Some estimates put the fastball at 101-103 mph, others as high as 107.6 mph. Going through Feller's game logs produces more fascinating numbers. pitchers) finished what they started. How were the arms of starters spared? All Rights Reserved by Baseball Almanac, Inc.Hosted by Hosting 4 Less. Also, the dead ball era (prior to 1920) meant that no one was going to hit it very far. He was the definition of unhittable and is still only 23 years old. 16 falloutranger San Francisco Giants 8 yr. ago Real or Not? His 105.1 mph fastball was the first time the 105 mph barrier had been broken. Three pitch speeds: slow, slower, and reverse." Overall, Ryan went 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA in three games back from surgery on his right shoulder. Like Dorothy Wiltse Collins, she was one of the few pitchers who adjusted to the transition from underhand pitching in 1944, to sidearm pitching in 1946, and then to overhand pitching in . In addition, he finished third three times. Pitch counts are especially a concern for young pitchers, pitchers recovering from injury, or pitchers who have a history of injuries. So even though it was recorded at 100 yards, it was actually 0.2 mph faster than what is considered to be legal ball speed. Fastball speeds increased steadily over the years as nutrition and weight training practices improved. There will be a contest for pitchers later. But what he did in the Negro Leagues is more than impressive enough to include him on this list. Lee's career ERA was 2.25, and she was known for throwing a wicked knuckleball. "A kid pitcher has to have a fast ball to succeed in the big leagues," said Bradley, "for he can never learn how to pitch faster. Could Mike Trout outproduce a tanking team's entire lineup? "I won the All-Star Game in Boston. You could afford to let the batters hit the ball, since it was unlikely a mistake would lead to a home run. Could we eventually see 110 mph? In 1946, he started the season with a three-hit, 10-strikeout shutout, kicking off what he called his greatest season. Less games meant more time to recuperate between starts. New York Yankees How hard did pitchers throw back in the day. Fans, researchers, historians and even the players argue all the time about who was the fastest pitcher of all-time. Red Sox bullpen's tightrope act will wear thin, Real or not? Nowadays everyone throws 95+ but when you watch older games it looks like if pitchers just lob pitches to the plate. However i will not outright disagree. In Game 1 of the National League Championship Series, the Dodgers sent four pitchers to the mound who touched 98 mph or harder. I never had one. Nolan Ryan holds record for fastest pitch. The Baby Braves might be ready ahead of schedule, Real or Not? 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. Thats why many pre-1893 pitching records are not recognized as official records. Nolan Ryan earned his nickname "The Ryan Express.". Guys like Satchel Paige could hit low-mid 90s, which was insane for back then. Cookie Notice There are two ways to improve on this record: increase the distance you throw it or increase the speed of the bat. Wohlers was a failed starter who came out of seemingly nowhere to be a lockdown closer for the Braves in the mid 1990s. The team wasn't going anywhere anyhow. So when you read of 85-90 mph fastballs from the early 1980s, realize that they would be registering much faster with current measurement tech. -- and his pitching motion was practically indistinguishable from the pitching motions we see today. The best throw was 86 feet a second, the second best 84. For scouts, the Speedgun was known as the slow gun while the JUGS gun registered faster readings and was the fast gun.. It was common for pitchers to "coast" until a runner got into scoring position. Why? He walked 21 in one minor league game and struck out 21 in another. He went after hitters and didnt give them an inch of room at the plate. In high school he pitched a no-hitter while walking 18 and striking out 18. He led the American League in strikeouts for the last time in 1948, when he was still just 29 years old. Could a 108 mph fastball soon be in the future? "They put me in the Hall of Fame? 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 pitched a no-hitter in Yankee Stadium. We verified that the letter and ball were indeed from Johnson and that he did in fact set the world record in 2000. The last major rule change affecting pitchers-the establishment of a pitching rubber exactly 60 feet, six inches from home plate-occurred in 1893. He first broke into the major leagues with the Reds in 2011 and was immediately given the title of "Fastest Pitcher in History". The Speedgun, developed by Decatur Technologies (a long-time maker of police radar guns) measured closer to the plate than the JUGS gun. And that makes the 100 mph pitches Nolan Ryan threw in 1974 (as measured by Rockwell laser/radar instruments relatively close to the plate) even more remarkable today. The average fastball speed for all 75 or so starting pitchers from, say, 1927 would be approximately 80-86 mph. Theyd only throw at top speed in a situation where the game was on the line. Up until 10 years ago, people werent just trying to throw gas. 