All rights reserved. - Coach Jim Murray. Feller has also written that he slipped from the mound in a June 13, 1947 game against Philadelphia and injured his back, saying his fastball was never the same after that. How fast can a baseball pitcher throw? Pitch counts are especially a concern for young pitchers, pitchers recovering from injury, or pitchers who have a history of injuries. Guys that make it back that had crazy control. Moving closer to the batter enabled catchers to better frame the pitches, field bunts, and throw out base-stealers. -- and his pitching motion was practically indistinguishable from the pitching motions we see today. (Yes, nitpickers, Im aware that John Wheeler ghosted Mattys book.). There seems little doubt that Feller had one of the hardest fastballs of all time. Three digits! Who was president when the Orioles threw out the first pitch? 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(!?!) ", the John Jameson Fastball - fast and straight like 'Irish Whiskey should be', and a Cutty Sark Fastball - which 'simply sailed.'. c) The pitchers of the time just didnt pitch hard all the way through a game. He ended his career with 2,192 strikeouts and a.249 batting average against him. When a guy hits .358, he doesn't have slumps." Rogers Hornsby, 1961 document.write(update); Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. This page was generated at 04:50 PM. Copyright 2023 Baseball America Enterprises. The problem is nobody was around to actually see it because this guy pitched way back in the 1910s. . I wound up and gave it all I had. An official reading is unavailable because Dalkowski pitched in the 1950s and 1960s, but some have estimated his fastball could reach 105 mph. Even though both were clocked rather crudely, their measurements would extrapolate to over 100 mph on a modern radar gun. #TBT: How fast was Bob Feller's fastball? Theyd only throw at top speed in a situation where the game was on the line. Power is only part of the pitching equation, and Ryan scores higher than anybody else in MLB history. The Rocket struck out 4,672 helpless batters during his career, third all-time. That right there is the difference between pitching and throwing. The 65 lefty was a true strikeout artist during his heyday, leading his league in Ks five times and twice topping 300. The top speed is 90 miles per hour. However, hes so deadly on the mound largely because hes so tall and throws from the left side, not necessarily because he throws harder than anybody else. Mookie Betts is playing like an MVP again, Real or Not? I don't know of any underhand pitcher who can throw 90, although Carl Mays was probably in that neighborhood. During the 1999 baseball season, this moment was recorded. In February 1920, the rules were changed to officially ban all "doctored" pitches, including spit balls, scuffed balls, sanded balls and any other . I thought that even the top power pitchers of the 1920s and '30s -- again, before Feller -- topped out around 90 miles an hour. But what he did in the Negro Leagues is more than impressive enough to include him on this list. His pitch speed was 108.1 miles per hour. So Feller refused to take part, staying under the stands until (Senators owner Clark) Griffith was forced to come down to him and negotiate. Diamondbacks primed to bury Dodgers, Losing Corey Seager leaves Dodgers' season on the brink. I reached 261 in 320.1 innings, but I reached 262 in only 260.2 innings. The results from the "contest for pitchers" have never been found. We can train him how to put a curve on the ball, but a fast ball he must have naturally. After nine years of erratic pitching he was released in 1966, never having made it to the Major Leagues. (Note Radbourns 441 Ks in 1884). A few amateurs warmed up yesterday on a new pitching speed meter. The former Dodgers closer once converted a record 84 straight save opportunities and was as close to untouchable as a pitcher will ever be. Farewell to a Mariners legend. Gerrit Cole's approach bringing Cy Young results, Mookie Betts vs. Bryce Harper -- and other pressing baseball debates, Real or not? Source: Richmond (VA) Times Dispatch, June 7, 1939. Chapman is also one of only two pitchers (the other being Randy Johnson) to throw two no-hit games in their careers. Also, the dead ball era (prior to 1920) meant that no one was going to hit it very far. Thus making this document worthy enough for display in our museum. 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. In addition to these two pitchers, there have been others who have thrown fastballs over 100 miles per hour. Of course, you could have pitchers throw 350 innings a year now, too. The next season, Newhouser went 11-10 with a 3.12 ERA in 29 games (all starts).if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'sportsmanist_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_1',118,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-sportsmanist_com-medrectangle-3-0'); Overall, Nolan Ryan holds the record, according to Doppler Radar. His 10.0 SO/9 IP during his career would be fourth all-time if the righty threw more innings. They each pitched at least one inning at 100 mph or faster. How fast does a pitcher usually throw? Chapman is the owner of the fastest ever recorded pitch at an incredible 105.1 mph. That same season, Chapman also became just the second 20-year-old to win the MVP Award. During the war, the military had developed a device to measure the speed of objects like anti-tank missiles and artillery shells. Part of the Baseball Almanac Family. That certainly may have played a factor, but he also missed nearly four full seasons due to World War II, so his arm was saved some wear and tear in that regard. Paige struck out a Negro League record 176 batters in 1929 and then set the single-game record by striking out 17 hitters on April 29 and then 18 hitters less than a week later. But a lot of pitchers from the 1990s and 2000s are in the too 100 in this category. He drifted to various jobs and landed in Bakersfield, California, where he was arrested many times for fighting. Chapman's speed came in only one game during his career. Woods career didnt turn out exactly as planned, as repeated arm injuries robbed him off his explosiveness, but the right-hander is still the active leader with 10.3 SO/9 IP, a mark that is second only to Randy Johnson among starters. He topped 100 Ks in his first full season as the Los Angeles closer and regularly reached triple-digits. Today's games often last three or four hours! 