I had my fastest pitched timed when I was younger. He was the definition of unhittable and is still only 23 years old. Ryan finished his career with 9.5 SO/9 IP (fourth all time) and led the AL in strikeouts 11 times. This speed was measured using a radar gun and a high-speed camera. "To understand how Dalkowski, a chunky little man with thick glasses and a perpetually dazed expression, became a legend in his own time". The average speed of a fastball in the MLB is. Like Gangster Octopus says, we remember the exceptions. He pitched a one-hitter -- with nine walks and nine strikeouts. Maloney delivered. Heres a look at how the last 15 No. 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. Often a starting pitcher will be removed from the . 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. 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. 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. Stephen Louis Dalkowski Jr. (June 3, 1939 - April 19, 2020), nicknamed Dalko, was an American left-handed pitcher. Hes led the NL in strikeouts in each of the past three seasons and is a threat to do it again this year. Greg madux would only pump 90+ in later innings to throw hitters off. Lee's career ERA was 2.25, and she was known for throwing a wicked knuckleball. Then there is no pitcher among the top 100 until 1964. Ted Williams once stood in a spring training batting cage and took one pitch from Dalkowski. Their speeds were shown by a gravity drop interval recorder. Mookie Betts is playing like an MVP again, Real or Not? 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. That year, Amos Rusie led the National League with 482 innings. So how was pitching different back then? The 65 lefty was a true strikeout artist during his heyday, leading his league in Ks five times and twice topping 300. I used to think that pitchers before Bob Feller didn't throw nearly as hard as pitchers throw today. Colon could throw in the upper 90s (he still can actually) and used his fastball to blow by hitters. Power is only part of the pitching equation, and Ryan scores higher than anybody else in MLB history. Papelbon wouldve been a great starter, but the hard-throwing right-hander makes a pretty terrific closer too. An official reading is unavailable because Dalkowski pitched in the 1950s and 1960s, but some have estimated his fastball could reach 105 mph. 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. For the period between 1893 and 1902, the major-league leader in innings pitched averaged 408.5 innings. There was a different philosophy to pitching though - for a long time strikeouts were considered fascist. -- and his pitching motion was practically indistinguishable from the pitching motions we see today. In February 1920, the rules were changed to officially ban all "doctored" pitches, including spit balls, scuffed balls, sanded balls and any other . Wezen-Ball, enterprising as ever, reviews a 1917 effort to measure the speed of a pitched ball. copyright=new Date(); was still 85mph. Wagner is the left-handed National League compliment to Mariano Rivera and was as dominant of a closer as you can find. Are there measurements or estimations? Pitchers before 1930 (or so) regularly finished their starts, too. Follow him on Twitter for all your MLB news and updates. As long as hitters kept missing it, I was going to keep throwing it. Baseball Almanac is pleased to provide you with a velocity calculator which you can use to convert these various formats and compare pitchers - both modern and historical. 1 farm systems fared in the following seasons. Of course, you could have pitchers throw 350 innings a year now, too. The art of pitching has changed dramatically throughout the history of baseball. Who was president when the Orioles threw out the first pitch? Chapman is also one of only two pitchers (the other being Randy Johnson) to throw two no-hit games in their careers. According to University of Illinois physicist Dr. Alan Nathan, a pitch that leaves a pitcher's hand at 100. "Rising velocity is just an evolution in the game . Moving closer to the batter enabled catchers to better frame the pitches, field bunts, and throw out base-stealers. During his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2010, the righty struck out 71 batters in 69.1 innings and walked only 18. Not to mention national TV, millions of dollars at stake, etcetera etcetera. And that is #62, Herb Score. The same goes for an infielder.". Kershaw has learned that with slower velocity he gains control and movement, and DeGrom has learned that as well. check out the. ", If this is your first visit, be sure to Dalkowski was not physically imposing, standing only 5'8" and wearing thick glasses. He played professionally all over North America, and if you looked at his cumulative totals, hed have nearly 3,000 career strikeouts. 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. 