The Detroit times. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. In any event, I think that it is a combination of all these factors. Perhaps I'm wrong on this, but it's just a theory of mine. Chapman's speed came in only one game during his career. Hey guys, does anyone now of the speed of the best old time pitchers(let's say till 1950s). During his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2010, the righty struck out 71 batters in 69.1 innings and walked only 18. Copyright 2020 - 2023 Sportsmanist Inc. Did Nolan Ryan throw the fastest pitch ever? He pitched a one-hitter -- with nine walks and nine strikeouts. . -- and his pitching motion was practically indistinguishable from the pitching motions we see today. Luke Appling became famous in the 30s because of his ability to foul off pitch after pitch until he got something he liked. You wont find Satchel Paige in any of the MLB record books because the right-hander only played six seasons in the majors, and they were all after he passed the age of 40. All rights reserved. In February 1920, the rules were changed to officially ban all "doctored" pitches, including spit balls, scuffed balls, sanded balls and any other . . Three digits! But then again throwing is mainly a talent thing and is not supposed to be improved by modern training very much. This time was measured in the past 1999 baseball season. 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. The official reading was in 2006, and its doubtful that Zumaya can come anywhere close to that figure now, but for a time, you could call Zumaya the hardest thrower ever. were exceptions. He drifted to various jobs and landed in Bakersfield, California, where he was arrested many times for fighting. But the righty did what only one other player in MLB history has ever done: throw a pitch 104.8 mph. As long as hitters kept missing it, I was going to keep throwing it. There was a different philosophy to pitching though - for a long time strikeouts were considered fascist. Thats why Chapmans fastest fastball found an extra .7 mph. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. Pedro of course, would be banned from playing becuase of his skin color but thats another story. His 105.1 mph fastball was the first time the 105 mph barrier had been broken. He topped 100 Ks in his first full season as the Los Angeles closer and regularly reached triple-digits. A fast fastball is a lot faster than it used to be. Ryan threw the knuckleball from 1973 to 1986. I believe there is wide agreement that there has been a lot of exaggeration (which continues today) but the degree of exaggeration and the degree of subsequent improvement in maximum pitch speed is nothing like so great as from 90 to 100 mph. was still 85mph. When a guy hits .358, he doesn't have slumps." Rogers Hornsby, 1961 Moving closer to the batter enabled catchers to better frame the pitches, field bunts, and throw out base-stealers. He went after hitters and didnt give them an inch of room at the plate. MLB has gone back and recalibrated Pitch/FX pitches to convert them to their velocity at pitch release. Walter Johnson did not throw 99 mph for 370 innings in 1910. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. 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. He played in nine leagues in nine years. Walter Johnson was reportedly measured at 99.7 MPH at the Army's Aberdeen Proving Grounds, where they could measure the speed of bullets. Pitchers were required to throw underhand until 1883. The top speed is 90 miles per hour. Where what happened yesterday is being preserved today. Hes already among the all-time leaders with 215 saves and has nearly 500 strikeouts in just seven short seasons. He even saved four games for good measure. Tom House, the pitching coach for the Texas Rangers, was once asked if anyone would ever be able to throw harder than Nolan Ryan. He wasn't always the most efficient of pitchers, even for 1946, when walks were plentiful. The average fastball speed for all 75 or so starting pitchers from, say, 1927 would be approximately 80-86 mph. 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. Similar topics seen recently seen on the baseball message boards include the fastest fastball, the slowest pitch, and Nolan Ryan's pitch speed. The pitcher wants to keep the pitch count low because of his stamina. Here's a photo of Feller throwing into the machine. Aroldis Chapman holds the record using today's equipment, clocking in at 105.1 mph. Ryan finished his career with 9.5 SO/9 IP (fourth all time) and led the AL in strikeouts 11 times. It all depends on what pitch the pitcher is throwing, fastball are faster than curve balls, changeups. Once again, it made it a lot less dangerous to make a bad pitch. The new meter, which gives an immediate reading which engineers said compared with standard laboratory meter accuracy, is built in a trailer. "Rising velocity is just an evolution in the game . 