But maybe its time to pay more attention to the guy who always played in Bob Fellers shadow. Often a starting pitcher will be removed from the . Pitching is a very important technique in the game of baseball. Originally Published: February 2003 on Baseball Almanac. The true speed of Fellers fastball is a subject of great debate. Money quote: I used to think that pitchers before Bob Feller didn't throw nearly as hard as pitchers throw today. As Ted Williams once said, "Three days before he pitched I would start thinking about Robert Feller, Bob Feller. They probably couldve done a lot harder throwing if they wanted to. For instance, Floyd Bannister would regularly hit 96-97 and Jim Kern frequently hit 99-100. It was estimated that Dalkowski's fastball at times reached 105 mph. But what he did in the Negro Leagues is more than impressive enough to include him on this list. 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. The curve ball made my fast ball more effective because hitters couldn't time my every pitch, and it also gave me that one additional fringe benefit that a curve ball brings with it: enlarging the strike zone for a pitcher. Source: Richmond (VA) Times Dispatch, June 6, 1939. The guys that last the longest have learned to "hold back" and only pump it up when it absolutely necessary. One such pitcher was Hal Newhouser of the Louisville Colonels. Its believed he could throw upwards of 100 mph. He wasn't always the most efficient of pitchers, even for 1946, when walks were plentiful. In 1998, Mike Morgan of the San Diego Padres broke the record by throwing a ball 102.1 miles per hour (164.7 km/h or 44.6 m/s). I would assume Ford threw in the mid-high 80s, topping out around 90. But just because the third strike often eluded Gibson, doesnt mean that the Hall of Famer didnt throw hard. 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, the art of pitching was in a transitory period. 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." "Rising velocity is just an evolution in the game . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Chapman is capable of hitting 105 repeatedly and may still be developing physically. 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. In 1946, he started the season with a three-hit, 10-strikeout shutout, kicking off what he called his greatest season. Gerrit Cole's approach bringing Cy Young results, Mookie Betts vs. Bryce Harper -- and other pressing baseball debates, Real or not? All Rights Reserved by Baseball Almanac, Inc.Hosted by Hosting 4 Less. 105.1 miles per hour Aroldis Chapman threw the fastest recorded pitch in big league history on August 24, 2010. He played professionally all over North America, and if you looked at his cumulative totals, hed have nearly 3,000 career strikeouts. Whoops! We had a sixth-place ballclub, but Bill Veeck bought the ballclub and made some trades, and in 1948, we won the World Series.". Even Lee Meadows, who pitched for the Chicago White Sox from 1939 to 1942, never reached 100 mph on a regular basis. The most widely quoted response is Nolan Ryan, whose fastball was "officially" clocked by the Guinness Book of World Records at 100.9 miles per hour in a game played on August 20, 1974, versus the Detroit Tigers. Whichever is accurate, Feller absolutely dominated hitters during his time. Somebody got the idea to test Feller's velocity. The pitcher wants to keep the pitch count low because of his stamina. Hes actually more or less the same pitcher as Juan Marichal, and. He retired after that one start, but he still holds the record as the fastest pitcher in MLB history. So how fast was Feller? This is the main reason. Could Mike Trout outproduce a tanking team's entire lineup? For scouts, the Speedgun was known as the slow gun while the JUGS gun registered faster readings and was the fast gun.. Overall, Ryan went 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA in three games back from surgery on his right shoulder. In 1940, the Hall of Fame right-hander threw the only Opening Day no-hitter in MLB history. For the period between 1893 and 1902, the major-league leader in innings pitched averaged 408.5 innings. 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. A varied assortment of men followed. He went after hitters and didnt give them an inch of room at the plate. Going through Feller's game logs produces more fascinating numbers. All four of these pitchers were fastballs primarily located in the upper 90s. When you have a good curve ball, it makes your strike zone larger because the hitters swing at pitches that are outside. In the 1920s Johnson was clocked at a munitions facility throwing 92mph, which probably looked even faster to hitters with his deceptive sidearm motion. Over the course of the past decade, Chapmans fastest fastball had gotten faster by nearly a mile per hour. Matt Anderson, has thrown the fastest pitched baseball which measured 103 miles per hour (166 km/h or 46.0 m/s). Williams swore he never saw the ball and claimed that Dalkowski probably was the fastest pitcher who ever lived. Let's start with this date in history. If hed been relieved a little more, maybe he would have lasted longer. First Miss Cappy Ogiun, a visitor from Orlando, Fla., tried her speed yesterday. 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. Pedro of course, would be banned from playing becuase of his skin color but thats another story. Except nobody told Feller about the plan. Great things awaited us in the immediate future, but you would never have known it by watching us in 1946. The most incredible part of Wagners story? On the other hand, it's also possible that Feller didn't throw as hard in 1946 as he did in 1938 or 1939. Where what happened yesterday is being preserved today. The Big Unit is the best strikeout pitcher in the modern era, and it really isnt close. 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. 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. Their speeds were shown by a gravity drop interval recorder. The Fastest Pitcher in Baseball by Baseball Almanac 2003-2007. He struck out at least 10 batters 12 times, which sounds even more impressive when you realize all other major league starters combined to do that just 20 times (nine of those by Hal Newhouser). (Yes, nitpickers, Im aware that John Wheeler ghosted Mattys book.). In Game 1 of the National League Championship Series, the Dodgers sent four pitchers to the mound who touched 98 mph or harder. Johnson was capable of throwing 99, but how often did he need to throw that hard? His 2,453 career strikeouts are just 34th all-time, but his 8.86 SO/9 IP are ninth. His 4,875 strikeouts rank second all time, and his 10.6 SO/9 IP is first all time by a healthy margin. The next year, as a member of the Fort Wayne Daisies, she threw a no-hitter. Joe Wood 15. Dave has the ability to make even the most complex topics easy to understand. check out the. 