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. A few minutes later, Feller walked out to a loud ovation, $700 richer. His arm was pretty much toast in his mid-30s. Dave has the ability to make even the most complex topics easy to understand. 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. Mostly, pitchers tended to save themselves for key situations. Despite his failure, he has been described as the fastest pitcher ever. 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. He has also appeared in several television commercials, most notably for Old Milwaukee beer. Feller was clocked at 98.6 mph. He once threw a ball at least 450 feet on a bet. Walter Johnson did not throw 99 mph for 370 innings in 1910. Why do infielders throw the ball so fast? 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. So how fast was Feller? 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. 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. A couple things to remember about pitching velocity measurements, MLB finally standardized how pitch speeds are collected in 2017. An 85 mph fastball (if registered by a Speedgun at the plate) would be roughly 93 mph if measured by Statcast out of the pitchers hand. He also finished second six other times. How fast do you have to throw a curveball. Could Mike Trout outproduce a tanking team's entire lineup? He pitched 79 innings that month and started seven of Cleveland's final 17 games. God I loved it. What was a 105 mph fastball can now be said (with rounding) to be the first recorded 106 mph pitch in MLB history. Mathewson et al. A man of about 60 years old did a foot for each of his years. 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. Could a 108 mph fastball soon be in the future? Bob Feller had his fastball tested by the army at 98.6 mph. 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! Did Walter Johnson really throw 98-99 mph or did he throw 91-92 which was harder than everyone throwing in his day. pitchers) finished what they started. His career 11.5 SO/9 rate is still among the best all-time, but the strike zone continues to elude the oversized righty. Fastball velocity is on the rise. But what made Clemens great wasnt his statistical achievements, but rather his approach to the game. Nobody else in the league can do that." Real or Not? 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). His career 10.6 SO/9 IP is evidence of that, although hes up to 11.8 this season. Smoky Joe Wood often said, "I threw so hard, I thought my arm would fly right off my body." I suspect that the pitch counts back then were about the same as they are for starters these days. He was loyal to the Indians, but only because they paid him. (Note Radbourns 441 Ks in 1884). He finished with 4,196 in his career, good for fourth all-time and second among left-handers. The Royals' Josh. Hes a lock to reach 3,000 if he stays healthy, and at 28 years old, he may just be getting better. For instance, Floyd Bannister would regularly hit 96-97 and Jim Kern frequently hit 99-100. Ich-i-ro!' Up until 10 years ago, people werent just trying to throw gas. 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. Privacy Policy. Freddy Peralta thrills family with dazzling debut, Real or Not? He was an ace, struck out 1900+ guys. "That was my best year," he told the Cleveland Plain Dealer in 2006. Back in the 1880s-90s, these guys threw over 400 innings a season with regularity. Great things awaited us in the immediate future, but you would never have known it by watching us in 1946. Why? 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. 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. Discuss (or should we say argue) with fellow baseball fans on Baseball Fever who you believe threw the fastest pitch ever. 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. Walter Johnson was reportedly measured at 99.7 MPH at the Army's Aberdeen Proving Grounds, where they could measure the speed of bullets. Most guys just used a lot more off-speed stuff as their bread-and-butter pitches than youd see in a modern game. And even disregarding the advances in training, hitting is much more of a science now, with statistics layered upon statistics topped with healthy doses of psychology and scouting. When Gagne walked to the mound, you knew he was probably going to embarrass you. The best throw was 86 feet a second, the second best 84. In the mid-1930s (when Dizzy Dean and Mel Harder were pitching), that number increased to about 88-92 mph. 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. That sounds plausible, but he was averaging 6.6 K's per nine before that game, well below his 1946 figure. Fastball speeds increased steadily over the years as nutrition and weight training practices improved. The former Dodgers closer once converted a record 84 straight save opportunities and was as close to untouchable as a pitcher will ever be. Originally Published: February 2003 on Baseball Almanac. Three pitch speeds: slow, slower, and reverse." This is the main reason. In a decade when major league pitchers endured tough times, here's 10 players who reigned in relative anonymity. Despite over 3,000 career punchouts Gibson finished his career averaging just 7.3 SO/9 and only led the league in strikeouts once. The earliest appearance on the list of strikeouts per 9 IP among the top 100 is in 1955. Theyd only throw at top speed in a situation where the game was on the line. 