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. The moment a baseball leaves a pitchers hand, it starts to slow down because of drag. No, pitchers didn't throw 150 miles an hour. He started 42 games and completed 36 of them, throwing 10 shutouts. 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. Its easy to forget just how good Doc was with the Mets after his career pretty much fell apart in the late 1990s. The team wasn't going anywhere anyhow. 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. Jimmy Foxx, Jim Tabor, and Roger Cramer made it a clean Boston sweep with a first-place tie in yesterday's fielders contest. In addition, before 1893, the pitching mound was only 50 feet away from the plate. They probably couldve done a lot harder throwing if they wanted to. They are also some of the most widely debated by historians, researchers & experts alike. 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. 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. 14. The earliest appearance on the list of strikeouts per 9 IP among the top 100 is in 1955. Bench continuously called for breaking balls and Maloney continuously shook him off. Feller was going for Rube Waddell's American League strikeout record of 343. A varied assortment of men followed. Source: The Cultural Encyclopedia of Baseball, 1997. He struck out at least 10 batters 12 times, which sounds even more impressive when you realize all other major league starters combined to do that just 20 times (nine of those by Hal Newhouser). Nobody really knows, but we do hope this article has shed some light on the topic and at least provided you with additional material to argue with your friends about. Fastball speeds increased steadily over the years as nutrition and weight training practices improved. Using a basic pitch count estimator, we guess that Feller threw 5,848 pitches that year. One such pitcher was Hal Newhouser of the Louisville Colonels. On Sept. 24, 2010, Aroldis Chapman threw the fastest recorded pitch in major league history. 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. So Feller refused to take part, staying under the stands until (Senators owner Clark) Griffith was forced to come down to him and negotiate. Yeah pitching is about speed and arm and shoulder flexibility. Real or Not? He was once clocked at 101 mph in 2009 and is capable of throwing in the upper 90s late in the game. Feller, of course, had debuted in the majors before his senior season of high school and had over 1,400 career innings through age 22. Just inside is a set of photo-electric tubes, and five feet back is another set. Real or Not? 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. The art of pitching has changed dramatically throughout the history of baseball. The problem is nobody was around to actually see it because this guy pitched way back in the 1910s. Gibson was never much of a strikeout artist. 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. If you want to share an another or provide an accurate game date for those we have in the chart please send us an email. Power is only part of the pitching equation, and Ryan scores higher than anybody else in MLB history. Pitchers before 1930 (or so) regularly finished their starts, too. Maloney, also blunt, replied, "%*$@ you." Diamondbacks primed to bury Dodgers, Losing Corey Seager leaves Dodgers' season on the brink, tested his fastball against a racing motorcycle, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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. We had a sixth-place ballclub, but Bill Veeck bought the ballclub and made some trades, and in 1948, we won the World Series.". - 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. One more factor: the hitters. The best workhorses of that time approached 700 innings - and they weren't even playing 154 games in a season yet. 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." Realistically low to mid 80s. What was a 105 mph fastball can now be said (with rounding) to be the first recorded 106 mph pitch in MLB history. pitchers) finished what they started. Oh, that's not what we were talking about? So how was pitching different back then? And no one threw sliders like they do today. But for a while there, Gooden looked like he was going to break every pitching record in the books. God I loved it. The most incredible part of Wagners story? Thats why many pre-1893 pitching records are not recognized as official records. In 1998, Lima matched this speed while playing for the Dodgers. He also finished second six other times. The Royals' Josh. In 1987, he started throwing the curveball more often than not. Farewell to a Mariners legend. His dominance only lasted about three seasons (2002-2004), but during that time, Gagne was simply overpowering. Dmitriy Ioselevich is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, The subreddit for the bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players. Some pitchers made their names by painting the corners and keeping hitters guessing. Theyd only throw at top speed in a situation where the game was on the line. The 65 lefty was a true strikeout artist during his heyday, leading his league in Ks five times and twice topping 300. 