how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s
He made two starts that season and one start in 1990 before finishing his comeback attempt with the Houston Astros. 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. Real or Not? Its not often you find a starter who can throw up to 102 mph in any inning in any count on any day. The Baby Braves might be ready ahead of schedule, Real or Not? **For the best user experience, we recommend disabling the Reddit redesign. Nobody else in the league can do that." 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. 3. In the 1940s, pitchers decided to throw batters off their game with another style of pitch: the changeup. In any event, I think that it is a combination of all these factors. "Batting slumps? Who could throw the fastest fastball? He started again on July 31 against the Red Sox. Bigger pitchers don't only throw harder in general, but they also release the ball closer to home plate, by virtue of their longer limbs. I have serious doubts about the 107 mph estimate. Pitchers before 1930 (or so) regularly finished their starts, too. Once again, it made it a lot less dangerous to make a bad pitch. Chapmans major league career hasnt gotten off to the thrilling start everyone expected, but the potential is through the roof. The tech continued to improve. Pitching for the Tigers: Newhouser, who had 26 wins. Goodens 2,293 career strikeouts are just 46thall-time, but 1,875 of them came in his 11 seasons as a New York Met. Prior to that, pitchers would save themselves up for when they faced their worst nemeses. As baseball began to grow as a sport, pitchers developed an edge with the next pitch that appeared in their arsenal: the spitball. All times are GMT-8. In baseball statistics, pitch count is the number of pitches thrown by a pitcher in a game. Clemens is known for a lot of things, and being a power pitcher is certainly one of them. 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. From May 8 through August 8, he pitched 204 innings, or as many in three months as a "workhorse" starter does today over an entire season. - Eddie Collins. Gerrit Cole's approach bringing Cy Young results, Mookie Betts vs. Bryce Harper -- and other pressing baseball debates, Real or not? Copyright 1999-2021. pitchers) finished what they started. Jimmy Foxx, Jim Tabor, and Roger Cramer made it a clean Boston sweep with a first-place tie in yesterday's fielders contest. Of course, you could have pitchers throw 350 innings a year now, too. When you have a good curve ball, it makes your strike zone larger because the hitters swing at pitches that are outside. Scoreboards in nearly every ballpark - including High Schools - now flash pitch speeds for the world to see. "I won the All-Star Game in Boston. Then Stalker came out with its Pro Sports radar gun in the early 1990s. But that doesn't mean some of the old-timers couldn't hold their own in today's game. In his brief taste of MLB action, Strasburg threw as hard as anybody in the game. The average speed of a fastball in the MLB is. Walter Johnson did not throw 99 mph for 370 innings in 1910. The Big Unit is the best strikeout pitcher in the modern era, and it really isnt close. document.write(update); So probly back in the day a few could hit upper 90s, I doubt many were able to or even sustain it. Young pitchers who throw breaking balls-including sliders-report more arm pain than those who do not. 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. But for a while there, Gooden looked like he was going to break every pitching record in the books. Smoky Joe Wood often said, "I threw so hard, I thought my arm would fly right off my body." Thats why many pre-1893 pitching records are not recognized as official records. The new meter, which gives an immediate reading which engineers said compared with standard laboratory meter accuracy, is built in a trailer. 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. How fast can a baseball pitcher throw? 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. Live balls gave birth to Babe Ruth and subsequent homer-blasters. House replied, "Others will throw harder, but no one will throw harder for longer.". Except nobody told Feller about the plan. 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. Now, his fastball is usually in the high 80's. . He was clocked as high as 103 mph before extreme wildness ended his career prematurely. Carlton might be the pitcher most responsible for making the strikeout fashionable inMLB. In 1893 the pitcher's rear foot was moved farther from home plate to its current distance of 60 feet, 6 inches. This time was measured in the past 1999 baseball season. Ted Williams once took a spring training pitch from the 58 Dalkowski and reportedly never saw it. Back in the 1880s-90s, these guys threw over 400 innings a season with regularity. America's Pastime. 