He was the definition of unhittable and is still only 23 years old. Fans, researchers, historians and even the players argue all the time about who was the fastest pitcher of all-time. In his brief taste of MLB action, Strasburg threw as hard as anybody in the game. Bob Feller had his fastball tested by the army at 98.6 mph. In addition to being incredibly fast, modern-day pitchers can also throw very hard. 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. Before the late 1880s the pitcher was limited to underhand or low sidearm deliveries. The bullpen was for youngsters, oldsters and bushers. 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. It wasn't exactly Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier, but it was a remarkable achievement. 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? 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. Wezen-Ball, enterprising as ever, reviews a 1917 effort to measure the speed of a pitched ball. Score had another big strikeout year in 1956. Feller pushed back against management tyranny at every turn, short of actually not playing. are especially hard on the arm. Who was president when the Orioles threw out the first pitch? Others who claimed he was the fastest ever were Paul Richards, Harry Brecheen and Earl Weaver. 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. But maybe its time to pay more attention to the guy who always played in Bob Fellers shadow. Not only were pitchers not allowed to throw overhand, but they had to toss the ball with a stiff elbow and wrist. The art of pitching has changed dramatically throughout the history of baseball. David Roark is a passionate and knowledgeable individual when it comes to sports. 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. Three Cleveland Indians could do only 119 feet. Money quote: I used to think that pitchers before Bob Feller didn't throw nearly as hard as pitchers throw today. Pre-WW2, there were probably only a handful of guys who could crack 90. However, he is still just 23 years old. It was harder for batters to pick up, and therefore arm-busting pitches with lots of movement werent needed. Privacy Policy. He led the American League in strikeouts for the last time in 1948, when he was still just 29 years old. 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. The best workhorses of that time approached 700 innings - and they weren't even playing 154 games in a season yet. But Major League Baseball now registers that pitch as a 105.8 mph fastball. In 1989, Nolan Ryan returned to the mound with the Los Angeles Dodgers. And that is #62, Herb Score. In 1963 for Elmira he finally started throwing strikes. House replied, "Others will throw harder, but no one will throw harder for longer.". As long as hitters kept missing it, I was going to keep throwing it. It was on a closed off road in Chicago's Lincoln Park back in the summer of 1940, 5 years after Babe Ruth retired, that the first attempt to test the speed of a pitch was done. It wasnt Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier, but it was significant. 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. New York Yankees How hard did pitchers throw back in the day. Obviously, if it was done on a closed off road in a. 10 More answers below Mike Burch Poet, Editor and Publisher Author has 11.6K answers and 25.2M answer views Oct 28 Related 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). The team wasn't going anywhere anyhow. 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. Wood is now blowing away hitters as a full-time reliever. Using yesterday's equipment, Ryan would have been tied for first with Bob Feller (107.4 mph). However, Major League Baseball officially considers that pitch to be a 105.8 mph fastball. Ted Williams once stood in a spring training batting cage and took one pitch from Dalkowski. I don't believe they threw, on average, as hard as pitchers throw today. Why? Pitch f/x System Data (Excel Format)Download Courtesy of Trent McCotter & Joe Leftkowitz, Closer Tug McGraw named his fastballs! "To understand how Dalkowski, a chunky little man with thick glasses and a perpetually dazed expression, became a legend in his own time". 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. 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. Likewise, in the technical sense, Steve was a left-handed pitcher. Walter Johnson was reportedly measured at 99.7 MPH at the Army's Aberdeen Proving Grounds, where they could measure the speed of bullets. Came AFTER the shift towards relief pitchers and home runs; he pitched a lot of innings, but not like the 19th century dudes. Copyright 2020 - 2023 Sportsmanist Inc. Did Nolan Ryan throw the fastest pitch ever? 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. Feller once mentioned that he was clocked at 104 mph at Lincoln Park in Chicago. You could afford to let the batters hit the ball, since it was unlikely a mistake would lead to a home run. In the 1920s Johnson was clocked at a munitions facility throwing 92mph, which probably looked even faster to hitters with his deceptive sidearm motion. He finished with 4,196 in his career, good for fourth all-time and second among left-handers. Paige struck out a Negro League record 176 batters in 1929 and then set the single-game record by striking out 17 hitters on April 29 and then 18 hitters less than a week later. Most guys just used a lot more off-speed stuff as their bread-and-butter pitches than youd see in a modern game. 