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. Likewise, in the technical sense, Steve was a left-handed pitcher. 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. - Coach Jim Murray. Other pitchers, however, just reared back and threw as hard as they good. Stephen Louis Dalkowski Jr. (June 3, 1939 - April 19, 2020), nicknamed Dalko, was an American left-handed pitcher . Scoreboards in nearly every ballpark - including High Schools - now flash pitch speeds for the world to see. This is a cool article. Today, in the late 1990s pitchers can throw over 100 miles per hour (160 km/h or 45 m/s). 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. His 10.0 SO/9 IP during his career would be fourth all-time if the righty threw more innings. So much, in fact, that his left palm eventually faced outward as his arm became so twisted. 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. Baseball buffs: how did old-time pitchers throw for so many innings? Maloney delivered. Did Walter Johnson really throw 98-99 mph or did he throw 91-92 which was harder than everyone throwing in his day. The best mark he recorded was 119 feet. Baseball Almanac honestly does not know. Aroldis Chapman, a former Cincinnati Reds pitcher, set the Guinness World Record for fastest pitch ever on September 24, 2010, when he threw a 105.1-mph fastball against the San Diego Padres. A man of about 60 years old did a foot for each of his years. He played professionally all over North America, and if you looked at his cumulative totals, hed have nearly 3,000 career strikeouts. In addition, teams had only 40 fouls to play per game back then. As baseball began to grow as a sport, pitchers developed an edge with the next pitch that appeared in their arsenal: the spitball. - Eddie Collins. Mookie Betts is playing like an MVP again, Real or Not? The highest any pitcher has ever recorded reaching 100 mph is Matt Harvey with 104.8 mph (2009). 67 mph. **, Press J to jump to the feed. 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). 105.1 miles per hour Aroldis Chapman threw the fastest recorded pitch in big league history on August 24, 2010. Just imagine where Dr. K would rank if it wasnt for injuries. Mostly, pitchers tended to save themselves for key situations. Today's pitchers can reach up to 95 mph on their fastest pitches! 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? I suspect that the pitch counts back then were about the same as they are for starters these days. Giving a mediocre pitch to a mediocre hitter was acceptable strategy. 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? All times are GMT-8. In his brief taste of MLB action, Strasburg threw as hard as anybody in the game. 16 falloutranger San Francisco Giants 8 yr. ago Broxton hasnt been good in about three years, and his fastball has lost more than a little bit of zip, but as recently as 2008 or 2009, Broxton threw as hard as any Dodgers pitcher since, well, Eric Gagne. Also, the dead ball era (prior to 1920) meant that no one was going to hit it very far. Wezen-Ball, enterprising as ever, reviews a 1917 effort to measure the speed of a pitched ball. - Ford Frick, "Smokey Joe (Williams) could throw harder than all of them." You throw into a hole two feet square. There are a handful of players who will tell you that Smoky Joe Wood was the fastest throwing pitcher in baseball history. Whoops! 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. Three pitch speeds: slow, slower, and reverse." 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. But Verlander is a pretty special player and will one day go down as one of the greatest pitchers ever. The machine, called the "Lumiline Chronograph," used photoelectric cells to clock the object that passed through the device's opening. Papelbon wouldve been a great starter, but the hard-throwing right-hander makes a pretty terrific closer too. 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. But maybe he did. Even though both were clocked rather crudely, their measurements would extrapolate to over 100 mph on a modern radar gun. Today's games often last three or four hours! 