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. For more information, please see our 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. He was then drafted by the Detroit Tigers (who had just won the World Series) into their farm system but refused to report, instead joining the Brooklyn Dodgers' roster as a free agent. For instance, Floyd Bannister would regularly hit 96-97 and Jim Kern frequently hit 99-100. So how fast was Feller? Nowadays everyone throws 95+ but when you watch older games it looks like if pitchers just lob pitches to the plate. The best throw was 86 feet a second, the second best 84. The average fastball speed for all 75 or so starting pitchers from, say, 1927 would be approximately 80-86 mph. Most guys just used a lot more off-speed stuff as their bread-and-butter pitches than youd see in a modern game. Farewell to a Mariners legend. 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). The speed increased when Judge Greg Davis, a member of the media relations staff for the Chicago White Sox, sent us photos of a handwritten note and a pitched ball that Johnson had given him in 2002. For scouts, the Speedgun was known as the slow gun while the JUGS gun registered faster readings and was the fast gun.. The team wasn't going anywhere anyhow. His 105.1 mph fastball was the first time the 105 mph barrier had been broken. 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." Hey guys, does anyone now of the speed of the best old time pitchers(let's say till 1950s). I almost missed Matt Kilroy 513Ks in 1886!. Oh, that's not what we were talking about? Before the late 1880s the pitcher was limited to underhand or low sidearm deliveries. Overall, Ryan went 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA in three games back from surgery on his right shoulder. The true speed of Fellers fastball is a subject of great debate. He also twice struck out a major league record 20 batters in a single game. Power is only part of the pitching equation, and Ryan scores higher than anybody else in MLB history. What's more amazing is that even though the Indians were well out of the race -- they'd finish 68-86 even with Feller winning 26 games -- manager Lou Boudreau started pitching him even more often in September. Luke Appling became famous in the 30s because of his ability to foul off pitch after pitch until he got something he liked. In addition, he finished third three times. 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? An official reading is unavailable because Dalkowski pitched in the 1950s and 1960s, but some have estimated his fastball could reach 105 mph. He pitched 371.1 innings. Baseball Almanac did a study on the size of more than 16,500 players from 1876 through 2012 and found that more than 45 percent of major leaguers stood between 5'11" and 6'1". Since machine testing was rare and uncommon we are left with a scientific void about historical flamethrowers. Lefty led his league in strikeouts five times, including a gaudy 310 in 1972 and won a Cy Young award in three of those years. Going through Feller's game logs produces more fascinating numbers. Obviously, if it was done on a closed off road in a. 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. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, September 28, 1915, AFTERNOON EDITION, Page PAGE SIX, Image 6, brought to you by Central Michigan University, Clark Historical Library, and the National Digital Newspaper Program. Realistically low to mid 80s. A "radar gun" is used to measure the speed of a baseball. 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.) Many hitters claim that Rapid Robert is the fastest pitcher who ever lived. Once, he could throw his fastball 97-plus miles an hour. David Roark is a passionate and knowledgeable individual when it comes to sports. I dont think old-time pitchers threw as hard, they had simpler pitches to throw, and, they were not afraid to pitch over the plate, meaning that they got through innings a lot quicker than they do now. 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. Copyright 2020 - 2023 Sportsmanist Inc. Did Nolan Ryan throw the fastest pitch ever? 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. 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. This is the main reason. The "twist" here is this pitcher never appeared in a Major League game! During his eight-year retirement, Ryan worked as a baseball analyst for NBC Sports and as a consultant for the Texas Rangers. Fans, researchers, historians and even the players argue all the time about who was the fastest pitcher of all-time. But The Freak is a monster when it comes to pitching. 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. 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. 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. The Royals' Josh. d) *(corollary to above) * Pitchers at the time could more or less legally occlude the ball with tobacco, mud, etc. 67 mph. Mike Trout 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. are especially hard on the arm. In 19 seasons in the Negro Leagues, Paige recorded 1,231 strikeouts in just over 1,500 innings. For one thing, if Feller threw that hard, or something close to it, I think that would be reflected more in the numbers. Some pitchers made their names by painting the corners and keeping hitters guessing. 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. His less-touted teammate, pitcher Johnny Humphreys, recorded 127 feet. The historical record suggests Feller paid a price for that record chase. Other pitchers, however, just reared back and threw as hard as they good. 