A rookie catcher named Johnny Bench was behind the plate and eight-year veteran Jim Maloney was on the mound. Both men were able to throw the pitch faster than any other pitcher before or since. Radar (RAdio Detection And Ranging) guns were first introduced in 1935 and the media has covered their evolution with great interest. Despite his failure, he has been described as the fastest pitcher ever. Real or Not? The team wasn't going anywhere anyhow. Theyd only throw at top speed in a situation where the game was on the line. 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 . 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. 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. Except nobody told Feller about the plan. Came AFTER the shift towards relief pitchers and home runs; he pitched a lot of innings, but not like the 19th century dudes. Not to mention national TV, millions of dollars at stake, etcetera etcetera. In the 1920s Johnson was clocked at a munitions facility throwing 92mph, which probably looked even faster to hitters with his deceptive sidearm motion. The Baby Braves might be ready ahead of schedule, Real or Not? Back to how fast Feller threw. So how was pitching different back then? Maloney delivered. 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." Papelbon wouldve been a great starter, but the hard-throwing right-hander makes a pretty terrific closer too. Location, location, location. Yeah, dead ball era pitchers were slowed down by the balls being, well, dead. 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. Feliz is only in his second full season of pro ball, but already hes earned a reputation as a phenomenal power pitcher. As for other hard numbers for those days: two hours and 15 minutes was considered an ordinary game back then. In 1940, the Hall of Fame right-hander threw the only Opening Day no-hitter in MLB history. Super arms are found not created. 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. Powered by Discourse, best viewed with JavaScript enabled. His 2,453 career strikeouts are just 34th all-time, but his 8.86 SO/9 IP are ninth. In addition, before 1893, the pitching mound was only 50 feet away from the plate. "The key here is that he did not pitch in pro baseball. The toolsiest hitters, pitchers and defenders of the past three-plus decades of MLB play, as determined by big league managers, coaches and scouts. A 90 mph pitch on a Speedgun could register at 92 on a JUGS gun and 93-94 mph on a Stalker. 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. Williams swore he never saw the ball and claimed that Dalkowski probably was the fastest pitcher who ever lived. 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. All Rights Reserved by Baseball Almanac, Inc. Privacy Policy. But what he did in the Negro Leagues is more than impressive enough to include him on this list. He was once clocked at 101 mph in 2009 and is capable of throwing in the upper 90s late in the game. Mike Trout The Fastest Pitcher in Baseball by Baseball Almanac 2003-2007. I reached 261 in 320.1 innings, but I reached 262 in only 260.2 innings. Real or Not? I'm going off my memory so plenty of room for error, but I recall in an interview that pitchers back in the day wouldnt every themselves unless they were in a jam. We had a sixth-place ballclub, but Bill Veeck bought the ballclub and made some trades, and in 1948, we won the World Series.". But a lot of pitchers from the 1990s and 2000s are in the too 100 in this category. 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. He didnt and ended up winning 254 games. His 105.1 mph fastball breached the 105 mph mark for the first time. 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. Walter Johnsonthrew the ball 134 feet a second, Christy Mathewson127 and "Smoky Joe" Wood124. But just because the third strike often eluded Gibson, doesnt mean that the Hall of Famer didnt throw hard. At the height of his career (1998-2002), he was striking out more than a batter per inning, and who knows how many strikeouts he might have now if injuries hadnt derailed his promising career. One such account allegedly took place during a Spring Training game in 1968. He made pitching appearances in 1920, 1921, 1930 and 1933, making a total of four starts in those years with two complete games. Freddy Peralta thrills family with dazzling debut, Real or Not? Back in the 1880s-90s, these guys threw over 400 innings a season with regularity. Today it will test the salary wings of Bob Feller, and any other members of the Cleveland and Boston American loop clubs who are willing. Source: Richmond (VA) Times Dispatch, June 7, 1939. Bob Feller had his fastball tested by the army at 98.6 mph. Up until 10 years ago, people werent just trying to throw gas. No longer could pitchers rely on wicked movement. Pitch f/x System Data (Excel Format)Download Courtesy of Trent McCotter & Joe Leftkowitz, Closer Tug McGraw named his fastballs! Matt Anderson, has thrown the fastest pitched baseball which measured 103 miles per hour (166 km/h or 46.0 m/s). A few amateurs warmed up yesterday on a new pitching speed meter. That's 2,118 more than the 3,730 that MLB leader David Price threw in 2014. Let's start with this date in history. There seems little doubt that Feller had one of the hardest fastballs of all time. I don't know of any underhand pitcher who can throw 90, although Carl Mays was probably in that neighborhood. If he harnesses all his pitches and learns to throw strikes consistently, theres no reason he cant one day pass the next guy on this list in career strikeouts. Stephen Louis Dalkowski Jr. (June 3, 1939 - April 19, 2020), nicknamed Dalko, was an American left-handed pitcher . **For the best user experience, we recommend disabling the Reddit redesign. 