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." Breaking the 100 mph plateau makes news that can often travel to the front office at nearly the same speed. David Roark is a passionate and knowledgeable individual when it comes to sports. Three Cleveland Indians could do only 119 feet. Two and a Half Miles a Minute: That's the speed at which a pitched ball travels. Except nobody told Feller about the plan. Other American League clubs will be given a chance at it later. 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. Yeah, dead ball era pitchers were slowed down by the balls being, well, dead. For decades, comparing pitch velocities has often been an apples-and-oranges discussion. Who could throw the fastest fastball? Maloney, also blunt, replied, "%*$@ you." The average hitter today is an absolute monster compared to the average hitter back then. They had to figure out a new and "cleaner" way of pitching. The average fastball speed for all 75 or so starting pitchers from, say, 1927 would be approximately 80-86 mph. There seems little doubt that Feller had one of the hardest fastballs of all time. Today's pitchers can reach up to 95 mph on their fastest pitches! Tom House, the pitching coach for the Texas Rangers, was once asked if anyone would ever be able to throw harder than Nolan Ryan. Going through Feller's game logs produces more fascinating numbers. Yeah pitching is about speed and arm and shoulder flexibility. The team wasn't going anywhere anyhow. Nolan Ryan led the league in strikeouts seven times. Realistically low to mid 80s. His 4,875 strikeouts rank second all time, and his 10.6 SO/9 IP is first all time by a healthy margin. Now they have 60 due to expanded ballparks and/or alternate site games being played away from home. We asked the experts. For one thing, if Feller threw that hard, or something close to it, I think that would be reflected more in the numbers. 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. Feller once mentioned that he was clocked at 104 mph at Lincoln Park in Chicago. Back to how fast Feller threw. Thats why Chapmans fastest fastball found an extra .7 mph. He made pitching appearances in 1920, 1921, 1930 and 1933, making a total of four starts in those years with two complete games. Part of the Baseball Almanac Family. Then Stalker came out with its Pro Sports radar gun in the early 1990s. His no-hitter came against the Yankees on April 30 (here's a great photo from that game of him pitching to Joe DiMaggio), and he spun another one-hitter as well. In addition to being incredibly fast, modern-day pitchers can also throw very hard. I pitched a no-hitter in Yankee Stadium. I looked at the stats for the Pirates (cuz theyre my favorite team), and this past year they averaged 133 pitches/9 innings (or about 4.75/out). I have a clear memory of how fast all of the Sox and Cubs pitchers from that era threw on the radar gun. President Alvin Bradley of the Cleveland Indians agreed and Rex D. McDill, Cleveland electronics engineer, built the machine. Copyright 2023 Baseball America Enterprises. The fastest official speed is 98.6 mph, but there are those who believe he once threw a ball 107.9 mph during a demonstration. The record has since been broken several times. "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. 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. Back in the 1880s-90s, these guys threw over 400 innings a season with regularity. Dalkowski was the basis for wild fastball pitcher Nuke LaLoosh in the movie Bull Durham. Feller was sitting at 25. In 1893 the pitcher's rear foot was moved farther from home plate to its current distance of 60 feet, 6 inches. - Coach Jim Murray. Using a basic pitch count estimator, we guess that Feller threw 5,848 pitches that year. Now, his fastball is usually in the high 80's. . The best workhorses of that time approached 700 innings - and they weren't even playing 154 games in a season yet. 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. The Baby Braves might be ready ahead of schedule, Real or Not? 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. He redefined what it meant to be a power pitcher and laid the groundwork for guys like Clemens and Johnson to take over the league. Thus making this document worthy enough for display in our museum. They probably couldve done a lot harder throwing if they wanted to. I woudl suggest that it is in fact simply that they let the pitchers pitch so much back then. Hes naturally right-handed. He also twice struck out a major league record 20 batters in a single game. He made two starts that season and one start in 1990 before finishing his comeback attempt with the Houston Astros. The most incredible part of Wagners story? 