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! The former Dodgers closer once converted a record 84 straight save opportunities and was as close to untouchable as a pitcher will ever be. 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. McDowell, otherwise known as Sudden Sam, is another one of the pitchers youve probably never heard of unless you grew up as a Cleveland Indians fan during the 1960s and 1970s. And no one threw sliders like they do today. How fast do you have to throw a curveball. Despite over 3,000 career punchouts Gibson finished his career averaging just 7.3 SO/9 and only led the league in strikeouts once. 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. The top speed is 90 miles per hour. ", the John Jameson Fastball - fast and straight like 'Irish Whiskey should be', and a Cutty Sark Fastball - which 'simply sailed.'. A man of about 60 years old did a foot for each of his years. Bob Feller was measured at 98.6 MPH. Red Sox bullpen's tightrope act will wear thin, Real or not? Cleveland men who developed the speed meter said the only comparable scientific marks were made in 1917. Hes a lock to reach 3,000 if he stays healthy, and at 28 years old, he may just be getting better. That sounds plausible, but he was averaging 6.6 K's per nine before that game, well below his 1946 figure. The bullpen was for youngsters, oldsters and bushers. 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). pitchers) finished what they started. This page was generated at 04:50 PM. I woudl suggest that it is in fact simply that they let the pitchers pitch so much back then. - Ford Frick, "Smokey Joe (Williams) could throw harder than all of them." President Alvin Bradley of the Cleveland Indians agreed and Rex D. McDill, Cleveland electronics engineer, built the machine. Pitchers back then (deadball era) were expected to throw complete games and had to pace themselves. Fans, researchers, historians and even the players argue all the time about who was the fastest pitcher of all-time. Privacy Policy. 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. Despite his failure, he has been described as the fastest pitcher ever. During his Cy Young season in 2003, Gagne struck out 137 batters in 82.1 innings for a SO/9 ratio of 15.0. Other fast pitchers have included Carl Hubbell, Jack Quinn, and Roy Halladay. Then there is no pitcher among the top 100 until 1964. Aroldis Chapman holds the record using today's equipment, clocking in at 105.1 mph. **For the best user experience, we recommend disabling the Reddit redesign. are especially hard on the arm. Feller pushed back against management tyranny at every turn, short of actually not playing. 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. His rate did decline even more the rest of that season, however. Document Creator: Sean Holtz of Baseball Almanac, Inc. 2003-2005. Then Stalker came out with its Pro Sports radar gun in the early 1990s. Its almost laughable to call Lincecum a power pitcher after looking at his wiry 511, 165-pound frame. Yeah pitching is about speed and arm and shoulder flexibility. Up until that year the pitcher's position was known as the pitcher's box. Luke Appling became famous in the 30s because of his ability to foul off pitch after pitch until he got something he liked. Powered by Discourse, best viewed with JavaScript enabled. This is a cool article. Freddy Peralta thrills family with dazzling debut, Real or Not? These questions, and others like it, are some of the most commonly asked items here on Baseball Almanac. 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. A lot of pitchers blew out their arms back then, tooyou just never hear of them because they had short careers. Hes already among the all-time leaders with 215 saves and has nearly 500 strikeouts in just seven short seasons. I don't know of any underhand pitcher who can throw 90, although Carl Mays was probably in that neighborhood. 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. 10 More answers below Mike Burch Poet, Editor and Publisher Author has 11.6K answers and 25.2M answer views Oct 28 Related The machine, called the "Lumiline Chronograph," used photoelectric cells to clock the object that passed through the device's opening. 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? Giving a mediocre pitch to a mediocre hitter was acceptable strategy. One such account allegedly took place during a Spring Training game in 1968. 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. 14. He didn't even have the highest strikeout rate in the league in 1946; that belonged to Newhouser, who struck out 8.46 batters per nine innings compared to Feller's 8.44. CLEVELAND (AP) - Three Boston Red Sox threw a baseball 122 feet a second into a new photo-electric pitching meter yesterday. Source: The Cultural Encyclopedia of Baseball, 1997. They had to figure out a new and "cleaner" way of pitching. 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. He struck out 276 batters in 218 innings as arookiein 1984 and then came back the next season to win the Cy Young award by striking out 268 batters in 276.2 innings. . His 10.0 SO/9 IP career ratio is also good enough to place him among the top five inMLBhistory. The record has since been broken several times. Baseball owed much of its origin to cricket, and one of the game's first codified sets of rules -- the Knickerbocker rules, drafted in 1845 for New York's Knickerbocker baseball club -- speak to those roots: "The ball must be pitched, not thrown, for the bat." "Pitched", in the . 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.". All times are GMT-8. In addition, teams had only 40 fouls to play per game back then. b) Travel pervaded the season more in those days pitchers got a lot of rest while sitting around on trains. The best throw was 86 feet a second, the second best 84. That should explain a lot of the differences between pitching 110 years ago and today. But The Freak is a monster when it comes to pitching. 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."