Both men were able to throw the pitch faster than any other pitcher before or since. With the equipment used today, the record is held by Aroldis Chapman, at 105.1 mph. I think I saw him against the Dodgers when he was with Houston early 80s. 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). In any case, this was a very rare feat, as most pitchers of that era weren't even close to throwing as fast as half their current speed. I fell in love with the sport at the age of 12. I'm hoping that our Feliz comes back from surgery okayyou knowafter Tommy John Surgeryoften times guys actually GAIN velocity on their fastball! Division 3 softball and NAIA league: min 55 mph. Mr Archer from Missouri on February 02, 2016: Ryan was, and still is, my favorite player. The man had as much skill and power as other greats such as Nolan Ryan. Back then, no one could touch 100 mph. 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. He up to 95 with the fastball, averaging 19.3 inches of IVB in 2021. 39 mph. Jennifer Halligan from NorCal on June 21, 2019: I enjoyed this and loved that you included players from the past as well as current. When a closer is brought into a game, they are generally brought in during the 9th inning. It's narrated by Kevin Costner and talks about all the great fastballers. The average change-up speed for this age group is about 10 mph slower, making the velocity between 30-40 mph. Percentage of fastballs thrown: 62%. 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 . In 2008 it was 91.8 mph. I do remember JR Richard. It's that simple. Christian Hunter Greene (born August 6, 1999), nicknamed "Surge", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). 2020. november 20.: letmdvltst sztnz komplex egszsgtancsads; 2020. november 23.: letmdvltst sztnz komplex egszsgtancsads Throwing that hard at that age is ridiculous. Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. (born January 31, 1947), nicknamed "The Ryan Express," is without a doubt the single most successful and notable power pitcher in the history of major league baseball. Using yesterday's equipment, Ryan would have been tied for first with Bob Feller (107.4 mph). What device? 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. He took a no-hitter into the 9th but Reggie Jackson got a hit with 1 out. Major League Baseball's average velocity is much more accurate and much easier to track down than other levels of baseball because every pitch thrown in a season is recorded by their Statcast system. Nithya Venkat from Dubai on March 02, 2013: An interesting read, great write. 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. Johnson's five Cy Young awards are second only to Roger Clemens in major league history. I enjoyed it very much. All rights reserved. Opponents batted .121 against Chapman in at-bats that ended with a fastball reaching 100 miles per hour . In 2015 Sonny Gray took one into the 8th but alas finished the game as a 2-hitter, which of course I was in attendance for (Braden's Perfect Game as well - but I am off topic as neither are 100 MPH pitchers) Anyway, thanks for the great read! Hamel's changeup and slider both flashed above average at times, and their respective shapes were advanced. All rights reserved. Chapman's speed came in only one game during his career. Make no mistake, though - in his prime of just two years, I have never seen a more intimidating fastball than that thrown by J.R. Richard. A pitcher throwing 75 mph is well above average for this age, and their fastball is at a high school caliber. Hope all is well. Two and a Half Miles a Minute: That's the speed at which a pitched ball travels. This is great stuff. On our first-year 12U team all three of our pitchers hit highs of 50 - 52, but most of their pitches are about 47 - 49. The average fastball speed for a 21-22 year old is between 88-92 mph. I hope those guys are wearing helmets and the other protection needed! The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Why do infielders throw the ball so fast? League Year-By-Year Pitching--Averages Table; Year Tms #P PAge R/G ERA G GF CG SHO tSho SV IP H R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF WHIP BAbip H9 HR9 BB9 SO9 SO/W E; 2022: 30: 871: 28.8: 4.28 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. Dave has the ability to make even the most complex topics easy to understand. Hahaha!! The thing just hissed with danger. I saw Ryan start many times and witnessed him pitching at age 46. And then something went past me that made me flinch. His final start at home was on Sept.12th. His statistics, however, indicate that his pitches very likely reached those speeds. Paul Richard Kuehn from Udorn City, Thailand on March 02, 2013: This is an awesome hub and I really enjoyed reading it. 44 mph. A 94 mph pitch on the Stalker Pro registered as 95 on the Stalker Pro II. average fastball speed in 1980. . Because the modern guns that came out at that time measured the speed at the release, not down toward home plate. I'm not sure the weight of a baseball? Why did he, all of a sudden, start throwing pitches 103? Much of the play-by-play, game results, and transaction information both shown and used to create certain data sets was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by RetroSheet. More impressive is his record of seven no-hitters. This page was generated at 05:58 AM. However, this seems to be the general range for most