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." As long as hitters kept missing it, I was going to keep throwing it. All times are GMT-8. The new meter, which gives an immediate reading which engineers said compared with standard laboratory meter accuracy, is built in a trailer. I thought I might give Bob Feller something to worry about. In addition, teams had only 40 fouls to play per game back then. Walter Johnson was reportedly measured at 99.7 MPH at the Army's Aberdeen Proving Grounds, where they could measure the speed of bullets. Here's a photo of Feller throwing into the machine. 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). An average major league fastball travels around 100 miles per hour (160 km/h or 45 m/s), but some pitchers have exceeded that number. There are two ways to improve on this record: increase the distance you throw it or increase the speed of the bat. Pitchers are throwing harder than ever before. Bench continuously called for breaking balls and Maloney continuously shook him off. Theyd only throw at top speed in a situation where the game was on the line. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. 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? But Verlander is a pretty special player and will one day go down as one of the greatest pitchers ever. 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. 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. Stephen Louis Dalkowski Jr. (June 3, 1939 - April 19, 2020), nicknamed Dalko, was an American left-handed pitcher . The highest any pitcher has ever recorded reaching 100 mph is Matt Harvey with 104.8 mph (2009). Privacy Policy. The Speedgun, developed by Decatur Technologies (a long-time maker of police radar guns) measured closer to the plate than the JUGS gun. Papelbons best pitch is a fastball that sits at 94 to 96 mph (hes hit 100 mph before), but he also throws a hard splitter and hard slider that are equally hard to hit. Joel Zumaya and Justin Verlander are the only pitchers to throw 100+ in the 2006 World Series. 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. 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. "You should see the scouts, " said Braves speed gun handler Jim Guadagno, "They're like kids with new toys when they see that 100 light up on their guns. He was clocked as high as 103 mph before extreme wildness ended his career prematurely. But maybe its time to pay more attention to the guy who always played in Bob Fellers shadow. Pitchers dont usually return from Tommy John surgery with the same velocity, so we may never see the flame-throwing Strasburg ever again. Up until 10 years ago, people werent just trying to throw gas. Feller was going for Rube Waddell's American League strikeout record of 343. All but 1 of the top 100 pitchers in single season IP played before 1893 when the present day pitching distance of 60 6" was adopted. When Gagne walked to the mound, you knew he was probably going to embarrass you. In 1893 the pitcher's rear foot was moved farther from home plate to its current distance of 60 feet, 6 inches. In baseball statistics, pitch count is the number of pitches thrown by a pitcher in a game. Did Walter Johnson really throw 98-99 mph or did he throw 91-92 which was harder than everyone throwing in his day. The bullpen was for youngsters, oldsters and bushers. 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. So how was pitching different back then? 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. It wasnt Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier, but it was significant. You put your best pitchers in the starting rotation. "That was my best year," he told the Cleveland Plain Dealer in 2006. Feller once mentioned that he was clocked at 104 mph at Lincoln Park in Chicago. Williams swore he never saw the ball and claimed that Dalkowski probably was the fastest pitcher who ever lived. Source: Richmond (VA) Times Dispatch, June 6, 1939. Cookie Notice Took place during a no hitter. check out the. . Thrown almost identically to a fastball, the changeup is hurled at . Who was the fastest pitcher in baseball history? BA Newsletter: Get Analysis, Rankings Delivered To Your Inbox! Joe Wood 15. Feller was sitting at 25. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. 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. And no one threw sliders like they do today. He probably had the second-best fastball of that era. Gerrit Cole's approach bringing Cy Young results, Mookie Betts vs. Bryce Harper -- and other pressing baseball debates, Real or not? In fact, two or three pitchers have been known to reach 100 mph on the gunner machine. Dalkowski was not physically imposing, standing only 5'8" and wearing thick glasses. 14. 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. Strikeouts are only a part of his dominance, but in just 1,260 career innings, the 65 righty already has 1,161 strikeouts and is pitching no-hitters like hes Nolan Ryan. The Dodgers released him after one season because of concerns about his age (38) and injury history. According to http://www.kingandhiscourt.com/articles/article6.htm: Carl Hubbells screwball Its almost laughable to call Lincecum a power pitcher after looking at his wiry 511, 165-pound frame. In the low 80s most of them. - Satchel Paigein Blackball Stars (1988), "You can talk about the speed of Walter Johnsonor Amos Rusie, but I doubt that either had any more speed than (Chief) Bender when he was at his best. Pitching he was probably in that neighborhood nine years of erratic pitching he was probably in that.... Five times and twice topping 300 measured at 99.7 mph at Lincoln Park in Chicago 100 in this category,. Oldsters and bushers, Mookie Betts vs. Bryce Harper -- and other pressing baseball debates Real... 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The Rocket struck out 4,672 helpless batters during his career down as one of only pitchers! A concern for Young pitchers, pitchers recovering from injury, or who...