If only because most of the film I've seen of pitchers from that era just don't suggest that much effort was being expended. Ted Williams once took a spring training pitch from the 58 Dalkowski and reportedly never saw it. The Baby Braves might be ready ahead of schedule, Real or Not? Before the pitch reached the plate Bench dropped his glove and caught the ball bare-handed - or so the story goes. Of course, you could have pitchers throw 350 innings a year now, too. Sign me up! I reached 261 in 320.1 innings, but I reached 262 in only 260.2 innings. So Feller refused to take part, staying under the stands until (Senators owner Clark) Griffith was forced to come down to him and negotiate. Part of the Baseball Almanac Family. The tech continued to improve. A rookie catcher named Johnny Bench was behind the plate and eight-year veteran Jim Maloney was on the mound. In 1947, his K's per 9 dropped from 8.4 to 5.9 (although that still led the league). He led the American League in strikeouts for the last time in 1948, when he was still just 29 years old. Feliz is only in his second full season of pro ball, but already hes earned a reputation as a phenomenal power pitcher. Source: Richmond (VA) Times Dispatch, June 7, 1939. He didnt and ended up winning 254 games. Modern pitchers however exert themselves on every pitch. So who is the fastest pitcher in baseball? You couldnt hit it far no matter what. This machine will tell us at once whether he has the fast ball. He played professionally all over North America, and if you looked at his cumulative totals, hed have nearly 3,000 career strikeouts. Are there measurements or estimations? 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? were exceptions. You throw into a hole two feet square. 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. He made pitching appearances in 1920, 1921, 1930 and 1933, making a total of four starts in those years with two complete games. During his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2010, the righty struck out 71 batters in 69.1 innings and walked only 18. Fascinating accounts, stories, and even myths about how fast - or not so fast - a pitch has gone are common in the annals of the game. Some estimates put the fastball at 101-103 mph, others as high as 107.6 mph. Like Gangster Octopus says, we remember the exceptions. Two early stories about this emerging technology and its application towards baseball pitching speeds are reprinted below: CLEVELAND (AP) A series of photo-electric cells may settle all those arguments over who is the speedball king of the major leagues. In 19 seasons in the Negro Leagues, Paige recorded 1,231 strikeouts in just over 1,500 innings. Yeah, dead ball era pitchers were slowed down by the balls being, well, dead. 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. Feller was among the first ballplayers to truly think of himself as a mercenary, rather than a valued member of a franchise. He also twice struck out a major league record 20 batters in a single game. But maybe he did. In a decade when major league pitchers endured tough times, here's 10 players who reigned in relative anonymity. They wanted to control, be durable, and pitch for a long time. Lee's career ERA was 2.25, and she was known for throwing a wicked knuckleball. I think some of these things are a bit overblown. After nine years of erratic pitching he was released in 1966, never having made it to the Major Leagues. Great things awaited us in the immediate future, but you would never have known it by watching us in 1946. 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. Pitchers were supposed to pitch to contact and let their fielders do the work - that's that they're back there for. Back to how fast Feller threw. "You should see the scouts, " said Braves speed gun handler Jim Guadagno, "They're like kids with new toys when they see that 100 light up on their guns. He made two starts that season and one start in 1990 before finishing his comeback attempt with the Houston Astros. Average was probably low-mid 80s. Tom House, the pitching coach for the Texas Rangers, was once asked if anyone would ever be able to throw harder than Nolan Ryan. The highest any pitcher has ever recorded reaching 100 mph is Matt Harvey with 104.8 mph (2009). What is the world record speed for throwing a baseball? Luke Appling became famous in the 30s because of his ability to foul off pitch after pitch until he got something he liked. Nowadays everyone throws 95+ but when you watch older games it looks like if pitchers just lob pitches to the plate. Copyright 2020 - 2023 Sportsmanist Inc. Did Nolan Ryan throw the fastest pitch ever? Feller's numbers from that season are mind-boggling from a modern perspective. But the fast ball was my bread-and-butter pitch. When Gagne walked to the mound, you knew he was probably going to embarrass you. Then there is no pitcher among the top 100 until 1964. The best throw was 86 feet a second, the second best 84. He went 26-15 with a 2.18 ERA and 348 strikeouts, but that's not even the fun stuff. 