper -- and other pressing baseball debates, Real or not? 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. A modern radar gun measures the pitch either out of the hand or ten feet away from the pitcher, depending on the gunmost measurements all the way up to the 1980's would measure a pitcher about 60 feet from his hand (although I believe Walter Johnson was clocked 25 or 30 feet away from his hand). Nolan Ryan earned his nickname "The Ryan Express.". Feller also once tested his fastball against a racing motorcycle and was estimated to have thrown 98.6 mph that time as well (or 104 mph by some modern estimates). Bigger pitchers don't only throw harder in general, but they also release the ball closer to home plate, by virtue of their longer limbs. Freddy Peralta thrills family with dazzling debut, Real or Not? Other American League clubs will be given a chance at it later. In 1987, he started throwing the curveball more often than not. The best workhorses of that time approached 700 innings - and they weren't even playing 154 games in a season yet. The 610 left-hander topped 300 Ks five times in his career (including an eye-popping 372 in 249.2 innings in 2001) and led his league in Ks nine times in 22 major league seasons. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. During his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2010, the righty struck out 71 batters in 69.1 innings and walked only 18. Modern measurements / clockings are done in miles per hour in the United States and kilometers per hour in Canada & Japan. At Griffith Stadium on Aug. 20, the machine was set up and Feller would fire in some fastballs. The Elias Sports Bureau, Stats Inc and The Sporting News are all highly respected resources who publish some form of record book every season, yet none of them recognize any pitcher as the fastest ever. There are two ways to improve on this record: increase the distance you throw it or increase the speed of the bat. That's 2,118 more than the 3,730 that MLB leader David Price threw in 2014. His greatest accomplishment is probably striking out 21 batters in a minor league game and walking 21 batters in another. Lee's career ERA was 2.25, and she was known for throwing a wicked knuckleball. When a guy hits .358, he doesn't have slumps." Rogers Hornsby, 1961 Originally Published: February 2003 on Baseball Almanac. A "radar gun" is used to measure the speed of a baseball. Its not a fluke either. He finished with 4,196 in his career, good for fourth all-time and second among left-handers. The bullpen was for youngsters, oldsters and bushers. Papelbon wouldve been a great starter, but the hard-throwing right-hander makes a pretty terrific closer too. Dalkowski was not physically imposing, standing only 5'8" and wearing thick glasses. His pitch speed was 108.1 miles per hour. Took place during a no hitter. God I loved it. That right there is the difference between pitching and throwing. I don't believe they threw, on average, as hard as pitchers throw today. According to University of Illinois physicist Dr. Alan Nathan, a pitch that leaves a pitcher's hand at 100. I was never afraid to throw my curve when I was behind in the count, 2 and 0 or 3 and 1, or even late in a pressure situation. A 90 mph pitch on a Speedgun could register at 92 on a JUGS gun and 93-94 mph on a Stalker. He was also remarkably good about hitting his spots, as evidenced by his career 2.96 SO/BB ratio. Stephen Louis Dalkowski Jr. (June 3, 1939 - April 19, 2020), nicknamed Dalko, was an American left-handed pitcher . 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. According to http://www.kingandhiscourt.com/articles/article6.htm: Carl Hubbells screwball Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. 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. A fast fastball is a lot faster than it used to be. The next year, as a member of the Fort Wayne Daisies, she threw a no-hitter. During his Cy Young season in 2003, Gagne struck out 137 batters in 82.1 innings for a SO/9 ratio of 15.0. Here's a photo of Feller throwing into the machine. But nobody asked him to throw into the Lumiline Chronograph. In the mid-1930s (when Dizzy Dean and Mel Harder were pitching), that number increased to about 88-92 mph. He was loyal to the Indians, but only because they paid him. Nobody else in the league can do that." How fast does a pitcher usually throw? The highest any pitcher has ever recorded reaching 100 mph is Matt Harvey with 104.8 mph (2009). I pitched a no-hitter in Yankee Stadium. - Ford Frick, "Smokey Joe (Williams) could throw harder than all of them." Score had another big strikeout year in 1956. For scouts, the Speedgun was known as the slow gun while the JUGS gun registered faster readings