The best mark he recorded was 119 feet. update=copyright.getFullYear(); Copyright 2023 Baseball America Enterprises. The moment a baseball leaves a pitchers hand, it starts to slow down because of drag. CLEVELAND (AP) - Three Boston Red Sox threw a baseball 122 feet a second into a new photo-electric pitching meter yesterday. I thought that even the top power pitchers of the 1920s and '30s -- again, before Feller -- topped out around 90 miles an hour. 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. His 105.1 mph fastball was the first time the 105 mph barrier had been broken. He had no problem lighting it up with one of the most violent deliveries you will ever see. 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). Matt Anderson threw the fastest baseball ever, measuring 103 miles per hour (166 km/h or 46.0 m/s). After having it their way for the first two decades of the 20th Century, pitchers entered a dark age in which they were no longer allowed to use a ball that was dead, scuffed and (with few exceptions) wet. When a guy hits .358, he doesn't have slumps." Rogers Hornsby, 1961 Ive heard a few things about it, and I thought Id add in some thoughts of my own: a) Ive heard that newer pitches (sliders, forkballs, etc.) Modern pitchers however exert themselves on every pitch. He was never as dominant after that. No, pitchers didn't throw 150 miles an hour. In addition to Chapman, three other pitchers have thrown a perfect game: Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, and Jim Bunning. 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. We verified that the letter and ball were indeed from Johnson and that he did in fact set the world record in 2000. Whoops! 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. Matt Anderson, has thrown the fastest pitched baseball which measured 103 miles per hour (166 km/h or 46.0 m/s). His less-touted teammate, pitcher Johnny Humphreys, recorded 127 feet. Wagner is the left-handed National League compliment to Mariano Rivera and was as dominant of a closer as you can find. Cleveland men who developed the speed meter said the only comparable scientific marks were made in 1917. The list above IS NOT a comprehensive breakdown of every pitcher to ever surpass the 100 mph barrier, but rather a list of pitchers we have seen on ESPN Game of the Week, SportsCenter, or in person eclipsing the century mark. People are people. Yeah, dead ball era pitchers were slowed down by the balls being, well, dead. I had my fastest pitched timed when I was younger. 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. Location, location, location. 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. Both were mentioned in the Meter to Record Feller's Speed article above and the unit of measure was feet per second. The best throw was 86 feet a second, the second best 84. 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. 100-mph fastballs have been attributed to many pitchers. Part of the Baseball Almanac Family. His rate did decline even more the rest of that season, however. Just inside is a set of photo-electric tubes, and five feet back is another set. Bob slept well that night. Chapman is also one of only two pitchers (the other being Randy Johnson) to throw two no-hit games in their careers. Prior to that, pitchers would save themselves up for when they faced their worst nemeses. He played in nine leagues in nine years. 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. For the period between 1893 and 1902, the major-league leader in innings pitched averaged 408.5 innings. Here are the 28 hardest throwers in MLB history. 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. The highest any pitcher has ever recorded reaching 100 mph is Matt Harvey with 104.8 mph (2009). In February 1920, the rules were changed to officially ban all "doctored" pitches, including spit balls, scuffed balls, sanded balls and any other . 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? Others who claimed he was the fastest ever were Paul Richards, Harry Brecheen and Earl Weaver. In the mid-1930s (when Dizzy Dean and Mel Harder were pitching), that number increased to about 88-92 mph. Williams swore he never saw the ball and claimed that Dalkowski probably was the fastest pitcher who ever lived. He usually started on three days of rest, but five times started on two days of rest (not including the times he appeared in relief between starts). Walter Johnson was reportedly measured at 99.7 MPH at the Army's Aberdeen Proving Grounds, where they could measure the speed of bullets. Its believed he could throw upwards of 100 mph. Realistically low to mid 80s. As for other hard numbers for those days: two hours and 15 minutes was considered an ordinary game back then. 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. Allie Reynolds of the Yankees was tough, and I might think about him for 24 hours before a game, but Robert Feller: I'd think about him for three days.". Since machine testing was rare and uncommon we are left with a scientific void about historical flamethrowers. The historical record suggests Feller paid a price for that record chase. The moment a baseball leaves a pitcher's hand, it starts to slow down because of drag. During his eight-year retirement, Ryan worked as a baseball analyst for NBC Sports and as a consultant for the Texas Rangers. "They put me in the Hall of Fame? 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. 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 once threw a pitch so hard that the catcher missed the ball and it shattered an umpire's mask. 1920 Major League Baseball Standard Pitching | Baseball-Reference.com 1920 Major League Standard Pitching Previous Season Next Season Other Leagues: AL, NL, NNL World Series Champion: Cleveland Indians Become a Stathead & surf this site ad-free. Could Mike Trout outproduce a tanking team's entire lineup? A varied assortment of men followed. Perhaps I'm wrong on this, but it's just a theory of mine. And no one threw sliders like they do today. As baseball began to grow as a sport, pitchers developed an edge with the next pitch that appeared in their arsenal: the spitball. 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). How were the arms of starters spared? I would assume Ford threw in the mid-high 80s, topping out around 90. You couldnt hit it far no matter what. I think it was pitcher Phil Hughes who commented on a Whitey Ford video on twitter, and said he was throwing 80 mph. His arm was pretty much toast in his mid-30s. Ryan threw the knuckleball from 1973 to 1986. To go along with his 714 home runs, Ruth ultimately retired with. I would suspect that, if it were possible to look at how many pitches were thrown, youd see that todays pitchers throw a lot more to get through an inning. 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. Originally Published: February 2003 on Baseball Almanac. Copyright 1999- 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. I almost missed Matt Kilroy 513Ks in 1886!. It wasn't exactly Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier, but it was a remarkable achievement. Why? We had a sixth-place ballclub, but Bill Veeck bought the ballclub and made some trades, and in 1948, we won the World Series.". Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Take Bob Feller, the legendary fireballer of the Cleveland Indians, and owner of maybe the fastest fastball the game has ever seen. So how fast was Feller? Hes a lock to reach 3,000 if he stays healthy, and at 28 years old, he may just be getting better. 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. Smoky Joe Wood often said, "I threw so hard, I thought my arm would fly right off my body." In 1989, Nolan Ryan returned to the mound with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Then there is no pitcher among the top 100 until 1964. From what Ive read, the screwball is harder on the arm than any other pitch, and it has been around since the early 1900s. Weintraub writes: However, since the machine measured the speed of the ball as it passed through its sensors, unlike modern radar guns that clock the ball as it leaves the pitcher's hand, it actually flew much harder. For one thing, if Feller threw that hard, or something close to it, I think that would be reflected more in the numbers. Jimmy Foxx, Jim Tabor, and Roger Cramer made it a clean Boston sweep with a first-place tie in yesterday's fielders contest. Going through Feller's game logs produces more fascinating numbers. 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. (Yes, nitpickers, Im aware that John Wheeler ghosted Mattys book.). For the Mets in 1985, Sidd Finch threw 168 mph. He was an ace, struck out 1900+ guys. Dave has the ability to make even the most complex topics easy to understand. All rights reserved. Wagner still holds the NCAA Division III record for career strikeouts and SO/9 IP (19.3). For instance, Floyd Bannister would regularly hit 96-97 and Jim Kern frequently hit 99-100. 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