What's the fastest pitch ever recorded?
Aroldis Chapman's 105. 8 mph fastball is the fastest pitch recorded in baseball history. On that same day, Chapman threw a 105.4 mph pitch, the third-fastest pitch ever.
Aroldis Chapman's 105. 8 mph fastball is the fastest pitch recorded in baseball history. On that same day, Chapman threw a 105.4 mph pitch, the third-fastest pitch ever.
Other MLB legends are said to have thrown faster pitches than Chapman's, but with older, less reliable technology, it can be difficult to confirm the speed of a historic pitch. Thus, tales of Nolan Ryan's 108.1 mph fastball in 1974 or Bob Feller's 107.6 mph pitch in 1946 remain unofficial.
Chapman hits 103.8 mph as Royals' bullpen protects thin lead
The 103.8 mph fastball from Royals reliever Aroldis Chapman was the fastest pitch in Royals history and matched Jordan Hicks for the fastest pitch in MLB this year.
The year 1974 was a watershed year of sorts for how we have come to measure the speed of a pitch.
Babe Ruth's fastball was still recorded as 100 mph multiple times even though it was being thrown closer to the plate in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This may have helped him top out at 100.9 mph.
Polanco on his go-ahead double
Duran said he works with his personal trainer every day with a focus on his flexibility and strength to stay healthy and, somehow, add even more velocity after he topped out at 103.8 mph last season. He thinks he's got 105 mph in the tank, too.
Babe Ruth was said to have hit a home run over 600 feet.
Pitching style
Clemens was a prototypical power pitcher with an aggressive edge, especially early in his career. Clemens was said to throw "two pitches: a 98-mph fastball and a hard breaking ball. At 23, Clemens simply reared back and threw the ball past batters."
Koufax was an American baseball legend. He possessed a 100-mph fastball and what announcer Vin Scully called “a twelve-to-six curveball” that started at 12 o'clock then dropped to 6 o'clock. From 1963–1966, he had the best four-year span of any pitcher in baseball history.
How fast did Bob Gibson throw?
How fast was Bob Gibson's Fastball? Bob Gibson's 4-seam fastball “sat” between 92-95 mph in the sample I considered. It's likely he actively varied his grip or intended velocity, producing a high velocity range, measured at 87-95, with numerous indications that he regularly exceeded 95 mph.
1. Walter Johnson. Topping the list of the best MLB pitchers of all time is former Washington Senators great Walter Johnson. Walter Johnson, also known as 'The Big Train,' was a dominant force on the mound for more than a decade.
He struck out the Pittsburgh Pirates' Tucupita Marcano on three pitches in about 20 seconds at an exhibition game in Bradenton, Florida. (Watch the video below.) Pitching data analyst Codify called it the “the quickest strikeout in baseball history.”
1. Nolan Ryan - 108.1 mph. Nolan Ryan holds the number one spot for the fastest pitch thrown in MLB history.
Nolan Ryan hit 2 home runs during his career, 1 while playing at home, 1 while on the road.
A 100-mph fastball takes roughly 375-400 milliseconds to reach the plate. For reference, the blink of an eye takes 300-400 milliseconds.
He was a league leading centerfielder in four different seasons. Mantle, when batting left-handed was timed running from home-plate to first base in 3.1 seconds (the fastest time of any player in history), this is incredible feat.
1. Babe Ruth, 575 Feet (1921) Although there are multiple tales of Babe Ruth's hitting his mythical home run beyond 600 feet, no accurate measuring tools existed during his playing days.
On April 4, 1919, Babe Ruth hit the longest homer run ever recorded. In a spring training game against the New York Giants, the Babe hit pitcher George Smith's 3-1 fastball 587 feet from Plant Field's home plate.
The premier fastballer of the Babe Ruth era was Walter Johnson. They found a film where Johnson was demonstrating his fastball prowess and their calculations had him topping off at about 98 MPH.
How fast did Kyle Farnsworth pitch?
Rivera primarily threw a sharp-moving, mid-90s mile-per-hour cut fastball that frequently broke hitters' bats and earned a reputation as one of the league's toughest pitches to hit.
In 1987, Joey Meyer, playing for the Triple-A Denver Zephyrs, launched this ball astonishing 582 feet home run. Joey Meyer's home run is the longest homer ever recorded on video. Meyer made it to the Majors next year with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Longest home run ever hit
On June 2, 1987, the Denver Zephyrs hosted the Buffalo Bisons at Mile High Stadium. Aided by the thin air, much like baseballs hit out of Coors Field today, Joey Meyer launched a towering blasted that traveled an absurd 582 feet and is the longest homer ever caught on video.
Earl Weaver, who had years of exposure to both pitchers, said, "[Dalkowski] threw a lot faster than Ryan." The hardest throwers in baseball currently are recognized as Aroldis Chapman and Jordan Hicks, who have each been clocked with the fastest pitch speed on record at 105.1 mph (169 km/h).
Alan Embree is the last pitcher to record a win without throwing a pitch. He entered the game with two outs in the top of the 8th inning and promptly picked off Austin Kearns.
Duran's average fastball this season has rocketed from his hand to the catcher's mitt at 101.5 mph, the fastest in the big leagues, according to Baseball Savant. Hicks is second in the majors with an average heater of 100.8 mph. No other pitcher is averaging 100+ mph.
Jones' fastest fastball was 87 miles per hour.
In the prime of his career, Johnson's fastball was clocked as high as 102 mph (164 km/h), with a low three-quarters delivery (nearly sidearm). His signature pitch was a slider that broke down and away from left-handed hitters and down and in to right-handed hitters.