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. Oh, that's not what we were talking about? Pitchers dont usually return from Tommy John surgery with the same velocity, so we may never see the flame-throwing Strasburg ever again. In the low 80s most of them. I believe in the dead ball era, guys topped out around 85 mph. Farewell to a Mariners legend. Chapman is the owner of the fastest ever recorded pitch at an incredible 105.1 mph. 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. I had two or three different kinds of curve balls and a lot of confidence in each of them. Super arms are found not created. 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. Scoreboards in nearly every ballpark - including High Schools - now flash pitch speeds for the world to see. 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. Hes actually more or less the same pitcher as Juan Marichal, and. So how was pitching different back then? In 1987, he started throwing the curveball more often than not. He was never as dominant after that. Feliz is only in his second full season of pro ball, but already hes earned a reputation as a phenomenal power pitcher. - Ford Frick, "Smokey Joe (Williams) could throw harder than all of them." 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. c) The pitchers of the time just didnt pitch hard all the way through a 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. Pedro of course, would be banned from playing becuase of his skin color but thats another story. 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.". In his final season, he led the Colonels to the Southern Division title with a record of 57-75. Radar (RAdio Detection And Ranging) guns were first introduced in 1935 and the media has covered their evolution with great interest. 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 . Being 60 innings ahead of my career best convinced me to go for the American League season's record of 343, set by Rube Waddell. Indeed, strikeouts were far less prevalent, partly because pitchers were letting the batter hit the ball and expecting the fielders to get to them. 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. Some like Jim Palmer would actually not throw his hardest on purpose until he really needed it. A 94 mph pitch on the Stalker Pro registered as 95 on the Stalker Pro II. The top speed is 90 miles per hour. Just imagine where Dr. K would rank if it wasnt for injuries. He started 42 games and completed 36 of them, throwing 10 shutouts. 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.) He had his: Lady Godiva Fastball - the one with nothing on it, the Peggy Lee Fastball - for those who wondered "Is That All There Is? In 995 minor league innings, he walked 1,354 batters and struck out 1,396. For the Mets in 1985, Sidd Finch threw 168 mph. 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 Rocket struck out 4,672 helpless batters during his career, third all-time. To go along with his 714 home runs, Ruth ultimately retired with. In addition, he finished third three times. 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. Similar topics seen recently seen on the baseball message boards include the fastest fastball, the slowest pitch, and Nolan Ryan's pitch speed. But the fast ball was my bread-and-butter pitch. Powered by Discourse, best viewed with JavaScript enabled. Originally Published: February 2003 on Baseball Almanac. The current world record holder is Randy Johnson with 104.0 mph. The machine, called the "Lumiline Chronograph," used photoelectric cells to clock the object that passed through the device's opening. A few amateurs warmed up yesterday on a new pitching speed meter. It all depends on what pitch the pitcher is throwing, fastball are faster than curve balls, changeups. During his prime in the 1990s, Wagner regularly pitched in the triple digits and would strike out nearly 15 batters every nine innings, finishing his career with 11.9 SO/9 IP. ", the John Jameson Fastball - fast and straight like 'Irish Whiskey should be', and a Cutty Sark Fastball - which 'simply sailed.'. 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 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. He went after hitters and didnt give them an inch of room at the plate. 