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. Great things awaited us in the immediate future, but you would never have known it by watching us in 1946. He started again on July 31 against the Red Sox. He even saved four games for good measure. 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. It all comes down to where the pitch is measured. Nowadays everyone throws 95+ but when you watch older games it looks like if pitchers just lob pitches to the plate. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. "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. - Eddie Collins. and our The Detroit times. I think some of these things are a bit overblown. Maloney delivered. Breaking the 100 mph plateau makes news that can often travel to the front office at nearly the same speed. The best throw was 86 feet a second, the second best 84. His 4,875 strikeouts rank second all time, and his 10.6 SO/9 IP is first all time by a healthy margin. I would suspect that, if it were possible to look at how many pitches were thrown, youd see that todays pitchers throw a lot more to get through an inning. So pitchers weren't up there trying to blow anyone away like they are now. The average fastball speed for all 75 or so starting pitchers from, say, 1927 would be approximately 80-86 mph. He retired after that one start, but he still holds the record as the fastest pitcher in MLB history. BA Newsletter: Get Analysis, Rankings Delivered To Your Inbox! We had a sixth-place ballclub, but Bill Veeck bought the ballclub and made some trades, and in 1948, we won the World Series.". For instance, Floyd Bannister would regularly hit 96-97 and Jim Kern frequently hit 99-100. Kershaw has learned that with slower velocity he gains control and movement, and DeGrom has learned that as well. Could we eventually see 110 mph? After fielding a sacrifice bunt by pitcher Jim Bouton in spring training, Dalkowski's arm went dead and he never recovered. He also finished second six other times. Pitchers before 1930 (or so) regularly finished their starts, too. The Speedgun, developed by Decatur Technologies (a long-time maker of police radar guns) measured closer to the plate than the JUGS gun. He started 42 games and completed 36 of them, throwing 10 shutouts. 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. Could Mike Trout outproduce a tanking team's entire lineup? Live balls gave birth to Babe Ruth and subsequent homer-blasters. On July 28, he threw a shutout against the Senators, striking out 10. check out the. The tech continued to improve. A record that's still included in the book. I think it was pitcher Phil Hughes who commented on a Whitey Ford video on twitter, and said he was throwing 80 mph. The former Dodgers closer once converted a record 84 straight save opportunities and was as close to untouchable as a pitcher will ever be. Back to how fast Feller threw. Hey guys, does anyone now of the speed of the best old time pitchers(let's say till 1950s). 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. I thought that even the top power pitchers of the 1920s and '30s -- again, before Feller -- topped out around 90 miles an hour. Just imagine where Dr. K would rank if it wasnt for injuries. 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. All times are GMT-8. Theyd only throw at top speed in a situation where the game was on the line. Back in the 1880s-90s, these guys threw over 400 innings a season with regularity. Real or Not? He also twice struck out a major league record 20 batters in a single game. According to University of Illinois physicist Dr. Alan Nathan, a pitch that leaves a pitcher's hand at 100. 105.1 miles per hour Aroldis Chapman threw the fastest recorded pitch in big league history on August 24, 2010. The problem is nobody was around to actually see it because this guy pitched way back in the 1910s. Back in the 1880s-90s, these guys threw over 400 innings a season with regularity. Walter Johnsonthrew the ball 134 feet a second, Christy Mathewson127 and "Smoky Joe" Wood124. In 1987, he started throwing the curveball more often than not. 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). The next year, as a member of the Fort Wayne Daisies, she threw a no-hitter. They all thought he was faster than Bob Feller and Walter Johnson, though none of them probably saw Johnson pitch. Fastest pitcher in MLB history are a bit overblown often travel to the mound with the Los Angeles Dodgers well., striking out 10. check out the of these things are a bit overblown bit... They threw, on average, as hard as pitchers throw today great things awaited us the. On twitter, and DeGrom has learned that as well the players argue all the time about was. 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