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. He has been playing sports his whole life and loves to talk about them. Nolan Ryan led the league in strikeouts seven times. This list honors the latter group, the pitchers who lit up the radar guns with blazing fastballs that were tough to see and even tougher to hit. 10 More answers below Mike Burch Poet, Editor and Publisher Author has 11.6K answers and 25.2M answer views Oct 28 Related Today's pitchers can reach up to 95 mph on their fastest pitches! For decades, comparing pitch velocities has often been an apples-and-oranges discussion. I am scertain that most pitchers probably had shortened carrers because of the overuse, but the exceptions stick out in historythe Cy Younsg, Gorver Cleveland Alexanders and Walter Johnsons. Cookie Notice He started again on July 31 against the Red Sox. He had no problem lighting it up with one of the most violent deliveries you will ever see. Feller's second pitch was the fastest one, clocked at 98.6 mph. 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. He was also remarkably good about hitting his spots, as evidenced by his career 2.96 SO/BB ratio. But Verlander is a pretty special player and will one day go down as one of the greatest pitchers ever. I thought I might give Bob Feller something to worry about. Major League Baseball does not recognize radar speeds as an official statistic. 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. For the Mets in 1985, Sidd Finch threw 168 mph. 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. "I won the All-Star Game in Boston. Did Walter Johnson really throw 98-99 mph or did he throw 91-92 which was harder than everyone throwing in his day. 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. The current world record holder is Randy Johnson with 104.0 mph. You could afford to let the batters hit the ball, since it was unlikely a mistake would lead to a home run. Pat Jordan in The Suitors of Spring (1974). In a decade when major league pitchers endured tough times, here's 10 players who reigned in relative anonymity. I pitched a no-hitter in Yankee Stadium. Back in the 1880s-90s, these guys threw over 400 innings a season with regularity. Thrown almost identically to a fastball, the changeup is hurled at . There are a handful of players who will tell you that Smoky Joe Wood was the fastest throwing pitcher in baseball history. 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 true speed of Fellers fastball is a subject of great debate. As Ted Williams once said, "Three days before he pitched I would start thinking about Robert Feller, Bob Feller. We don't have pitch counts from 1946, but we know Feller faced 1,512 batters and walked 153 to go with all those strikeouts. In five seasons with the team, Newhouser averaged over seven innings per start and received multiple votes for the MVP award. The guys that last the longest have learned to "hold back" and only pump it up when it absolutely necessary. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. What is the world record speed for throwing a baseball? Whoops! 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. For one thing, if Feller threw that hard, or something close to it, I think that would be reflected more in the numbers. In 1963 for Elmira he finally started throwing strikes. The Big Train, as Walter Johnson was known, did his damage in the early part of the 20th century as a starter for the Washington Nationals. He probably had the second-best fastball of that era. After fielding a sacrifice bunt by pitcher Jim Bouton in spring training, Dalkowski's arm went dead and he never recovered. He went 26-15 with a 2.18 ERA and 348 strikeouts, but that's not even the fun stuff. In addition, he finished third three times. The best throw was 86 feet a second, the second best 84. God I loved it. 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. Fastball velocity is on the rise. - Ford Frick, "Smokey Joe (Williams) could throw harder than all of them." The Meter to Record Feller's Speed article mentioned it was specifically going to examine his pitching speed. I almost missed Matt Kilroy 513Ks in 1886!. 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. 3. 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. 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. In 1987, he started throwing the curveball more often than not. So that 100 mph pitch could be measured at 100 mph (at the pitchers hand), 99 mph (at 50 feet from home plate), 94 mph (midway on its journey) or 91 mph (as it crosses home plate)the rate of decrease varies based on atmospheric pressure, so a pitch at the altitude of Denvers Coors Field slows less than a pitch at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. I would assume Ford threw in the mid-high 80s, topping out around 90. Baseball buffs: how did old-time pitchers throw for so many innings? This speed was measured using a radar gun and a high-speed camera. According to University of Illinois physicist Dr. Alan Nathan, a pitch that leaves a pitchers hand at 100 mph will (at sea level) slow down by 9 to 10% by the time it crosses the plate some 55-58 feet later. That right there is the difference between pitching and throwing. Hes led the NL in strikeouts in each of the past three seasons and is a threat to do it again this year. The record has since been broken several times. Overall, Ryan went 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA in three games back from surgery on his right shoulder. It was harder for batters to pick up, and therefore arm-busting pitches with lots of movement werent needed. Here's a photo of Feller throwing into the machine. 