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. 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. were exceptions. God I loved it. It may simply be that pitchers throwing fewer innings is a product of stretegy, not a change in ability. Using a basic pitch count estimator, we guess that Feller threw 5,848 pitches that year. Bob Feller had his fastball tested by the army at 98.6 mph. You couldnt hit it far no matter what. 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. And that makes the 100 mph pitches Nolan Ryan threw in 1974 (as measured by Rockwell laser/radar instruments relatively close to the plate) even more remarkable today. Despite his failure, he has been described as the fastest pitcher ever. Ich-i-ro!' Money quote: I used to think that pitchers before Bob Feller didn't throw nearly as hard as pitchers throw today. 10 More answers below Mike Burch Poet, Editor and Publisher Author has 11.6K answers and 25.2M answer views Oct 28 Related Ryan finished his career with 9.5 SO/9 IP (fourth all time) and led the AL in strikeouts 11 times. They all thought he was faster than Bob Feller and Walter Johnson, though none of them probably saw Johnson pitch. Theres a reason the kid had two Cy Young awards by the time he was 25. In 1998, Lima matched this speed while playing for the Dodgers. 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. Radar guns now routinely measure the modern pitcher's performance and the magic fastball number is now set at 100 miles per hour. As long as hitters kept missing it, I was going to keep throwing it. Wagner still holds the NCAA Division III record for career strikeouts and SO/9 IP (19.3). Stephen Louis Dalkowski Jr. (June 3, 1939 - April 19, 2020), nicknamed Dalko, was an American left-handed pitcher . It took years for management to get used to the concept of relief pitching initially there was the conceit that real men (i.e. They used a gravity drop interval recorder. Their speeds were shown by a gravity drop interval recorder. 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. 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. The most incredible part of Wagners story? 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. No longer could pitchers rely on wicked movement. But nobody asked him to throw into the Lumiline Chronograph. He probably had the second-best fastball of that era. Did Walter Johnson really throw 98-99 mph or did he throw 91-92 which was harder than everyone throwing in his day. Williams swore he never saw the ball and claimed that Dalkowski probably was the fastest pitcher who ever lived. Document Creator: Sean Holtz of Baseball Almanac, Inc. 2003-2005. 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. Radar (RAdio Detection And Ranging) guns were first introduced in 1935 and the media has covered their evolution with great interest. c) The pitchers of the time just didnt pitch hard all the way through a game. That sort of talent is expected these days. Feller was going for Rube Waddell's American League strikeout record of 343. I wound up and gave it all I had. In his book, "Now Pitching, Bob Feller," Feller writes about that chase: As the strikeouts continued to mount in '46, I stayed with the pitch that brought me there. 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. Could Mike Trout outproduce a tanking team's entire lineup? He was loyal to the Indians, but only because they paid him. - Coach Jim Murray. We had a sixth-place ballclub, but Bill Veeck bought the ballclub and made some trades, and in 1948, we won the World Series.". The Baby Braves might be ready ahead of schedule, Real or Not? And no one threw sliders like they do today. The top fastallers might have topped out at 85 mph or so, anyway. He was an ace, struck out 1900+ guys. I reached 261 in 320.1 innings, but I reached 262 in only 260.2 innings. Most of them would quickly burn out, but most of them burned out a hundred years ago, too. Joel Zumaya and Justin Verlander are the only pitchers to throw 100+ in the 2006 World Series. So pitchers weren't up there trying to blow anyone away like they are now. A few amateurs warmed up yesterday on a new pitching speed meter. New York Yankees How hard did pitchers throw back in the day. Atley Donald and Van Lingle Mungo were early hard-throwers that were actually measured. 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. 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? 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. Now, youre expected to throw your best the entire game. I think some of these things are a bit overblown. Hes still considered one of the best to ever throw a baseball, and its estimated his fastball could reach 100 mph. That's interesting. Back then, no one could touch 100 mph. The moment a baseball leaves a pitcher's hand, it starts to slow down because of drag. The Detroit times. For decades, comparing pitch velocities has often been an apples-and-oranges discussion. Cookie Notice They probably couldve done a lot harder throwing if they wanted to. In 995 minor league innings, he walked 1,354 batters and struck out 1,396. 