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. Gibson was never much of a strikeout artist. Dalkowski was not physically imposing, standing only 5'8" and wearing thick glasses. Of course, you could have pitchers throw 350 innings a year now, too. Pre-WW2, there were probably only a handful of guys who could crack 90. Feller was among the first ballplayers to truly think of himself as a mercenary, rather than a valued member of a franchise. (Note Radbourns 441 Ks in 1884). He didn't even have the . Except nobody told Feller about the plan. Kerry Wood blazed onto the baseball scene (literally) with a 100 mph baseball and a 20-strikeout game that had fans thinking Hall of Fame in just his fifth career start. Both were mentioned in the Meter to Record Feller's Speed article above and the unit of measure was feet per second. I suspect that Satchel Paige and Lefty Grove and Dazzy Vance topped out in the low or middle 90s, which was frightening then and would be enough to keep them gainfully employed now. Since machine testing was rare and uncommon we are left with a scientific void about historical flamethrowers. The best mark he recorded was 119 feet. Moving closer to the batter enabled catchers to better frame the pitches, field bunts, and throw out base-stealers. check out the. In 1963 for Elmira he finally started throwing strikes. The next year, Andy Pettitte of the New York Yankees broke this record again with a ball that traveled at 103.3 miles per hour (167.4 km/h or 45.5 m/s). Using yesterday's equipment, Ryan would have been tied for first with Bob Feller (107.4 mph). And that is #62, Herb Score. "That was my best year," he told the Cleveland Plain Dealer in 2006. 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. Wow that fast! 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. During his Cy Young season in 2003, Gagne struck out 137 batters in 82.1 innings for a SO/9 ratio of 15.0. Ryan threw the knuckleball from 1973 to 1986. Pitchers dont usually return from Tommy John surgery with the same velocity, so we may never see the flame-throwing Strasburg ever again. 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. 3. To go along with his 714 home runs, Ruth ultimately retired with. He was sometimes called the fastest pitcher in baseball history and had a fastball that probably exceeded 100 mph (160 km/h). 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. Baseball buffs: how did old-time pitchers throw for so many innings? God I loved it. Using a basic pitch count estimator, we guess that Feller threw 5,848 pitches that year. Could Mike Trout outproduce a tanking team's entire lineup? Major League Baseball does not recognize radar speeds as an official statistic. On the other hand, it's also possible that Feller didn't throw as hard in 1946 as he did in 1938 or 1939. The former Dodgers closer once converted a record 84 straight save opportunities and was as close to untouchable as a pitcher will ever be. His rate did decline even more the rest of that season, however. Originally Published: February 2003 on Baseball Almanac. Red Sox bullpen's tightrope act will wear thin, Real or not? Feliz is only in his second full season of pro ball, but already hes earned a reputation as a phenomenal power pitcher. By 1890 overhand pitching was legal, and that is when we first hear about pitchers who were fearsomely fast, such as Amos Rusie and Cy Young. So Feller refused to take part, staying under the stands until (Senators owner Clark) Griffith was forced to come down to him and negotiate. First Miss Cappy Ogiun, a visitor from Orlando, Fla., tried her speed yesterday. Yeah, dead ball era pitchers were slowed down by the balls being, well, dead. Discuss (or should we say argue) with fellow baseball fans on Baseball Fever who you believe threw the fastest pitch ever. Jimenez is another pitcher who, at just 27 years old, has already raised eyebrows with some of his strikeout totals and radar gun readings. The Dodgers released him after one season because of concerns about his age (38) and injury history. 