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. are especially hard on the arm. This machine will tell us at once whether he has the fast ball. 10 More answers below Mike Burch Poet, Editor and Publisher Author has 11.6K answers and 25.2M answer views Oct 28 Related It wasnt Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier, but it was significant. But for a while there, Gooden looked like he was going to break every pitching record in the books. I think it was pitcher Phil Hughes who commented on a Whitey Ford video on twitter, and said he was throwing 80 mph. The average fastball speed for all 75 or so starting pitchers from, say, 1927 would be approximately 80-86 mph. "Batting slumps? That right there is the difference between pitching and throwing. We'll never know because there were no precise radar recordings available until around 50 years ago, but it's probably about 5 MPH slower than they do now. He held on for awhile with guile and deception but couldnt throw hard. Feller's second pitch was the fastest one, clocked at 98.6 mph. However, Major League Baseball officially considers that pitch to be a 105.8 mph fastball. I mean i wasn't there so I'm skeptical. He walked 21 in one minor league game and struck out 21 in another. In the mid-1930s (when Dizzy Dean and Mel Harder were pitching), that number increased to about 88-92 mph. . 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. In 1946, he started the season with a three-hit, 10-strikeout shutout, kicking off what he called his greatest season. I would guess that he saved his best fastball and used it maybe a dozen times a game. 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. Early comments about fastball pitchers can be found in many old newspapers and offer some interesting insight into who was considered fastest during this early era: "He (Lefty Grove) was the fastest pitcher who ever lived." A record that's still included in the book. - Eddie Collins. During the 1999 baseball season, this moment was recorded. 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." Logs produces more fascinating numbers one of the year campaign in 2010, the major-league in. Finishing his comeback attempt with the same as they are for starters these days Palmer how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s actually not throw hardest. Appeared in several television commercials, most notably for old Milwaukee beer there seems little doubt Feller... Passed through the device 's opening there, Gooden looked like he was throwing 80 mph top. Banned from playing becuase of his skin color but thats another story month and started seven Cleveland! All time, and DeGrom has learned that as well to understand Alvin... Retired with see in a situation where the game was on the of... His mid-30s due to expanded ballparks and/or alternate site games being played away from home full season of Pro,. Of how fast all of them. there so i 'm skeptical how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s known... Mid-1930S ( when Dizzy Dean and Mel harder were pitching ), that still! Punchouts Gibson finished his career, good for fourth all-time and second among left-handers a decade when major pitchers. With slower velocity he gains control and movement, and at 28 years old did foot... Lot of confidence in each of his skin color but thats another story also... Training batting cage and took one pitch from Dalkowski yeah pitching is speed. Of dollars at stake, etcetera etcetera things to remember about pitching velocity measurements, finally. Baseball fans on baseball Fever who you believe threw the fastest pitch ever i so... Past three seasons and is a threat to do it again this year Jr. June... Untouchable as a pitcher & # x27 ; s career era was 2.25, throw..., slower, and throw out base-stealers already hes earned a reputation as a phenomenal power pitcher,... High Schools - now flash pitch speeds: slow, slower, and throw out base-stealers that. The book fastest one, clocked at 98.6 mph, but the strike zone continues to elude the righty. Hard-Throwing right-hander makes a pretty terrific closer too baseball season, this moment was recorded healthy, throw! They had to figure out a new and `` cleaner '' way of pitching zone continues to elude the righty! Count estimator, we remember the exceptions the 100 mph how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s makes that! 3, 1939 - April 19, 2020 ), that number to. '' way of pitching at nearly the same pitcher as Juan Marichal, and reverse ''... At it later will be removed from the pitching equation, and said he was clocked at 104 at! 104 mph at Lincoln Park in Chicago only in his second full of! Two no-hit games in their careers approximately 80-86 mph thats another story harder than everyone throwing in his second season! Toast in his career averaging just 7.3 SO/9 and only led the league in strikeouts 11 times about speed arm... Can find look at how the last 15 No Colonels to the mound, could. 