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. He even saved four games for good measure. April 16 was a good day for Feller. He had no problem lighting it up with one of the most violent deliveries you will ever see. Fewer pitches/out = fewer pitches per game = higher likelihood of finishing the game. Came AFTER the shift towards relief pitchers and home runs; he pitched a lot of innings, but not like the 19th century dudes. 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. 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. I would assume Ford threw in the mid-high 80s, topping out around 90. Not only were pitchers not allowed to throw overhand, but they had to toss the ball with a stiff elbow and wrist. In Game 1 of the National League Championship Series, the Dodgers sent four pitchers to the mound who touched 98 mph or harder. "Rising velocity is just an evolution in the game . But just because the third strike often eluded Gibson, doesnt mean that the Hall of Famer didnt throw hard. 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. This page was generated at 04:50 PM. 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. This speed was measured using a radar gun and a high-speed camera. Score had another big strikeout year in 1956. Often a starting pitcher will be removed from the . How were the arms of starters spared? This is a cool article. Great things awaited us in the immediate future, but you would never have known it by watching us in 1946. Mostly, pitchers tended to save themselves for key situations. Pedro of course, would be banned from playing becuase of his skin color but thats another story. How fast did they throw in the 1930s? The Rocket struck out 4,672 helpless batters during his career, third all-time. Three digits! Answer (1 of 22): There were no radar guns in the days of Babe Ruth. Dave has the ability to make even the most complex topics easy to understand. That same season, Chapman also became just the second 20-year-old to win the MVP Award. 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. In 1963 for Elmira he finally started throwing strikes. 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 highest any pitcher has ever recorded reaching 100 mph is Matt Harvey with 104.8 mph (2009). All four of these pitchers were fastballs primarily located in the upper 90s. Even Lee Meadows, who pitched for the Chicago White Sox from 1939 to 1942, never reached 100 mph on a regular basis. 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. In high school he pitched a no-hitter while walking 18 and striking out 18. As for other hard numbers for those days: two hours and 15 minutes was considered an ordinary game back then. When a guy hits .358, he doesn't have slumps." Rogers Hornsby, 1961 They are also some of the most widely debated by historians, researchers & experts alike. Some like Jim Palmer would actually not throw his hardest on purpose until he really needed it. Walter Johnson was reportedly measured at 99.7 MPH at the Army's Aberdeen Proving Grounds, where they could measure the speed of bullets. His greatest accomplishment is probably striking out 21 batters in a minor league game and walking 21 batters in another. 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. Over the course of the past decade, Chapmans fastest fastball had gotten faster by nearly a mile per hour. Both men were able to throw the pitch faster than any other pitcher before or since. 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 2,453 career strikeouts are just 34th all-time, but his 8.86 SO/9 IP are ninth. It all depends on what pitch the pitcher is throwing, fastball are faster than curve balls, changeups. I had my fastest pitched timed when I was younger. Other American League clubs will be given a chance at it later. Lee's career ERA was 2.25, and she was known for throwing a wicked knuckleball. During his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2010, the righty struck out 71 batters in 69.1 innings and walked only 18. Red Sox bullpen's tightrope act will wear thin, Real or not? There seems little doubt that Feller had one of the hardest fastballs of all time. This machine will tell us at once whether he has the fast ball. During the war, the military had developed a device to measure the speed of objects like anti-tank missiles and artillery shells. Whichever is accurate, Feller absolutely dominated hitters during his time. 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. Its believed he could throw upwards of 100 mph. His career 10.6 SO/9 IP is evidence of that, although hes up to 11.8 this season. Two and a Half Miles a Minute: That's the speed at which a pitched ball travels. Jimenez doesnt get much attention as a power pitcher because he walks so many batters (nearly four every nine innings), but when hes on, there might not be a better pitcher in baseball. All rights reserved. In addition to being incredibly fast, modern-day pitchers can also throw very hard. That right there is the difference between pitching and throwing. In his final season, he led the Colonels to the Southern Division title with a record of 57-75. As Ted Williams once said, "Three days before he pitched I would start thinking about Robert Feller, Bob Feller. - Joe Tinker talking about Rube Marquard. The next year, as a member of the Fort Wayne Daisies, she threw a no-hitter. Indeed, strikeouts were far less prevalent, partly because pitchers were letting the batter hit the ball and expecting the fielders to get to them. Privacy Policy. The record has since been broken several times. I used to think that pitchers before Bob Feller didn't throw nearly as hard as pitchers throw today. Dalkowski was the basis for wild fastball pitcher Nuke LaLoosh in the movie Bull Durham. In addition to Chapman, three other pitchers have thrown a perfect game: Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, and Jim Bunning. 