High School baseball players. Back then, no one could touch 100 mph. One other thing to remember. However, in as per the opinion of professional sports experts, a pitcher of 15 years has a speed of 70mph . He returned from the Second World War and played many more seasons, finishing his career with 266 wins and 2,581 strikeouts. Money quote: I used to think that pitchers before Bob Feller didn't throw nearly as hard as pitchers throw today. Wesman Todd Shaw (author) from Kaufman, Texas on May 30, 2014: jbennett3112 - same with Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, they seemed to often have more velocity at the end of games than the start. Wow that fast! 9. Sidd Finch threw 168 mph in 1985 for the Mets. Lori Gross from Nashville on August 17, 2016: Great article! The chart below is based off of MLB data showing the average pitching velocities based on age. Ah baseball, I so love thee. Wesman Todd Shaw (author) from Kaufman, Texas on June 11, 2019: Thanks very much! In his final season, he led the Colonels to the Southern Division title with a record of 57-75. However, as a black man, he surely did suffer some discrimination down in Houston, Texas, a town where he ought to have been more loved and appreciated for what he brought there. I have some info that I can share with you. Bases Loaded Softball lists the following for each division's average college softball pitching speed. I'm sure he could hit 100 any time he wanted to. Some expe. Even Lee Meadows, who pitched for the Chicago White Sox from 1939 to 1942, never reached 100 mph on a regular basis. It was against the Angels in Anaheim, CA. Question: Is there a list of the 100 MOH pitchers? KenHeebner. As a 12-year-old boy, Nolan Ryan was someone I'd already heard of, and he went on to become the biggest legend in all of baseball. Chapman is also one of only two pitchers (the other being Randy Johnson) to throw two no-hit games in their careers. He has always had excellent command of a slightly below average fastball and a slightly better than average collection of junk, but the command wavered at times this year leading to an unfortunate barrage of homeruns against him . average fastball speed in 1980. No one knows that. You are allowed to follow me too, if you wish. The next season, Newhouser went 11-10 with a 3.12 ERA in 29 games (all starts).if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'sportsmanist_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_1',118,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-sportsmanist_com-medrectangle-3-0'); Overall, Nolan Ryan holds the record, according to Doppler Radar. He'd face and often defeat the best hitters of his era. See there I go again. However, it wasn't long before J.R. would report to his staff that he wasn't feeling quite right. A possibly even more impressive accolade was when he became the first left-handed pitcher to ever strike out Wade Boggs three times in one game. Fastball Velocity by Age Looking at fastball velocity, we see more curvature to the aging curve than we saw with bat speed. Greatest pro athlete ever? An MVP for a year IS STILL AN MVP THAT YEAR.). What is Mitchell Starc's fastest ball speed? Josh Bennett from Illinois on May 31, 2014: He is special for sure. check out the. Are there measurements or estimations? I am also looking forward to the season getting underway. jbennett3112 - I started watching MLB in 1986. Go Rangers!! He also threw from a three-quarter position rather than straight over the topif you were you a left-handed hitter, every pitch would seem aimed at your head. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Mark Wohlers pitched for years on TBS and threw his better fastballs in the mid to upper 90's. McGregor BAL. ), Gonna follow you and I believe you'll enjoy my hubs, also (even though HubPages will award a POPULAR ACCOLADE and after a year not list it for some bizarre reason. 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. That's also what makes Justin Verlander special as he has been clocked over 100 mph quite a few times late in games. The movement of a pitch is defined in inches, both in raw numbers and as a measurement against average. But they only do it 20 times out of 30, because pitching at high speeds makes your arm tired fast. It is a longer recovery period for that than most. How fast does a Little League pitcher throw? Thus making this document worthy enough for display in our museum. The current world record holder is Randy Johnson with 104.0 mph. Voted up. 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 :). Scores from any date in Major League history, Minor, Foreign, College, & Black Baseball, Frequently Asked Questions about MLB and Baseball. Vellur - thanks very much! It was determined Feller's pitch traveled 98.6 miles per hour. His pitch was measured at 108.1 miles per hour. Fast Pitch Softball Speed. BetterthanJeter, 72-73 for a high school senior is lower than average. Ted had retired fairly young and was still likely able to compete at the major league level. Regarding Verlander, I really don't know much about what core surgery is, but that's the major surgery he had. This page includes pitch speed tests in 1912, 1913, 1917, 1930, 1933, 1939, 1940, 1946, 1954, 1958, 1960, and 1974, with pictures, articles, sources, etc. But Major League Baseball now registers that pitch as a 105.8 mph fastball. If the average is high, the temperature is high; if the average is low, the temperature is low. This beat a speed recorded by Mark Wohlers, who tossed one at 103 miles per hour. Unless, of course, you face Randy Johnson. 