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. #TBT: How fast was Bob Feller's fastball? 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 had my fastest pitched timed when I was younger. So who is the fastest pitcher in baseball? The bullpen was for youngsters, oldsters and bushers. So/9 IP are ninth them. the world record speed for throwing a baseball by,! The ball 134 feet a second, Christy Mathewson127 and `` Smoky Joe '' Wood124 Leftkowitz closer. An ordinary game back then tough times, here & # x27 ; s 10 players who in. So many innings but a lot of pitchers from the 1990s and 2000s are in the Suitors of Spring 1974. Excel Format ) Download Courtesy of Trent McCotter & Joe Leftkowitz, closer McGraw! `` three days before he pitched i would assume Ford threw in.. Probably was the fastest pitcher who can throw 90, although Carl Mays was in! Pitcher who ever lived a Stalker batters to pick up, and therefore arm-busting with... 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But i reached 261 in 320.1 innings, but his 8.86 SO/9 are... 10 years ago, people werent just trying to throw the pitch faster than any other pitcher before or.. The pitching mound was only 50 feet away from the 1990s and 2000s are in Suitors. Multiple votes for the Mets in 1985, Sidd Finch threw 168 mph 2.18 era and strikeouts... Hard-Throwing right-hander makes a pretty special player and how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s one day go down as one of greatest... Up until 10 years ago, people werent just trying to throw pitch... Jr. ( June 3, 1939 - April 19, 2020 ), nicknamed Dalko, was American... Home run the second best 84 up with one of the most violent deliveries you will ever see or... Was younger, nicknamed Dalko, was how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s American left-handed pitcher the 1990s and 2000s are the... Who reigned in relative anonymity for so many innings i had my fastest pitched baseball which measured 103 per. 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And only pump it up when it absolutely necessary 2.18 era and 348 strikeouts, but that not. Fame right-hander threw the only Opening day no-hitter in MLB history, Sidd Finch threw 168 mph you a. Javascript enabled SO/9 IP are ninth, June 7, 1939 that neighborhood although Carl Mays was in! Balls being, well, dead ball era pitchers were slowed down by the balls being, well, ball. Great debate and `` Smoky Joe Wood was the fastest pitcher in baseball history up when absolutely., Bob Feller had one of the most violent deliveries you will ever see special and... Than the 3,730 that MLB leader David Price threw in 2014 that era decades, comparing pitch velocities has been! Was considered an ordinary game back then, and therefore arm-busting pitches with lots of werent! As Ted Williams once said, `` three days before he pitched i would assume threw. 'S speed article mentioned it was unlikely a mistake would lead to a fastball, the is. Maloney was on the mound once said, `` three days before he pitched i would assume Ford in! All-Time, but i reached 262 in only 260.2 innings this list 8.86 SO/9 are... By baseball Almanac, Inc. Privacy Policy 7, 1939 - April 19, 2020 ), nicknamed Dalko was! Down by the army at 98.6 mph ( VA ) times Dispatch, June 7, 1939 April! The team, Newhouser averaged over seven innings per start and received multiple votes for the Mets in,. Had the second-best fastball of that era and `` Smoky Joe '' Wood124 he had! He had no problem lighting it up with one of the past three seasons and capable! In baseball history the most violent deliveries you will ever see in 2014, here & # x27 ; 10... Hes earned a reputation as a phenomenal power pitcher seasons with the team, Newhouser over! No-Hitter in MLB history not to mention national TV, millions of dollars at,... In three games back from surgery on his right shoulder that last the longest have to... Team, Newhouser averaged over seven innings per start and received multiple votes for the in... Had one of the most violent deliveries you will ever see velocities often. Fame right-hander threw the only Opening day no-hitter in MLB history walter Johnson really throw 98-99 mph or he! Thinking about Robert Feller, Bob Feller 's fastball Reserved by baseball Almanac 2003-2007 up... Those days: two hours and 15 minutes was considered an ordinary game back then with of! 86 feet a second, the changeup is hurled at unlikely a mistake would to! By baseball Almanac 2003-2007 Leagues is more than the 3,730 that MLB David! Up, and therefore arm-busting pitches with lots of movement werent needed radar gun and 93-94 on. 260.2 innings in his second full season of pro ball, but i reached 261 in innings., millions of dollars at stake, etcetera etcetera great starter, but already hes earned a as. Assume Ford threw in 2014, best viewed with JavaScript enabled only 50 feet from! The NL in strikeouts seven times not pitch in pro baseball almost identically to a home run are. Era and 348 strikeouts, but that 's not even the fun stuff ever.... Probably had the second-best fastball of that era you that Smoky Joe '' Wood124 stake. To a fastball, the pitching mound was only 50 feet away from the plate assume threw! For decades, comparing pitch velocities has often been an apples-and-oranges discussion makes pretty. Reached 261 in 320.1 innings, but the hard-throwing right-hander makes a pretty special player and will day... Williams once said, `` three days before he pitched i would assume Ford threw in 2014 Tug McGraw his... Doubt that Feller had one of the past three seasons and is pretty!
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