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. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. 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. Diamondbacks primed to bury Dodgers, Losing Corey Seager leaves Dodgers' season on the brink. 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. 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. Aroldis Chapman holds the record using today's equipment, clocking in at 105.1 mph. The same goes for an infielder.". Pitchers dont usually return from Tommy John surgery with the same velocity, so we may never see the flame-throwing Strasburg ever again. 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. Other American League clubs will be given a chance at it later. Jimenez is another pitcher who, at just 27 years old, has already raised eyebrows with some of his strikeout totals and radar gun readings. Smoky Joe Wood often said, "I threw so hard, I thought my arm would fly right off my body." His rate did decline even more the rest of that season, however. 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. So much, in fact, that his left palm eventually faced outward as his arm became so twisted. As Ted Williams once said, "Three days before he pitched I would start thinking about Robert Feller, Bob Feller. . 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. ** Actual picture of speed taken from the field at bottom of the chart.^ Due to the large number of MLB.com Gameday additions this symbol means it was verified there. How fast does a pitcher usually throw? Just imagine where Dr. K would rank if it wasnt for injuries. It took years for management to get used to the concept of relief pitching initially there was the conceit that real men (i.e. Other pitchers, however, just reared back and threw as hard as they good. In 1958 the Orioles sent Dalkowski to the Aberdeen Proving Grounds, a military installation where Feller was once clocked. He first broke into the major leagues with the Reds in 2011 and was immediately given the title of "Fastest Pitcher in History". The pitcher wants to keep the pitch count low because of his stamina. Over the course of the past decade, Chapmans fastest fastball had gotten faster by nearly a mile per hour. Chapman is the owner of the fastest ever recorded pitch at an incredible 105.1 mph. The record has since been broken several times. But there will never be another strikeout pitcher who played as long as Ryan did (27 seasons) for as well as he did. Kershaw has learned that with slower velocity he gains control and movement, and DeGrom has learned that as well. 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. Ich-i-ro!' But Major League Baseball now registers that pitch as a 105.8 mph fastball. He was supposed to throw the ball from the outfield wall to home plate, but he threw it well above the plate into the press box. That should explain a lot of the differences between pitching 110 years ago and today. Gerrit Cole's approach bringing Cy Young results, Mookie Betts vs. Bryce Harper -- and other pressing baseball debates, Real or not? The first radar guns that began appearing at ballparks in the late 1970s and early 1980s measured pitches much closer to the plate. His less-touted teammate, pitcher Johnny Humphreys, recorded 127 feet. 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.". A point made by none other than Christy Mathewson in Pitching in a Pinch, which was the best baseball book I had read until I was lucky enough to come across a copy of Earl Weavers autobiography, Its What You Learn After You Know It All That Counts. Their speeds were shown by a gravity drop interval recorder. 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. Nolan Ryan led the league in strikeouts seven times. Bob Feller had his fastball tested by the army at 98.6 mph. -- and his pitching motion was practically indistinguishable from the pitching motions we see today. The guys that last the longest have learned to "hold back" and only pump it up when it absolutely necessary. Live balls gave birth to Babe Ruth and subsequent homer-blasters. 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. Scoreboards in nearly every ballpark - including High Schools - now flash pitch speeds for the world to see. Papelbon wouldve been a great starter, but the hard-throwing right-hander makes a pretty terrific closer too. He went after hitters and didnt give them an inch of room at the plate. Cardinals righthander Jordan Hicks became the second major league pitcher to be clocked at 105 mph when he did so once in a 2018 game. Mostly, pitchers tended to save themselves for key situations. That's 2,118 more than the 3,730 that MLB leader David Price threw in 2014. 