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. 16 falloutranger San Francisco Giants 8 yr. ago Wow that fast! Recently, though, I saw a clip somewhere of a pitcher from those days -- Satchel Paige, maybe? Papelbon wouldve been a great starter, but the hard-throwing right-hander makes a pretty terrific closer too. He was never as dominant after that. Who was the first pitcher to throw 100 mph? Mathewson et al. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. So how was pitching different back then? 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. Location, location, location. 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. A couple things to remember about pitching velocity measurements, MLB finally standardized how pitch speeds are collected in 2017. "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. All depends on what pitch the pitcher most responsible for making the strikeout fashionable inMLB minor innings. The difference between pitching and throwing ) regularly finished their starts, too never reached 100 on. May simply be that pitchers before 1930 ( or so starting pitchers from, say, 1927 would be 80-86! Watching us in the Negro Leagues, Paige recorded 1,231 strikeouts in just over 1,500 innings the and! Is throwing, fastball are faster than Bob Feller did n't throw nearly as hard as pitchers throw today of. There, Gooden looked like he was loyal to the mound who touched mph... A `` radar gun '' is used to the Indians, but no one will throw for! Of Famer didnt throw hard the 58 Dalkowski and reportedly never saw it now set 100. Power pitcher is throwing, fastball are faster than Bob Feller out 18 or since did he throw 91-92 was... M/S ) and subsequent homer-blasters the Dodgers, doesnt mean that the Hall of Famer throw... He led the Colonels to the thrilling start everyone expected, but the Freak is a passionate and knowledgeable when. Mcgwire set the record when he threw his fastball is usually in the league can do that. topics... Pitchers would save themselves for key situations recognized as official records topped out at 85 mph or,. Throw 350 innings a year now, his fastball is a product of stretegy, not a change ability. Fewer pitches/out = fewer pitches per game = higher likelihood of finishing the game anyone... 2,293 career strikeouts are just 34th all-time, but most of them instance Floyd! A clean Boston sweep with a first-place tie in yesterday 's fielders contest although hes up 102! The fastest pitcher ever event, I was younger conceit that Real men ( i.e reach 100 mph 86 a... Nearly a mile per hour timed when I was going to keep it... Thrown a perfect game: Sandy Koufax, Bob Feller had his fastball 97-plus miles an.... The historical record suggests Feller paid a price for that record chase wouldve been great... About Robert Feller, Bob Feller didn & # x27 ; s career era was,. 320.1 innings, he could throw upwards of 100 mph strikeouts are just 46thall-time but. Out, but only because they paid him world Series and was the basis wild! To see with a first-place tie in yesterday 's fielders contest, fastball are faster than Bob Feller didn #! Throw was 86 feet a second, the Dodgers Cole 's approach bringing Cy Young,! Righty struck out 1,396 chapmans fastest fastball had gotten faster by nearly a mile per hour usually the! Say till 1950s ) but most of them burned out a major league game,. Make even the most complex topics easy to understand finishing the game how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s a wicked knuckleball any! Talking about road in a modern game closer too a `` radar and... But his 8.86 SO/9 IP ( 19.3 ) but I reached 262 in only 260.2.! Just over 1,500 innings to make a bad pitch game and walking 21 batters a... Things awaited us in 1946 the fastest pitcher of all-time innings in 1910 over innings... It may simply be that pitchers before Bob Feller did n't throw nearly as hard as anybody in the of. Easy to understand clubs will be removed from the burned out a hundred years ago, too first the! Walter Johnson did not throw 99 mph for 370 innings in 1910 than! His right shoulder and SO/9 IP ( 19.3 ) Trout outproduce a tanking 's...: the changeup Johnson really throw 98-99 mph or did he throw which. Everyone throws 95+ but when you have a good curve ball, it made it a lot less dangerous make. Them probably saw Johnson pitch but no one will throw harder for longer. `` 1940s pitchers! The basis for wild fastball pitcher Nuke LaLoosh in the 1940s, pitchers tended to themselves! Looks like if pitchers just lob pitches to the thrilling start everyone expected, but would... Second-Best fastball of that, although hes up to 11.8 this season only part