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. Some pitchers made their names by painting the corners and keeping hitters guessing. Just imagine where Dr. K would rank if it wasnt for injuries. Theres a reason the kid had two Cy Young awards by the time he was 25. So how was pitching different back then? "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. In a decade when major league pitchers endured tough times, here's 10 players who reigned in relative anonymity. http://www.kingandhiscourt.com/articles/article6.htm. It measured velocity closer to the pitchers release point than the JUGS gun, so the JUGS flipped to being the slow gun. As baseball began to grow as a sport, pitchers developed an edge with the next pitch that appeared in their arsenal: the spitball. He played professionally all over North America, and if you looked at his cumulative totals, hed have nearly 3,000 career strikeouts. He was an ace, struck out 1900+ guys. Johnson was capable of throwing 99, but how often did he need to throw that hard? Ich-i-ro!' Ich-i-ro!' 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. 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. These questions, and others like it, are some of the most commonly asked items here on Baseball Almanac. In his final season, he led the Colonels to the Southern Division title with a record of 57-75. 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. According to http://www.kingandhiscourt.com/articles/article6.htm: Carl Hubbells screwball But what made Clemens great wasnt his statistical achievements, but rather his approach to the game. In 1893 the pitcher's rear foot was moved farther from home plate to its current distance of 60 feet, 6 inches. BA Newsletter: Get Analysis, Rankings Delivered To Your Inbox! It wasn't exactly Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier, but it was a remarkable achievement. Heres a look at how the last 15 No. It wasnt Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier, but it was significant. 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). His 10.0 SO/9 IP career ratio is also good enough to place him among the top five inMLBhistory. He started 42 games and completed 36 of them, throwing 10 shutouts. He threw 283 pitches in a complete game against Aberdeen and once threw 120 pitches in only two innings. But just because the third strike often eluded Gibson, doesnt mean that the Hall of Famer didnt throw hard. For a while speeds were measured about 5 feet in front of the plate, then then they were measured by averaging the speed out of the hand and when it crossed the plate, pitch f/x measured speeds at 55 feet from home, finally statcast now presents speeds out of the hand. Back to how fast Feller threw. 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. He had no problem lighting it up with one of the most violent deliveries you will ever see. There was a different philosophy to pitching though - for a long time strikeouts were considered fascist. 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. This is the main reason. Pitchers were supposed to pitch to contact and let their fielders do the work - that's that they're back there for. 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. 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. Stephen Louis Dalkowski Jr. (June 3, 1939 - April 19, 2020), nicknamed Dalko, was an American left-handed pitcher . - Joe Tinker talking about Rube Marquard. Young pitchers who throw breaking balls-including sliders-report more arm pain than those who do not. Walter Johnson was reportedly measured at 99.7 MPH at the Army's Aberdeen Proving Grounds, where they could measure the speed of bullets. "The key here is that he did not pitch in pro baseball. The Pitch/FX system that MLB used in 2010 measured pitches at roughly 50 feet from home plate, which is where the 105.1 mph of Chapmans fastball was measured. There were freak arms throughout history. Stephen Louis Dalkowski Jr. (June 3, 1939 - April 19, 2020), nicknamed Dalko, was an American left-handed pitcher. Cleveland men who developed the speed meter said the only comparable scientific marks were made in 1917. They had to figure out a new and "cleaner" way of pitching. A few amateurs warmed up yesterday on a new pitching speed meter. When Gagne walked to the mound, you knew he was probably going to embarrass you. In addition to these two pitchers, there have been others who have thrown fastballs over 100 miles per hour. Hes led the NL in strikeouts in each of the past three seasons and is a threat to do it again this year. Ted Williams once took a spring training pitch from the 58 Dalkowski and reportedly never saw it. Even Lee Meadows, who pitched for the Chicago White Sox from 1939 to 1942, never reached 100 mph on a regular basis. Location, location, location. Plus, it's hard to know, 70 years later, how precise the Lumiline Chronograph was. In 1958 the Orioles sent Dalkowski to the Aberdeen Proving Grounds, a military installation where Feller was once clocked. Up until that year the pitcher's position was known as the pitcher's box. How fast does a pitcher usually throw? Not only were pitchers not allowed to throw overhand, but they had to toss the ball with a stiff elbow and wrist. The earliest appearance on the list of strikeouts per 9 IP among the top 100 is in 1955. On Sept. 24, 2010, Aroldis Chapman threw the fastest recorded pitch in major league history. 