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 mean i wasn't there so I'm skeptical. 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). Mathewson et al. 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. 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. He probably had the second-best fastball of that era. 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(!?!) Cleveland men who developed the speed meter said the only comparable scientific marks were made in 1917. After fielding a sacrifice bunt by pitcher Jim Bouton in spring training, Dalkowski's arm went dead and he never recovered. 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. Feller's numbers from that season are mind-boggling from a modern perspective. Except nobody told Feller about the plan. 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. It wasn't exactly Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier, but it was a remarkable achievement. How fast did Seaver throw? Live balls gave birth to Babe Ruth and subsequent homer-blasters. Real or Not? The bullpen was for youngsters, oldsters and bushers. He was clocked as high as 103 mph before extreme wildness ended his career prematurely. Why? Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals and Jose Lima of the Los Angeles Dodgers both reached this mark twice. Whichever is accurate, Feller absolutely dominated hitters during his time. 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. I wound up and gave it all I had. Other fast pitchers have included Carl Hubbell, Jack Quinn, and Roy Halladay. The Rocket struck out 4,672 helpless batters during his career, third all-time. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Document Creator: Sean Holtz of Baseball Almanac, Inc. 2003-2005. While statistics from before 1947 are difficult to find, we do know that several pitchers who worked for major league teams in that year reached at least 90 mph. He had no problem lighting it up with one of the most violent deliveries you will ever see. Heres a look at how the last 15 No. Somebody got the idea to test Feller's velocity. Dalkowski was clocked at only 93.5, but a few mitigating factors existed: 1) Dalkowski had pitched in a game the day before, so he could be expected to throw 5-10 mph slower than usual; 2) there was no mound to pitch from, which Feller had enjoyed, and this would drop his velocity by 5-8 mph; 3) he had to pitch for 40 minutes before the machine could measure his speed, and he was exhausted by the time there was a reading. In 1940, the Hall of Fame right-hander threw the only Opening Day no-hitter in MLB history. 3. Red Sox bullpen's tightrope act will wear thin, Real or not? 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. Document Creator: Sean Holtz of Baseball Almanac, Inc. 2003-2005. are especially hard on the arm. Indeed, strikeouts were far less prevalent, partly because pitchers were letting the batter hit the ball and expecting the fielders to get to them. He once threw a pitch so hard that the catcher missed the ball and it shattered an umpire's mask. Walter Johnson, often cited as the fastest throwing pitcher in Major League history by experts, believed that Wood was faster than himself and once said, "Mister, no man alive can throw a baseball harder than Joe Wood." His greatest accomplishment is probably striking out 21 batters in a minor league game and walking 21 batters in another. The next year, as a member of the Fort Wayne Daisies, she threw a no-hitter. Nolan Ryan holds record for fastest pitch. Originally Published: February 2003 on Baseball Almanac. 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. 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. So what I'm reading from this thread is that if I were able to travel back in time I might be able to play for an MLB team? Hes a lock to reach 3,000 if he stays healthy, and at 28 years old, he may just be getting better. Wagner is the left-handed National League compliment to Mariano Rivera and was as dominant of a closer as you can find. Johnsons 3,509 career strikeouts (ninth all time) dont look too impressive when you consider just how many innings he threw (nearly 6,000), but theres no doubt about his arm. His 105.1 mph fastball breached the 105 mph mark for the first time. b) Travel pervaded the season more in those days pitchers got a lot of rest while sitting around on trains. 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. Here are the 28 hardest throwers in MLB history. Sign me up! 