Louis righthander Jordan Hicks has thrown the most 100-mph pitches this year (110). Hicks hit 100 mph more times in April than the entire league did in April just five years ago (92 in 2018).
How fast did Jim Abbott throw?
Hall of Fame Membership
But even after Abbott captured the attention of both the nation and the world, Abbott had to prove himself every time he stepped onto the mound. Share this image: With a 93 mph fastball, his natural ability was undeniable.
Ryan was a right-handed pitcher who consistently threw pitches that were clocked above 100 miles per hour (161 km/h). He maintained this velocity throughout his pitching career. Ryan was also known to throw a devastating 12–6 curveball at exceptional velocity for a breaking ball.
In his earlier years, his fastball consistently approached 95 mph, but by the end of his career he was topping out around 85 to 90 mph. For his major-league career, Jim Abbott won 87 games and lost 108 with a 4.25 earned run average.
No pitcher has ever thrown more than one. The perfect game thrown by Don Larsen in game 5 of the 1956 World Series is the only postseason perfect game in major league history and one of only three postseason no-hitters.
| Rk | Player | W-L% |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roger Clemens | .658 |
| 2 | Greg Maddux | .610 |
| 3 | Randy Johnson | .646 |
| 4 | Bert Blyleven | .534 |
The pitcher who holds the record for the most no-hitters is Nolan Ryan, who threw seven in his 27-year career. His first two came exactly two months apart with the California Angels: the first on May 15, 1973, and the second on July 15. He had two more with the Angels on September 28, 1974, and June 1, 1975.
Kerry Wood tied Roger Clemens' major league record of 20 strikeouts in a nine-inning game on May 6, 1998. Sandy Koufax is one of six pitchers who have 18 strikeouts in a game to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Bob Feller was the first player to achieve 18 strikeouts in a game during the live-ball era.
Necciai is the only professional pitcher to record 27 strikeouts in a nine-inning game, and a ball from that 7-0 win over the Welch Miners – which Necciai donated to the Hall of Fame in 2001 – is on display in the Museum's One for the Books exhibit.
Nolan Ryan is the all time leader in career strikeouts.
The first pitcher to hit 100 MPH beyond a shadow of a doubt was Atlanta Braves pitcher Nolan Ryan. Ryan's pitch clocked in at 100.9 MPH, which gave him the title of having thrown the fastest pitch ever. In September 2010, Cincinnati Reds pitcher Aroldis Chapman threw a pitch that registered a speed of 106 MPH.
What was the fastest game in MLB history?
1. 1:39 – @ Chicago White Sox 2, Seattle Mariners 1 (April 16, 2005) As the list indicates, the fastest MLB games often occur when the home team is winning and the bottom of the ninth isn't necessary.
Brock Holt set the slowest pitch in Baseball History with 31 mph on 7th August 2022. Below is a list of the five slowest pitches by MLB players ever recorded.
The Mechanics of How to Throw a 100 mph Fastball
As the pitcher brings their arm forward, they extend their elbow and snap their wrist, releasing the ball with a flick of the fingers. This motion, known as "pronation," helps to create the spin on the ball that gives it its movement.
During a September 7, 1974 game against the Chicago White Sox at Anaheim Stadium, Ryan became the first Major League pitcher to have his pitch speed measured during a game. A primitive radar gun clocked a ninth-inning fastball at 100.8 miles per hour (162.2 km/h) when it was 10 feet (3.0 m) in front of home plate.
More and more pitchers are throwing triple-digit fastballs, with the fastest of them topping out at 105 miles per hour, but is possible to go even faster? WIRED examines why the 110-mph fastball is almost impossible.
Ben Joyce was fast and furious in his Major League Baseball debut on Monday for the Los Angeles Angels. The fireballing pitcher, who once threw a pitch at 105 mph at the University of Tennessee, unleashed his heat on the Chicago White Sox. “It felt awesome.
On Friday, August 26, 1988, the Texas Rangers hosted the Toronto Blue Jays in what turned out to be the hottest game in Major League Baseball (MLB) history. The game took place at Arlington Stadium, located between Dallas and Fort Worth, and was home for the Texas Rangers from 1972 until 1993.
1. Babe Ruth, 575 Feet (1921) Although there are multiple tales of Babe Ruth's hitting his mythical home run beyond 600 feet, no accurate measuring tools existed during his playing days.
On May 2, 1917, a game between the Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds reached the end of nine innings in a hitless scoreless tie, the only time in baseball history that neither team has had a hit in regulation. Both Hippo Vaughn of the Cubs and Fred Toney of the Reds continued pitching into the tenth inning.
Definition. A screwball is a breaking ball designed to move in the opposite direction of just about every other breaking pitch. It is one of the rarest pitches thrown in baseball, mostly because of the tax it can put on a pitcher's arm.
What is the hardest pitch to learn?
After the ball is thrown, a splitter is known to break down suddenly once reaching over the plate. This pitch was designed to make the batter swing early, therefore, inducing weak contact. A splitter is a difficult pitch to hit due to its abrupt change in motion and velocity.
Fastball. Fastball is undoubtedly the most difficult to hit in baseball. There are two types of fastballs- four-seam fastballs and two-sem ones. The four-seam fastball rotates backward, and there isn't much movement in the ball.
Velocity Myth #2: “I Throw 90”
Despite it being more common than ever, still, very few pitchers can do this. On the average Division-I baseball team, each team usually has 4-8 players capable of touching 90mph, though perhaps only 1 or 2 who can average it.
Human athletes can achieve throwing speeds close to 145 km/h (90 mph), far in excess of the maximal speed attainable by chimpanzees, at about 30 km/h (19 mph). This ability reflects the ability of the human shoulder muscles and tendons to store elasticity until it is needed to propel an object.