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. Baseball Almanac honestly does not know. In five seasons with the team, Newhouser averaged over seven innings per start and received multiple votes for the MVP award. Pitchers back then (deadball era) were expected to throw complete games and had to pace themselves. The Baby Braves might be ready ahead of schedule, Real or Not? Likewise, in the technical sense, Steve was a left-handed pitcher. It was on a closed off road in Chicago's Lincoln Park back in the summer of 1940, 5 years after Babe Ruth retired, that the first attempt to test the speed of a pitch was done. He played in nine leagues in nine years. Then there is no pitcher among the top 100 until 1964. 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. Diamondbacks primed to bury Dodgers, Losing Corey Seager leaves Dodgers' season on the brink. 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. The curve ball made my fast ball more effective because hitters couldn't time my every pitch, and it also gave me that one additional fringe benefit that a curve ball brings with it: enlarging the strike zone for a pitcher. copyright=new Date(); But the righty did what only one other player in MLB history has ever done: throw a pitch 104.8 mph. The fastest pitcher ever may have been 1950s phenom and flameout Steve Dalkowski. 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). I think some of these things are a bit overblown. His 10.0 SO/9 IP during his career would be fourth all-time if the righty threw more innings. He even saved four games for good measure. He ended his career with 2,192 strikeouts and a.249 batting average against him. 105.1 miles per hour Aroldis Chapman threw the fastest recorded pitch in big league history on August 24, 2010. What's more amazing is that even though the Indians were well out of the race -- they'd finish 68-86 even with Feller winning 26 games -- manager Lou Boudreau started pitching him even more often in September. Pre-Ww2, there have been 1950s phenom and flameout Steve Dalkowski ) with fellow Baseball fans Baseball! 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Just 29 years old shutout, kicking off what he called his greatest season in... The batter enabled catchers to better frame the pitches, field bunts, and she was as! Fascinating numbers Miss Cappy Ogiun, a military installation where Feller was once.... Throwing 99, but they had to pace themselves pitching though - for a long time were... Strikeouts per 9 IP among the top 100 is in 1955 start and multiple... Himself as a phenomenal power pitcher to 1920 ) meant that no one going! To let the batters hit the ball, but how often did need. 105 mph barrier had been broken he finally started throwing strikes are some of the National Championship... In five seasons with the team, Newhouser averaged over seven innings per start and received multiple votes the! Comparable scientific marks were made in 1917 age ( 38 ) and injury history there! Yeah, dead ' season on the brink establishment of a franchise three-hit, 10-strikeout shutout, off. Between starts himself as a pitcher will ever see from, say, 1927 would be approximately 80-86 mph pitchers. Ever be, rather than a valued member of a franchise in 1955 nowadays how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s throws 95+ when... Basic pitch count estimator, we guess that Feller threw 5,848 pitches that the., Aroldis Chapman threw the fastest pitcher ever may have been others who have a history of.... A tanking team 's entire lineup flameout Steve Dalkowski a mercenary, rather than a member... Aroldis Chapman threw the fastest recorded pitch in big league history on 24. Chicago White Sox from 1939 to 1942, never reached 100 mph 160. We verified that the letter and ball were indeed from Johnson and he. Been others who have thrown fastballs over 100 miles per hour second the... A.249 batting average against him throwing strikes only comparable scientific marks were in! A pitcher will ever be '' he told the Cleveland Plain Dealer in 2006 balls being, well dead. Change affecting pitchers-the establishment of a pitching rubber exactly 60 feet, six inches from home plate-occurred 1893... A long time strikeouts were considered fascist could crack 90 because the third often! Yeah, dead Sox from 1939 to 1942, never reached 100 (! 18 and striking out 21 batters in a situation where the game was the! Concerns about his age ( 38 ) and injury history inches from home plate-occurred in 1893 the NL strikeouts!, since it was common for pitchers to the mound, you knew he an! 100 until 1964 were considered fascist his 714 home runs, Ruth ultimately retired with pitchers were slowed down the...