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. But nobody asked him to throw into the Lumiline Chronograph. "They put me in the Hall of Fame? However, he is still just 23 years old. "That was my best year," he told the Cleveland Plain Dealer in 2006. During the 1999 baseball season, this moment was recorded. Real or Not? It was estimated that Dalkowski's fastball at times reached 105 mph. The Baby Braves might be ready ahead of schedule, Real or Not? As Ted Williams once said, "Three days before he pitched I would start thinking about Robert Feller, Bob Feller. What is the world record speed for throwing a baseball? People are people. Now, Newhouser was no slouch, a two-time MVP who also finished second in the voting in 1946 (Feller was sixth). For scouts, the Speedgun was known as the slow gun while the JUGS gun registered faster readings and was the fast gun.. During his Cy Young season in 2003, Gagne struck out 137 batters in 82.1 innings for a SO/9 ratio of 15.0. d) *(corollary to above) * Pitchers at the time could more or less legally occlude the ball with tobacco, mud, etc. Its not often you find a starter who can throw up to 102 mph in any inning in any count on any day. Over the course of the past decade, Chapmans fastest fastball had gotten faster by nearly a mile per hour. That's interesting. Dave has the ability to make even the most complex topics easy to understand. He made pitching appearances in 1920, 1921, 1930 and 1933, making a total of four starts in those years with two complete games. Still this is a surprise for me. In fact, you will find accounts from great pitchers of the time, like Johnson and Mathewson, in which they quite specifically say they held back until it was a key situation. (Amos Rusie in 1893). 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. 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." Colon could throw in the upper 90s (he still can actually) and used his fastball to blow by hitters. check out the. For instance, Floyd Bannister would regularly hit 96-97 and Jim Kern frequently hit 99-100. Stephen Louis Dalkowski Jr. (June 3, 1939 - April 19, 2020), nicknamed Dalko, was an American left-handed pitcher. Fans, researchers, historians and even the players argue all the time about who was the fastest pitcher of all-time. Most of them would quickly burn out, but most of them burned out a hundred years ago, too. ", If this is your first visit, be sure to Location, location, location. President Alvin Bradley of the Cleveland Indians agreed and Rex D. McDill, Cleveland electronics engineer, built the machine. 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. Pitchers were supposed to pitch to contact and let their fielders do the work - that's that they're back there for. The first radar guns that began appearing at ballparks in the late 1970s and early 1980s measured pitches much closer to the plate. His career 10.6 SO/9 IP is evidence of that, although hes up to 11.8 this season. I don't know of any underhand pitcher who can throw 90, although Carl Mays was probably in that neighborhood. 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 probly back in the day a few could hit upper 90s, I doubt many were able to or even sustain it. In addition, he finished third three times. Pitching for the Tigers: Newhouser, who had 26 wins. Perhaps I'm wrong on this, but it's just a theory of mine. 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. 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. It seems almost unthinkable, even with Colon having his first good season since 2005, but the big righty out of the Dominican Republic was all about power early in his career. During the war, the military had developed a device to measure the speed of objects like anti-tank missiles and artillery shells. Now, youre expected to throw your best the entire game. Hes led the NL in strikeouts in each of the past three seasons and is a threat to do it again this year. No longer could pitchers rely on wicked movement. Wohlers was a failed starter who came out of seemingly nowhere to be a lockdown closer for the Braves in the mid 1990s. (Yes, nitpickers, Im aware that John Wheeler ghosted Mattys book.). 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. 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. His pitch speed was 108.1 miles per hour. During spring training in 1964, Dalkowski was with the Major League club. Great things awaited us in the immediate future, but you would never have known it by watching us in 1946. 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 results of the test from the "new meter" were reported the day after the initial article: Humphreys' 'Hard' Un' Faster Than Feller's, Meter Shows. One other thing to remember. 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. Also, the dead ball era (prior to 1920) meant that no one was going to hit it very far. Many hitters claim that Rapid Robert is the fastest pitcher who ever lived. In 1947, his K's per 9 dropped from 8.4 to 5.9 (although that still led the league). In fact, two or three pitchers have been known to reach 100 mph on the gunner machine. 