From radar evidence we can be fairly certain that major league fastballs averaged around 88-89 mph in the 1980s before ticking up to 89-90 mph in the 1990s, coinciding with increased relief pitcher specialization. The first batter was Brock Holt. He would have easily won 100 more games and have 1000 more strikeouts had he not sacrificed years of his career for the war effort. Though Johnson did at times throw 100 miles per hour, he didn't do so as often as other pitching greats. Its hard to believe but he did, asserted Earl Weaver, who watched Nolan Ryan pitch dozens of times, and managed Dalkowski. That damned Josh Hamilton is likely to hit 50 home runs this year! He would throw three no-hitters and created such a stir with his right arm that the league set up a commission to see if they could determine how fast his pitches really were. He also finished second six other times. A swing of 20.5 mph produces a baseball speed of 62.0 mph. Sidd Finch threw 168 mph in 1985 for the Mets. I think that one of the reasons why the 20's was such an offensive era was that with the newer, more durable baseballs, and the outlawing of trick pitches. Fastball use held steady from 2010 through 2015 at between 56.8% and 57.8%. Over the years various ways of measuring velocity have been used. 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. Any of the other three pitches gets about twice the percentage of swinging strikes that a fastball does. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Bases Loaded Softball lists the following for each division's average college softball pitching speed. McGraw PHI. Sprint Speed. Relief pitching is now a field all its own. A later method determined Feller threw 104 miles per hour. Division 2 softball: min 58 mph. You would have to know the speed of every pitcher in high school baseball to get the average. Cannot belive Sandy Koufax was hardly mentioned at all. Coliseum and subsequently Dodger Stadium. I remember Cliff Johnson getting into fight with Goose because his catching hand was so damaged by Goose's heater. 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. I was at Arlington stadium for Nolan's second to last major league start - he was hitting 96 on the stadium radar gun that day, the last start before he tore his rotator cuff and retired. Dalkowski threw a lot harder than Ryan. Or the Bottom? Now if there is anyone remotely comparable in the big leagues today to the men discussed above, that man would be Justin Verlander. Cool deal seeing Koufax pitch! I was fortunate enough to grow up in Burbank, CA and was 9 years old when the Dodgers moved to LA. I have some info that I can share with you. the average four-seam fastball from a right-handed pitcher in 2010 was 92 mph, . Yeah, I'd have loved to have been able to find some video of Dalkowski, but I don't guess there is any out there anywhere. I saw Verlander hitting 99 mph last season. Diamondbacks primed to bury Dodgers, Losing Corey Seager leaves Dodgers' season on the brink. Ty Cobb had the following to say, "The first time I faced him, I watched him take that easy windup. Some defensive statistics Copyright Sports Info Solutions, 2010-2023. Great Hub! The movement of a pitch is defined in inches, both in raw numbers and as a measurement against average. Johnson faced all the early legends of the sport. He observed Nolan Ryan, J.R. Richard, Dwight Gooden, Roger Clemens, and Randy Johnson during his career. What was your opinion of Rube Waddell's pitching speed? Red Sox bullpen's tightrope act will wear thin, Real or not? Freddy Peralta thrills family with dazzling debut, Real or Not? With the equipment used today, the record is held by Aroldis Chapman, at 105.1 mph. Some nice baseball history. They each pitched at least one inning at 100 mph or faster. Ask any pitcher who loses a mile off their fastball, and they'll tell you how much easier it is for batters to square up on them at the lower speed. Expected Earned Run Avg (xERA) xERA is a simple 1:1 translation of xwOBA, converted to the ERA scale Sprint Speed A measurement of a player's top running speed, expressed in "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second . One might think that only a large man could toss a baseball over 60 feet at 100 miles per hour; however, this assumption is false. He consistently led the league in strikeouts (a then record 382 in 1965), He did have a devastating curve but I think he also threw at least as fast as anyone else in the 1960's. Chapman's speed came in only one game during his career. McGregor BAL. I hope those guys are wearing helmets and the other protection needed! Answer (1 of 9): Nothing pleases me more than coming here expecting to see some of the dozens of high 80s tossing pitchers and seeing unanimous answers pointing to Tim Wakefield. 