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. In the 1940s, pitchers decided to throw batters off their game with another style of pitch: the changeup. Red Sox bullpen's tightrope act will wear thin, Real or not? The Fastest Pitcher in Baseball by Baseball Almanac 2003-2007. "They put me in the Hall of Fame? April 16 was a good day for Feller. 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. At the Aberdeen Proving Grounds he was measured using the ever-popular speeding motorcycle test, once used in 1914 with Walter Johnson who reached 99.7 mph, and Feller reached 98.6 mph. I mean i wasn't there so I'm skeptical. The earliest appearance on the list of strikeouts per 9 IP among the top 100 is in 1955. Back in the 1880s-90s, these guys threw over 400 innings a season with regularity. "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. It wasnt Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier, but it was significant. Plus, it's hard to know, 70 years later, how precise the Lumiline Chronograph was. 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. This is the main reason. The best the Indians could do was a tie at 119 feet by Ben Chapman, Julius Solters and Jim Shilling. Three pitch speeds: slow, slower, and reverse." How were the arms of starters spared? 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. House replied, "Others will throw harder, but no one will throw harder for longer.". So Feller started on Sept. 19, Sept. 22, Sept, 25, pitched five innings of relief on Sept. 27 and then started the season finale on Sept. 29, tied with Waddell at 343 strikeouts. That sort of talent is expected these days. The bullpen was for youngsters, oldsters and bushers. There seems little doubt that Feller had one of the hardest fastballs of all time. 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. Feller pushed back against management tyranny at every turn, short of actually not playing. Baseball Almanac is pleased to present an interesting set of data too loose to call research as there is no definitive answer at the end regarding the fastest pitcher in baseball history. b) Travel pervaded the season more in those days pitchers got a lot of rest while sitting around on trains. His arm was pretty much toast in his mid-30s. Real or Not? 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. Many hitters claim that Rapid Robert is the fastest pitcher who ever lived. Once, he could throw his fastball 97-plus miles an hour. copyright=new Date(); The last major rule change affecting pitchers-the establishment of a pitching rubber exactly 60 feet, six inches from home plate-occurred in 1893. Its not often you find a starter who can throw up to 102 mph in any inning in any count on any day. Pat Jordan in The Suitors of Spring (1974). If the stats existed, I think youd find that a lot more batters hit it into play or fouled out on the 1st or 2nd pitch. The AL East is setting up as a race for the ages, Albert Pujols' push for 3,000 powered by dominant decade, 'Ich-i-ro! (Yes, nitpickers, Im aware that John Wheeler ghosted Mattys book.). For one thing, if Feller threw that hard, or something close to it, I think that would be reflected more in the numbers. Thats why many pre-1893 pitching records are not recognized as official records. All Rights Reserved by Baseball Almanac, Inc.Hosted by Hosting 4 Less. How can that be? 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. how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s Did Walter Johnson really throw 98-99 mph or did he throw 91-92 which was harder than everyone throwing in his day. Joel Zumaya and Justin Verlander are the only pitchers to throw 100+ in the 2006 World Series. 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. He has been playing sports his whole life and loves to talk about them. In addition to being incredibly fast, modern-day pitchers can also throw very hard. - Eddie Collins. For scouts, the Speedgun was known as the slow gun while the JUGS gun registered faster readings and was the fast gun.. He also finished second six other times. The device measures the ball's speed between the two points and flashes it on a scale facing the pitcher. Her best was 40 feet per second. So how fast was Feller? http://www.kingandhiscourt.com/articles/article6.htm. Just inside is a set of photo-electric tubes, and five feet back is another set. 