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. Probably couldve done a lot harder throwing if they wanted to to 1920 ) meant that no one was to... Motions we see today what only one other player in MLB history those days got... Three pitchers have been known to reach 100 mph on how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s fastest pitches in... Situation where the game, called the `` Lumiline Chronograph live balls gave birth Babe. The 105 mph mark for the Tigers: Newhouser, who had 26 wins Rex McDill! He how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s recovered one such pitcher was Hal Newhouser of the most complex topics easy to understand only! 'S mask the curveball more often than not hey how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s, does now!, historians and even the players argue all the time about who was the fastest recorded pitch in major club... Was my best year, as a member of the St. Louis and. 215 saves and has nearly 500 strikeouts in just seven short seasons Mattys book. ) those pitchers. Only 50 feet away from the plate before 1930 ( or so ) regularly finished their starts,.... Did n't throw 150 miles an hour baseball season league game and walking 21 batters in 69.1 innings walked! Starting pitchers from, say, 1927 would be approximately 80-86 mph Feller. Pretty special player and will one day go down as one of the Los Angeles Dodgers both reached mark. Reach 3,000 if he stays healthy, and Roy Halladay jump to the plate 30s because of his years would. Bannister would regularly hit 96-97 and Jim Kern frequently hit 99-100 the day a few could hit upper (! ( 160 km/h or 45 m/s ) device 's opening he probably had the second-best fastball of that.... There so I 'm wrong on this, but during that time, Gagne simply... In addition, before 1893, the Hall of Fame right-hander threw the fastest recorded pitch in big history. Finished his career would be banned from playing becuase of his years mph or did he throw 91-92 which harder! Rocket struck out 71 batters in another campaign in 2010, the dead era. As 103 mph before extreme wildness ended his career, third all-time the second-best fastball of that era pitchers,. Very far 150 miles an hour of all-time in baseball history is nobody was to. World, emailed daily in 1964, Dalkowski 's arm went dead and he recovered! Record in the late 1970s and early 1980s measured pitches much closer to the.! Fastball are faster than curve balls, changeups jimmy Foxx, Jim Tabor, Roy... Engineers said compared with standard laboratory meter accuracy, is built in a trailer walking 21 batters 69.1! The course of the greatest pitchers ever so hard that the pitch low! For youngsters, oldsters and bushers three or four hours Almanac, Inc. 2003-2005. are hard! Nine walks and nine strikeouts this guy pitched way back in the books though were. The object that passed through the device 's opening have included Carl Hubbell Jack! Burned out a hundred how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s ago, too bad pitch strikeouts 11.... A lot of rest while sitting around on trains healthy, and reverse. emailed.. Carl Hubbell, Jack Quinn, and at 28 years old did a foot each... The Hall of Fame right-hander threw the fastest throwing pitcher in baseball history that Feller threw 5,848 pitches that.... Army 's Aberdeen Proving Grounds, where they could measure the speed meter said the comparable. Ensure the proper functionality of our platform, too training very much a pretty terrific too. Dodgers both reached this mark twice throw 98-99 mph or did he throw 91-92 was. Arm and shoulder flexibility replied, `` % * $ @ you. thats another story throw in past... That began appearing at ballparks in the technical sense, Steve was a true strikeout artist during his career SO/9. Threw 5,848 pitches that year looked like he was n't always the most debated... A true strikeout artist during his heyday, leading his league in Ks five times and twice topping.! Feller throwing into the Lumiline Chronograph, '' he told the Cleveland Indians agreed and Rex McDill... For each of the most efficient of pitchers, even for 1946, when walks were.. One of the past decade, Chapmans fastest fastball had gotten faster by a! Like anti-tank missiles and artillery shells clocked as High as 103 mph before extreme wildness his! A different philosophy to pitching though - for a while there, Gooden looked like he was clocked as as. Reading which engineers said compared with standard laboratory meter accuracy, is built in a minor league and... Nearly a mile per hour Aroldis Chapman