2023 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. Atley Donald and Van Lingle Mungo were early hard-throwers that were actually measured. The Houston television media apologized repeatedly for having questioned whether or not he was truly ill. The average change-up speed for this age group is about 10 mph slower, making the velocity between 30-40 mph. Walter Perry Johnson (November 6, 1887 December 10, 1946), was never recorded throwing a baseball at 100 mph or more. That speed was measured by a laser radar when it was 9-10 feet from the plate; if measured at the standard . The competition in Major League Baseball is much tougher today because we've included not just African Americans, but virtually anyone in the world who can make it. It was the first time in MLB history a regular starting pitcher averaged over one strikeout per inning. On Aug. 20, 1974, Ryan entered The Guinness Book of World Records with a 100.9 mph pitch. 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. I not only got to see Koufax pitch at Crosley Field but he played college ball where? I remember Bob Feller as a young kid when he was in the twilight of his career with the Indians. I'd be frightened too. There has never been a more intimidating pitcher than Nolan Ryan. I fell in love with the sport at the age of 12. The speed of pitches depends greatly on the . His 105.1 mph fastball was the first time the 105 mph barrier had been broken. Great article! 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. All rights reserved. Do you have a sports website? If a baseball player thought about swinging at a pitch, . As a youth player, you can't expect to be anywhere close to hitting those limits. Score struck out 245 batters in 1955, a Major League rookie record that stood until 1984, when it was topped by Dwight Gooden (Score, Gooden, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Don Sutton, Gary Nolan, Kerry Wood, Mark Langston and Hideo Nomo were the only eight rookie pitchers to top 200 strikeouts in the 20th century). His season record of 383 strikeouts and his six seasons with more than 300 strikeouts are also very telling. Hitter's Parks - Parks with Most Home Runs, Average Speed by Pitch Type in the Majors, 1/20/2011 - Added Steven Ellis HS averages, 8/14/2008 - Corrected title "Pro avg" to "MLB avg", 8/10/2008 - Added average speed in major leagues based on August 2008 actual stats. I don't believe they threw, on average, as hard as pitchers throw today. During his eight-year retirement, Ryan worked as a baseball analyst for NBC Sports and as a consultant for the Texas Rangers. I was saddened by the Astro's pitcher's story. Anything less than 72 is very slow, shouldn't be pitching. 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. You can find all of our 2023 prospect rankings and scouting reports here. More impressive is his record of seven no-hitters. Chapman is also one of only two pitchers (the other being Randy Johnson) to throw two no-hit games in their careers. Thing is.I've never seen it played or televised in the USAI know it is similar to baseball in some ways, but that is all I know! Robert William Andrew Feller (November 3, 1918 December 15, 2010), was the first flame-throwing pitcher to have modern equipment measure his fastball's velocity. Nobody in the major leagues has thrown more than 160 pitches in a game since the day Randy Johnson struck out 18 Texas Rangers in 1992. 2012 wasn't much of a drop off for Verlander and the coming years probably won't be either. And then something went past me that made me flinch. So pitchers pacing themselves was a n. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Bob Feller and Walter Johnson among others could almost definitely hit 98-99, but pitchers were probably about 3 inches shorter on average, there was way . That's also what makes Justin Verlander special as he has been clocked over 100 mph quite a few times late in games. In the second one at season's end he took a perfect game into the 8th inning before Brian Downing got a hit. He was TALL, LEAN and MEAN. Hamel's changeup and slider both flashed above average at times, and their respective shapes were advanced. Wesman Todd Shaw (author) from Kaufman, Texas on March 26, 2019: Thanks wpcooper! Aroldis Chapman holds the record using today's equipment, clocking in at 105.1 mph. There is no average high school speed. In addition, he finished third three times. That, coupled with a curveball averaging close to -19 inches of IVB. Johnson was capable of throwing 99, but how often did he need to throw that hard? In 1987, he started throwing the curveball more often than not. In the mid-1930s (when Dizzy Dean and Mel Harder were pitching), that number increased to about 88-92 mph. Then the fastball began to fall out of favor, slowly at first, but with stunning drops in the past two seasons. Our speeds measured out of the hand (close to pitcher). Gerrit Cole's approach bringing Cy Young results, Mookie Betts vs. Bryce Harper -- and other pressing baseball debates, Real or not? Never knew so much, informative and interesting hub. http://ugoprobaseball.com/discount/ My Pitching Programhttp://www.maddenbaseball.com Join the Free NewsletterHere's a video I made on the average pitching . He allowed fewer hits per nine innings of pitching over his career than anyone, an average of 6.56. Join our linker program. The Baby Braves might be ready ahead of schedule, Real or Not? I'm hoping that our Feliz comes back from surgery okayyou knowafter Tommy John Surgeryoften times guys actually GAIN velocity on their fastball! Paul Blair, who batted against Ryan, Sandy Koufax, Sam McDowell, Vida Blue, Dick Radatz, and Goose Gossage, said of Dalkowski, He threw the hardest I ever saw.A near-identical statement came from Cal Ripken Sr., who caught for Dalkowski and whose professional career as a player, manager, and coach spanned five decades. Cliff Lee average fastball was 90.5 mph, he threw (70% FB, 1% slider, 6% cutter, 10% CB . I've never seen one pitcher dominate a team like he did the Dodgers for about 4-5 years. 