and was the fast gun.. Could a 108 mph fastball soon be in the future? Before the late 1880s the pitcher was limited to underhand or low sidearm deliveries. Young pitchers who throw breaking balls-including sliders-report more arm pain than those who do not. House replied, "Others will throw harder, but no one will throw harder for longer.". He was never as dominant after that. On July 28, he threw a shutout against the Senators, striking out 10. Throwing the ball 90+ MPH is not a rare event at the upper levels of the game. He drifted to various jobs and landed in Bakersfield, California, where he was arrested many times for fighting. Take Bob Feller, the legendary fireballer of the Cleveland Indians, and owner of maybe the fastest fastball the game has ever seen. We had a sixth-place ballclub, but Bill Veeck bought the ballclub and made some trades, and in 1948, we won the World Series.". Could Mike Trout outproduce a tanking team's entire lineup? The top fastallers might have topped out at 85 mph or so, anyway. Feller was sitting at 25. The former Dodgers closer once converted a record 84 straight save opportunities and was as close to untouchable as a pitcher will ever be. A few amateurs warmed up yesterday on a new pitching speed meter. John A. Crawford of the Cleveland Plain Dealer thought the idea would be useful in selection of pitching and other talents. This page was generated at 04:50 PM. Ich-i-ro!' Pre-WW2, there were probably only a handful of guys who could crack 90. Originally Published: February 2003 on Baseball Almanac. Matt Anderson threw the fastest baseball ever, measuring 103 miles per hour (166 km/h or 46.0 m/s). Nolan Ryan led the league in strikeouts seven times. Radar (RAdio Detection And Ranging) guns were first introduced in 1935 and the media has covered their evolution with great interest. Greg madux would only pump 90+ in later innings to throw hitters off. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Hes already among the all-time leaders with 215 saves and has nearly 500 strikeouts in just seven short seasons. **, Press J to jump to the feed. There seems little doubt that Feller had one of the hardest fastballs of all time. He was not physically as strong as some others, but he had long, tapering fingers and a peculiar whip to his arm that certainly drove that baseball through the air." Early comments about fastball pitchers can be found in many old newspapers and offer some interesting insight into who was considered fastest during this early era: "He (Lefty Grove) was the fastest pitcher who ever lived." 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. Pitchers back then (deadball era) were expected to throw complete games and had to pace themselves. Both Chapman and Hicks are relievers. In addition, teams had only 40 fouls to play per game back then. I dont imagine it was easy pitching back then, but its got to be more grueling today. And that is #62, Herb Score. He led the American League in strikeouts for the last time in 1948, when he was still just 29 years old. (Note Radbourns 441 Ks in 1884). Source: Richmond (VA) Times Dispatch, June 6, 1939. Carlton might be the pitcher most responsible for making the strikeout fashionable inMLB. Fastball velocity is on the rise. It wasn't exactly Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier, but it was a remarkable achievement. Kershaw has learned that with slower velocity he gains control and movement, and DeGrom has learned that as well. Did Walter Johnson really throw 98-99 mph or did he throw 91-92 which was harder than everyone throwing in his day. He pitched a one-hitter -- with nine walks and nine strikeouts. There have been three periods in baseball history when workloads for starting pitchers declined noticeably: 1) In the 1890s when the pitchers were pushed back to 60 feet, 6 inches; 2) In the early 1920s when the lively ball came out; and 3) In the 1990s when pitch counts became all the rage. He played in nine leagues in nine years. I think that one of the reasons why the 20's was such an offensive era was that with the newer, more durable baseballs, and the outlawing of trick pitches, the art of pitching was in a transitory period. Walter Johnson was reportedly measured at 99.7 MPH at the Army's Aberdeen Proving Grounds, where they could measure the speed of bullets. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. In 1947, his K's per 9 dropped from 8.4 to 5.9 (although that still led the league). Ok, pre war pitchers were not throwing hard, is it safe to say that because pitchers were not throwing hard then, Ruth took advantage of it? He went 26-15 with a 2.18 ERA and 348 strikeouts, but that's not even the fun stuff.
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