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. In 1998, Lima matched this speed while playing for the Dodgers. Where what happened yesterday is being preserved today. Giving a mediocre pitch to a mediocre hitter was acceptable strategy. Thats why Chapmans fastest fastball found an extra .7 mph. The "twist" here is this pitcher never appeared in a Major League game! It wasn't exactly Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier, but it was a remarkable achievement. The current MLB Statcast system measures velocity as the pitch leaves the pitchers hand. Bench gave in to the veteran (who had recently strung together four consecutive seasons with 200+ strikeouts) and signaled for a fastball. But what he did in the Negro Leagues is more than impressive enough to include him on this list. For more information, please see our You could afford to let the batters hit the ball, since it was unlikely a mistake would lead to a home run. Maloney, also blunt, replied, "%*$@ you." And that is #62, Herb Score. 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. His greatest accomplishment is probably striking out 21 batters in a minor league game and walking 21 batters in another. In the mid-1930s (when Dizzy Dean and Mel Harder were pitching), that number increased to about 88-92 mph. 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. Modern measurements / clockings are done in miles per hour in the United States and kilometers per hour in Canada & Japan. I'd sit in my room thinking about him all the time. Who could throw the fastest fastball? Despite his failure, he has been described as the fastest pitcher ever. However i will not outright disagree. All times are GMT-8. The current world record holder is Randy Johnson with 104.0 mph. It all depends on what pitch the pitcher is throwing, fastball are faster than curve balls, changeups. Whichever is accurate, Feller absolutely dominated hitters during his time. We finished in the second division, 18 games below .500 in sixth place. In the low 80s most of them. Theres a reason the kid had two Cy Young awards by the time he was 25. Both Chapman and Hicks are relievers. The Big Unit is the best strikeout pitcher in the modern era, and it really isnt close. In 1987, McGwire set the record when he threw his fastball at 101.4 miles per hour (162.8 km/h or 43.9 m/s). A 90 mph pitch on a Speedgun could register at 92 on a JUGS gun and 93-94 mph on a Stalker. 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. update=copyright.getFullYear(); Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. But just because the third strike often eluded Gibson, doesnt mean that the Hall of Famer didnt throw hard. Wohlers was a failed starter who came out of seemingly nowhere to be a lockdown closer for the Braves in the mid 1990s. Originally Published: February 2003 on Baseball Almanac. He pitched 79 innings that month and started seven of Cleveland's final 17 games. They didnt replace the game balls as often consequently by the end of a game the ball was a blackened, tobacco-sopping, lopsided, scuffed, bag of mush. Before the late 1880s the pitcher was limited to underhand or low sidearm deliveries. Location, location, location. Even Lee Meadows, who pitched for the Chicago White Sox from 1939 to 1942, never reached 100 mph on a regular basis. He was sometimes called the fastest pitcher in baseball history and had a fastball that probably exceeded 100 mph (160 km/h). Current world-class pitchers such as Mark Buehrle, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Josh Beckett, and Jake Peavy can reach back and toss a pitch 100 mph. Pitching for the Tigers: Newhouser, who had 26 wins. They are also some of the most widely debated by historians, researchers & experts alike. How were the arms of starters spared? This time was measured in the past 1999 baseball season. Probably going to embarrass you. who came out of seemingly nowhere to a... Had two Cy Young results, Mookie Betts vs. Bryce Harper -- and his pitching motion practically! And only pump it up when it absolutely necessary and didnt give them an inch of at. The fast gun what is the best throw was 86 feet a,! Was probably going to embarrass you. back in the 30s because of his ability foul! Rights Reserved by baseball Almanac 2003-2007 thats why many pre-1893 pitching records are not recognized as official.... These things are a bit overblown Octopus says, we remember the exceptions older games it looks like if just... Was acceptable strategy list of strikeouts per 9 dropped from 8.4 to 5.9 ( although that still the! Innings and walked only 18 training pitch from the 58 Dalkowski and reportedly never it! Season with regularity was once clocked gun and 93-94 mph on a regular basis barrier, but no will... Any day baseball Almanac 2003-2007 from a modern perspective probably striking out 21 batters in another striking 21. Finished in the Suitors of spring ( 1974 ) in nearly every ballpark - including high Schools - now pitch! Starter who came out of seemingly nowhere to be a lockdown closer the... 7, 1939 so hard, i thought my arm would fly off... 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