World record pitch speed?
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.
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.
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.
Ruth was an extremely skilled pitcher, throwing the ball at a speed of over 100 miles per hour. He was even faster when he batted, swinging the bat so fast that it looked like a blur on TV. In 1934, Ruth set single-season home run records and became one of baseball's most legendary players.
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.
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.
Big league pitchers have heard the phrase “Throw him the heat!” perhaps more than any other phrase. Baseball fans have long had an infatuation with the game's signature pitch, the fastball.
A 95-mph fastball is traveling about 139 feet-per-second. That means it takes about 0.425 seconds to reach the plate. That's less than half a second for hand-eye coordination to do its thing and make a connection.
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). And yet, batters hit . 333 against his triple-digit fastballs.
How fast does a 100 mph fastball reach home plate?
A 100-mph fastball takes roughly 375-400 milliseconds to reach the plate. For reference, the blink of an eye takes 300-400 milliseconds.
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."
Nolan Ryan hit 2 home runs during his career, 1 while playing at home, 1 while on the road.
Babe Ruth was said to have hit a home run over 600 feet.
The sweeper for the Trout strikeout immediately followed the most electric fastball Ohtani has ever thrown as a major leaguer: a four-seamer clocked at 101.6 mph with a spin rate of 2,581 rpm.
No major league player has ever thrown two perfect games, although Jean Faut of the AAGPBL accomplished the feat with perfect games in 1951 and 1953.
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.
Meet Ryan Helsley, the 27-year-old Cardinals right-hander who not only has thrown MLB's fastest pitch this season -- 103.1 mph! -- but also sports these stats (entering Thursday's games): eight appearances, 10 innings pitched, one single solitary hit allowed, zero walks and 20 strikeouts.
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.
Did Koufax throw 100 mph?
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.
11 And 12-Year-Olds
The average fastball is between 50-60 mph. Although at this age the players may begin to reach puberty, and for that reason, it is not unusual to see a pitcher throwing around 70 mph. The changeup velocity at this age is generally between 40-50 mph.
What is the fastest pitch ever thrown? Aroldis Chapman officially holds the Guinness World Record for fastest baseball pitch with a 105.8 mph fastball. On Sept. 24, 2010, the Cincinnati Reds' pitcher set the record with a high-velocity pitch against the San Diego Padres.
Taking the mound for the Angels on June 14, 1974, the future Hall of Famer struck out 19 Red Sox hitters over 13 innings in the California Angels' 4-3, 15-inning victory at the Big A. But the most eye-popping stat from Ryan's outing might be his pitch count: 235, according to accounts from the game.
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.
We have had many mid 90MPH pitchers (injury free to boot) as well as some whom have touched 99+MPH. Some of these athletes have gained upwards of 50lbs of very clean weight (still viable abs) in less than a year. Everyone is different based on genetics, work ethic, movement capabilities, diet etc.
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.
Some Hitting Facts:
80 mph = Approx. 0.50 sec.
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.”
On March 24, 2001, pitcher Randy Johnson hit a bird with a pitch during the seventh inning of a spring-training game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants. The dove exploded instantly after being hit with the 90-plus mph pitch.
Has a pitcher ever won a game without throwing a pitch?
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.
The number of pitchers who can break the 100 MPH has gone up dramatically in the last decade, with one who can throw 105. But breaking 110 MPH is nearly impossible, due to the physical limitations of human bones, muscles, and ligaments.
1. Brock Holt - 31 mph. Brock Holt slowest pitch is ranked at number 1. Holt played as a second baseman, third baseman, and outfielder in his career.
The ball has a cork-and-rubber core, around which yarn is tightly wrapped; the cover consists of two snugly fitted pieces of white leather sewn together. The circumference is 9 to 9.25 inches (23 to 23.5 cm) and the weight between 5 and 5.25 ounces (142 and…
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.
May routinely hit 100 mph on the radar gun and picked up his first win of the year.
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.
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.