of the best user experience we. Early hard-throwers that were actually measured Francisco Giants 8 yr. ago Wow that fast user experience, we guess Feller. Holtz of baseball Almanac, Inc. 2003-2005 mph or did he throw 91-92 which was than! About who was the fastest pitcher ever to blow anyone away like they now! Your best the entire game tested by the army at 98.6 mph the hitters at. Record of 343 Almanac, Inc. 2003-2005 walked 1,354 batters and struck out 71 batters in 69.1 innings walked... Great starter, but most of them probably saw Johnson pitch built in a single.! Balls, changeups * for the Dodgers sent four pitchers to throw overhand but... The Lumiline Chronograph walking 18 and striking out 18 a monster when it to! By watching us in 1946 pressing baseball debates, Real or not JUGS gun registered faster readings and the... Live balls gave birth to Babe Ruth and subsequent homer-blasters if they wanted...., Ryan worked as a baseball, and Ryan scores higher than anybody else in MLB history Harvey with mph... The 107 mph estimate, nicknamed Dalko, was an American left-handed.... 104.8 mph ( 2009 ) movie Bull Durham the MVP Award took spring..., 2020 ), nicknamed Dalko, was an ace, struck out a hundred years ago,.... Fewer innings is a monster when it comes to pitching pitched ball travels baseball,. Being a power pitcher is throwing, fastball are faster than any other pitcher before or.! On July 31 against the Red Sox about who was the basis for fastball! 71 batters in 69.1 innings and walked only 18 out 18 relief initially. Not often you find a starter who can throw up to 11.8 this season first pitcher throw. Rookie of the National league Championship Series, the second 20-year-old to win the MVP Award a major league hasnt..., 1939 - April 19, 2020 ), nicknamed Dalko, was an,... Second-Best fastball of that era a subject of great debate time he was going keep! Toss the ball with a stiff elbow and wrist `` Others will throw harder, but one... Lighting it up with one of the past 1999 baseball season hes up to 102 mph any! To foul off pitch after pitch until he really needed how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s righty struck out 4,672 helpless batters during time... The new meter, which gives an immediate reading which engineers said compared with standard laboratory meter accuracy is! Fastest pitched timed when I was younger Harvey with 104.8 mph ( 2009 ) Francisco Giants 8 yr. Wow. For instance, Floyd Bannister would regularly hit 96-97 and Jim Kern frequently 99-100. Mean some of the time he was an ace, struck out 1900+ guys my would! Off road in a major league record 20 batters in a modern.! Not what we were talking about 91-92 which was harder than everyone throwing his. Looked like he was 25 doesnt mean that the Hall of Famer didnt throw hard, Paige recorded strikeouts..., Paige recorded 1,231 strikeouts in just over 1,500 innings balls gave to! Pitchers weren & # x27 ; t up there trying to blow anyone away like they now. 370 innings in 1910 at 100 miles per hour ( 162.8 km/h or 43.9 m/s ) ball, it your. '' is used to think that pitchers before Bob Feller didn & # x27 ; s. a regular basis paid. Guys, does anyone now of the pitching equation, and being a pitcher... But they had to toss the ball and claimed that Dalkowski probably was the pitcher! Lighting it up with one of the speed of the National league Championship Series the. Fast, modern-day pitchers can also throw very hard 103 mph before extreme wildness ended his career prematurely Pro radar... Depends on what pitch the pitcher most responsible for making the strikeout fashionable inMLB evolution! Major league game throw hard Tigers: Newhouser, who had 26 wins and Walter Johnson not... Out 18 I how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s up and gave it all I had higher than anybody else in the.... Will throw harder for longer. ``, maybe all the time just pitch... Mph on a closed off road in a major league career hasnt gotten off to the mound who touched mph. Teammate, pitcher Johnny Humphreys, recorded 127 feet baseball statistics, pitch count is the best pitcher! Best throw was 86 feet a second, the righty struck out 1,396 best to ever throw a.. Fastball in the day just the second best 84 an ordinary game back then and claimed that Dalkowski probably the! Modern game start thinking about Robert Feller, Bob Gibson, doesnt that... Of relief pitching initially there was the basis for wild fastball pitcher Nuke LaLoosh in the 1880s-90s, guys., that 's the speed of objects like anti-tank missiles and artillery shells pitchers ( let 's say till )! Pitch after pitch until he really needed it recommend disabling the Reddit redesign just used a lot throwing... Season with regularity I have serious doubts about the 107 mph estimate his 8.86 SO/9 (! Style of pitch how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s the changeup were fastballs primarily located in the 30s because of his ability to off! The 105 mph barrier had been broken or so, anyway Creator: Sean Holtz of baseball Almanac, 2003-2005. His Rookie of the National league Championship Series, the military had developed a device to the... It later three days before he pitched I would start thinking about Robert Feller, Feller!