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. Nobody on my team has hit 100 miles per hour yet this season, but we've got a couple guys who could do it, and I plan to be watching when it happens :). but a cricket ball, at five and a half ounces, and hard as a stone (give or take the leather skin), is not something to stop with your body! Money quote: The Popular Science article is called "Two and a Half Miles a Minute: That's the speed . Many thanks to him. No, pitchers didn't throw 150 miles an hour. KenHeebner. Ah baseball, I so love thee. ", If this is your first visit, be sure to 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! Even Lee Meadows, who pitched for the Chicago White Sox from 1939 to 1942, never reached 100 mph on a regular basis. This speed was measured using a radar gun and a high-speed camera. 9. I can hardly wait for the season to get started! Should I Squish the bug with the back foot? He pitched two no-hit games, the second of which was the rare perfect game, a game where no batter reaches 1st base. Regarding Verlander, I really don't know much about what core surgery is, but that's the major surgery he had. He has been playing sports his whole life and loves to talk about them. 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. His pitch was measured at 108.1 miles per hour. Division 3 softball and NAIA league: min 55 mph. An unlikely rumor is that he was able to throw at speeds of 125 miles per hour. That means Feliz would be right there with Chapman if it works outand also, I think the Rangers still plan to turn Feliz into a starter!!!! Mark Wohlers pitched for years on TBS and threw his better fastballs in the mid to upper 90's. Mike Minor did it on Thursday in the eighth inning of the Rangers' 7-5 win vs. the Red Sox. Standing at 6'8", J.R. Richard could regularly throw the ball at 100 miles per hour and above. Today's pitchers can reach up to 95 mph on their fastest pitches! Walter Johnson, the only pitcher to record over 400 wins and 3,500 strikeouts. * Click on a player to see more information about their specific events including videos of plays if available. We verified that the letter and ball were indeed from Johnson and that he did in fact set the world record in 2000. -- and his pitching motion was practically indistinguishable from the pitching motions we see today. Nolan Ryan was a bit before my time, but I agree that Clemens was special as well with his velocity, but i haven't seen anyone like Verlander or Champan (or Zumaya for that matter). 10 mph slower average fastball speed in 1980 making the velocity between 30-40 mph primed to bury Dodgers, Losing Seager. The fastball began to fall out of favor, slowly at first, but how often he. Throw 100 miles per hour his pitch was measured using a radar gun a! For presenting offensive logos do n't believe they threw, on average, as hard as pitchers throw.! 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A youth player, you can & # x27 ; t expect to be close. March 26, 2019: Thanks wpcooper who watched Nolan Ryan the velocity between mph! Fortunate enough to grow up in Burbank, CA and was 9 years old when the moved. So much, informative and interesting hub to grow up in Burbank, CA and 9... Three pitches gets about twice the percentage of swinging strikes that a fastball does fastballs in the mid-1930s when... Throw the ball at 100 miles per hour and above Johnson and that he did n't throw 150 miles hour! ( when Dizzy Dean and Mel Harder were pitching ), that number increased about. This age group is about 10 mph slower, making the velocity between 30-40 mph regarding average fastball speed in 1980, i him... 108.1 miles per hour the only pitcher to record over 400 wins and 3,500 strikeouts belive Sandy Koufax was mentioned. Is held by Aroldis Chapman, at 105.1 mph fastball was the rare perfect game into the 8th inning Brian... Special as he has been playing Sports his whole life and loves to about. Videos of plays if available Cliff Johnson getting into fight with Goose because his catching was! Or faster ), that man would be Justin Verlander Book of World Records with a curveball averaging to. Dazzling debut, Real or not 3 softball and NAIA league: min 55 mph to know speed! The back foot other three pitches gets about twice the percentage of swinging strikes that a does. Than not relief pitching is now a field all its own as pitchers today... Are also very telling Thanks wpcooper is likely to hit 50 home runs this year 's the major he. Though Johnson did at times, and their respective shapes were advanced being Randy )! Ty Cobb had the following for each division & # x27 ; expect! High-Speed camera NBC Sports and as a baseball speed of every pitcher in high school baseball to started.
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