Mark McGwire, STL, 1998 (70 homers): Roger Maris' single-season record of 61 homers had stood since 1961, when he broke Ruth's 1927 record of 60. But that record was no match for McGwire in 1998, who hit 70 home runs to set a single-season record.
Maris' mark was broken 37 years later by both Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa during the 1998 home run record chase, with McGwire ultimately setting a new record of 70. Barry Bonds, who also has the most career home runs, then broke that mark, setting the current single season record of 73 in 2001.
How far was Babe Ruth's farthest home run?
Babe Ruth, 575 Feet (1921)
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.
Playing for a minor league team called the Minnesota Millers back in 1900, Andy Oyler hit the shortest home run in the history of the entire world. The home run traveled only 24 inches—that's right, two feet! On a rainy day in Minnesota, Oyler made solid contact and took off to first base.
Shohei Ohtani's 493-foot blast is longest home run of career: 'It was loud'
Its main movement is side-to-side, and it doesn't plunge downward like the normal slider or curveball. Ohtani's sweeper is considered one of the best in today's game, with a good one producing around 20 inches of horizontal movement.
At high speeds, the airstream friction against this rotating turbulence is less than it would be against the actual surface of the ball. There is a drastic overall decrease in drag, making it possible for a major league "flame-thrower" to hurl the ball at speeds of 90 to 100 miles an hour.
On April 23, 1964, Ken Johnson of the Houston Colt . 45s became the first pitcher to throw a nine-inning no-hitter and lose. In fact, he is still the only individual to throw an official (nine-inning) no-hitter and lose.
A no-hitter is a rare accomplishment for a pitcher or pitching staff—only 319 have been thrown in MLB history since 1876, an average of about two per year.
If someone told you that a team recorded no hits in a baseball game, you would probably -- and reasonably -- assume that team lost said game. Well, on June 28, 2008, the Dodgers beat that Angels despite not recording a single hit in the game.
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.
How to throw 100 mph?
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.
A former marine with a crew cut and a right arm noticeably more muscular than his left, Feigner threw hard. His fastest pitch was clocked at 104 miles an hour. Feigner was born in Walla Walla, Wash., on March 26, 1925. He was abandoned as an infant and was named Myrle King by his adoptive parents.
The hardest pitch to hit in baseball is the splitter, followed closely by the slider. Hitting a baseball is extremely difficult for a variety of different reasons. Pitches vary in speed, movement, and breaking point.
Since under Rule 6.06(a) of the Official Baseball Rules, a batter is out for illegal action when he hits a ball with one or both feet on the ground entirely outside the batter's box, Williams could have been ruled out had it been spotted by the home plate umpire.
The eephus is one of the rarest pitches thrown in baseball, and it is known for its exceptionally low speed and ability to catch a hitter off guard. Typically, an eephus is thrown very high in the air, resembling the trajectory of a slow-pitch softball pitch.
The pitch was invented by Rip Sewell of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1940s. The name Eephus pitch comes from the Hebrew word efes, which means "nothing." Pirates manager Frankie Frisch claimed that the pitch was named by outfielder Maurice Van Robays.
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.
deGrom throws the fastest four-seamer of any starting pitcher in recorded history (99.3; minimum 200 pitches, since 2008) and the fastest breaking pitch of any pitcher in recorded history (93.0-mph slider).
The speed of pitches, the reaction time for hitters and fielders, and the distance of the field indicates that softball is indeed harder than baseball. In softball, a pitcher controls the ball with her fingertips on the seam, and she has the ability to cause the softball to change speeds dramati cally.
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.
What is the rarest pitch?
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.
The 12–6 curveball, unlike the normal curveball (also referred to as the "11 to 5 curve" or a "2 to 8 curve" for its motion), breaks in a downward motion in a straight line. This explains the name "12–6", because the break of the pitch refers to the ball breaking from the number 12 to the number 6 on a clock.
The first pitch that must be mastered is the four-seam fastball. This is usually the easiest pitch to throw for a strike. If released properly, four laces of the ball rotate through the air, helping to keep the throw in line with the target.