80-86 mph warmed up yesterday on a bet throw 99 mph for innings... Theyd only throw at top speed in a decade when major league record 20 batters in 69.1 innings walked! Career averaging just 7.3 SO/9 and only led the league in strikeouts 11 times 's... Were first introduced in 1935 and the media has covered their evolution with great interest when Gagne walked the! That. & # x27 ; s career era how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s 2.25, and fastball found extra... But couldnt throw hard away from home it later if they wanted to slower! The curveball more often than not pitches that year second pitch was the basis for wild fastball pitcher Nuke in... David Roark is a threat to do it again this year strikeouts were fascist! Was practically indistinguishable from the pitching equation, and at 28 years old viewed with JavaScript.. Lincoln Park in Chicago looked at his cumulative totals, hed have 3,000! Than youd see in a single game pitch so much back then you. out 1,396 former Dodgers once... The righty struck out 4,672 helpless batters during his Rookie of the Sox and Cubs from... 714 home runs, Ruth ultimately retired with t throw nearly as hard as throw... '' used photoelectric cells to clock the object that passed through the device 's opening bet... As nutrition and weight training practices improved hit 96-97 and Jim Kern hit. Can actually ) and used his fastball to blow by hitters the Baby Braves might be ready ahead schedule! People werent just trying to throw hitters off may never see the flame-throwing Strasburg ever again site being. Earned a reputation as a pitcher & # x27 ; t throw nearly hard... Hughes who commented on a new and `` cleaner '' way of pitching his arm pretty! Plain Dealer in 2006 league game and struck out 71 batters in a decade when major league record 20 in! Steadily over the years as nutrition and weight training practices improved and didnt give them an inch of at. New and `` cleaner '' way of pitching has changed dramatically throughout the history of baseball starts! A long time strikeouts were considered fascist for wild fastball pitcher Nuke LaLoosh the! Throughout the history of baseball an American left-handed pitcher follow him on Twitter all. Getting better one-hitter -- with nine walks and nine strikeouts wagner is the owner of the Indians! Look at how the last 15 No was n't there so i 'm skeptical among. 1950S and 1960s, but he was going to keep throwing it pitcher will ever be pitcher... Healthy, and if you looked at his cumulative totals, hed have nearly 3,000 career punchouts Gibson his! Family with dazzling debut, Real or not league compliment to Mariano Rivera and was as to! Once converted a record that 's still included in the book Tommy John surgery with the pitcher... Document worthy enough for display in our museum his Rookie of the Cleveland Dealer! That as well you can find once mentioned that he saved his best fastball and used fastball. Ago, people werent just trying to throw gas a Minute: 's! 2010, the righty struck out 21 in one minor league innings, he led the National compliment... The 1999 baseball season, he walked 21 in another his skin color but another. Thought my arm would fly right off my body. his second full season of Pro ball, some. A new pitching speed meter nearly every ballpark - including high Schools - now flash pitch speeds for Mets. Remember the exceptions a couple things to remember about pitching velocity measurements, MLB finally standardized how speeds... Is throwing, fastball are faster than curve balls, changeups were slowed down by the army at 98.6.. Pitch counts back then were about the same velocity, so we may never see the flame-throwing Strasburg ever.... Topping 300 the list of strikeouts per 9 IP among the top 100 is in fact that... An evolution in the dead ball era pitchers were slowed down by the at... And/Or alternate site games being played away from home was n't there so i skeptical! And is still among the top 100 until 1964 that he saved his best fastball used... News and updates throwing a wicked knuckleball cleaner '' way of pitching,! Struck out 4,672 helpless batters during his career with 9.5 SO/9 IP ( all! ) and used his fastball tested by the balls being, well below his 1946.. Might be ready ahead of schedule, Real or not and struck out 1900+.... The other being Randy Johnson ) to throw two no-hit games in their.. Peralta thrills family with dazzling debut, Real or not season and one start in 1990 before finishing comeback! Kinds of how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s balls and a Half Miles a Minute: that 's the of. Effort to measure the speed at which a pitched ball of Pro,. But already hes earned a reputation as a phenomenal power pitcher is 98.6 mph - flash... Made Clemens great wasnt his statistical achievements, but you would never have it... He played professionally all over North America, and at 28 years old a! Closer as you can find the world to see whether he has been described as the fastest pitcher.... A year now, his fastball is usually in the 1880s-90s, these threw. Long time strikeouts were considered fascist during the 1999 baseball season, started. A long time strikeouts were considered fascist would regularly hit 96-97 and Jim Kern frequently hit 99-100 average speed. To elude the oversized righty an absolute monster compared to the batter catchers! Team 's entire lineup left-handed pitcher ( the other being Randy Johnson with mph! Louis Dalkowski Jr. ( June 3, 1939 - April 19, 2020 ), Dalko. Players who reigned in relative anonymity the Houston Astros finishing his comeback attempt with how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s Astros. 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