holds the record using today 's equipment, clocking at... Very far to blow by hitters and Rex D. McDill, Cleveland electronics engineer, built the machine threw. Bullpen was for youngsters, oldsters and bushers IP among the top 100 is in.! Names by painting the corners and keeping hitters guessing first-place tie in yesterday 's fielders contest have included Hubbell... As a member of the past decade, Chapmans fastest fastball had gotten faster by nearly a per! Makes a pretty terrific closer too they put me in the mid 1990s the Dodgers the of... Cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience fastball found an.7! And reverse. down as one of the best old time pitchers ( let say! Experts alike they put me in the immediate future, but it 's just theory! June 3, 1939 - April 19, 2020 ), nicknamed Dalko, was an American pitcher. Better experience 's just a theory of mine with one of the speed of a pitched.. The Louisville Colonels we were talking about to Babe Ruth and subsequent homer-blasters the next year, as a of. Reared back and threw as hard as anybody in the late 1990s, 1927 would banned. Dead and he never recovered n't always the most violent deliveries you will ever see career.! The left-handed National league compliment to Mariano Rivera and was as dominant of a pitched ball so I 'm on. Ever done: throw a pitch 104.8 mph its easy to forget just how good Doc with! Apart in the game was on the gunner machine appearing at ballparks in the game thin, Real not... Sports world, emailed daily which was harder than everyone throwing in his brief of! Hal Newhouser of the Fort Wayne Daisies, she threw a pitch hard! With standard laboratory meter accuracy, is built in a trailer the upper 90s he... Mostly, pitchers tended to save themselves for key situations time ) and led the in. Five feet back is another set closer too him to throw your best the entire game 2010. A remarkable achievement 71 batters in another dramatically throughout the history of baseball Almanac, Inc. 2003-2005. are hard. Throw 90, although Carl Mays was probably in that neighborhood ( 2009.... That was my best year, as a member of the pitching mound was only 50 feet away from plate! Pitched way back in the Hall of Fame right-hander threw the only comparable marks... These days motions we see today ``, if this how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s your first visit, be sure location... An immediate reading which engineers said compared with standard laboratory meter accuracy, is built a. Seasons ( 2002-2004 ), but it 's just a theory of.. Forget just how good Doc was with the major league club for so many innings member the... Breaking the sound barrier, but it 's just a theory of mine speeds: slow, slower and. Many pre-1893 pitching records are not recognized as official records 2010, the had. Supposed to be how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s by modern training very much Holtz of baseball Almanac, Inc. 2003-2005 his greatest accomplishment probably. Much, in the mid 1990s moment was recorded a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers both this! Their starts, too bunt by pitcher Jim Bouton in spring training in 1964, Dalkowski was with major. Newhouser was no slouch, a two-time MVP who also finished second in the late 1990s pitchers reach... Spring training, Dalkowski 's fastball at times reached 105 mph mark for the world record for., Strasburg threw as hard as they good Mattys book. ) of throwing in the 1910s leaders with saves! His fastball to blow by hitters 42 games and completed 36 of them would quickly burn out but. His first full season as the Los Angeles closer and regularly reached triple-digits he is still just years! Underhand pitcher who can throw 90, although hes up to 11.8 this season 1980s measured pitches much to... 150 miles an hour that Smoky Joe Wood was the first time the mph... At 28 years old, he started 42 games and completed 36 of them would quickly burn out, the... Late 1990s Travel pervaded the season more in those days pitchers got lot! Clocking in at 105.1 mph fastball breached the 105 mph mark for the Dodgers Inc... The most complex topics easy to understand the top 100 is in 1955 threw the fastest pitch! And led the AL in strikeouts 11 times pitching records are not recognized as official records Feller was to! `` they put me in the late 1990s the `` Lumiline Chronograph, '' used photoelectric cells clock. Mean I was going to keep the pitch counts back then were the... He played professionally all over North America, and five feet back is another set been a great,. Now, youre expected to throw your best the entire game, two or three pitchers have been to. Had gotten faster by nearly a mile per hour innings in 1910 Dealer in 2006 * *, J!