100-mph fastballs have been attributed to many pitchers. Richard and Johnson have both officially clocked in at over 100 miles per hour on numerous occasions. An average changeup for this age is somewhere around the 50-60 mph mark. 9. Yep! Part of the Baseball Almanac family: 755 Home Runs | Baseball Box Scores | Baseball Fever | Today in Baseball History. Nowadaysteams are terrified of their high dollar starting arms throwing many more than a hundred pitches. 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 won it over Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants. As speed is not among his talents, a move to 1st or DH is likely in the near future. And a tragic end. In 2007, Justin Verlander pitched a no-hitter and finished the season with 18 wins, winning the American League rookie of the year award. He was placed on the 21-day disabled list. Then, Gorkys Hernndez grounded out to the shortstop on the first pitch he saw. 25-26 year olds On average, the fastest fastball pitchers throw is around 95-99 miles per hour (mph). Some guns and devices (like radar balls and glove radar), while "accurate", measure speeds closer to the plate (which is slower). Now they have 60 due to expanded ballparks and/or alternate site games being played away from home. They were capable of launching pitches that batters never saw and only heard after it was too late. Feller demanded to see the front line. Enthralling! He observed Nolan Ryan, J.R. Richard, Dwight Gooden, Roger Clemens, and Randy Johnson during his career. But his fastball had movement. The average fastball speed for all 75 or so starting pitchers from, say, 1927 would be approximately 80-86 mph. With great years between 2009 and 2012, Verlander appears to be a mainstay ace. They are all, however, legends. 2012 wasn't much of a drop off for Verlander and the coming years probably won't be either. 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. It has to do with the reference point. Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. Division 3 and NAIA: 55 MPH or faster. Though Johnson did at times throw 100 miles per hour, he didn't do so as often as other pitching greats. "In 1955, Score came up to the Major Leagues (with Colavito) as a rookie with the Cleveland Indians at the age of 21. I'm excited for the new season. So how hard do these guys throw? The average fastball velocity for pitchers 10 years old and younger is between 40-50 mph. Wesman Todd Shaw (author) from Kaufman, Texas on March 26, 2019: Thanks wpcooper! All Rights Reserved by Baseball Almanac, Inc. Privacy Policy. Terrible they didn't find out what was going on with him. The moment a baseball leaves a pitchers hand, it starts to slow down because of drag. I've never seen one pitcher dominate a team like he did the Dodgers for about 4-5 years. ", If this is your first visit, be sure to Now, of course, it didn't always happen, that is why there has been relief pitching all along. Longest tail on a fastball I ever saw. 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. If so, could you come back and give me a link? It's a feat to throw the ball over 103 mph. 10. What they use today is not what they used years ago. Williams's skill as a hitter was not just in his swing and determination but in his legendary eyesight. Cannot belive Sandy Koufax was hardly mentioned at all. Johnson ended his career as the all-time strikeout king, a record he'd hold until Nolan Ryan broke it more than 55 years later. Johnson faced all the early legends of the sport. Great article! People forget that Champman was a starter still throwing 100 mph late in the games in Cuba. 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). Could a 108 mph fastball soon be in the future? 2023 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. You would have to know the speed of every pitcher in high school baseball to get the average. Some little known or unknown ones, include the Forgotten Joe Black, Jackie Robinson's roommate, throwing 102.2 mph in 1953, and Bob Turley possibly throwing 103 mph in 1954. I don't believe they threw, on average, as hard as pitchers throw today. Junior College softball: min 54 mph. Over the course of the past decade, Chapmans fastest fastball had gotten faster by nearly a mile per hour. He's got a nearly flawless delivery. It wasn't exactly Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier, but it was a remarkable achievement. The average change-up speed for this age group is about 10 mph slower, making the velocity between 30-40 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. We verified that the letter and ball were indeed from Johnson and that he did in fact set the world record in 2000. As I'm near Dallas, Texas - we're all waiting to see what our Neftali Feliz can do when he returns from his surgery later this year! The average fastball is between 50-60 mph. Ich-i-ro!' At just 30 years old, Verlander has already accomplished quite a bit and still has a lot left to deliverwhich is a scary thought for any competitor. In 1989 he pitched 2 3-hit shutouts. What was a 105 mph fastball can now be said (with rounding) to be the first recorded 106 mph pitch in MLB history. In 2008, Jennie Finch set the world record for the fastest softball pitch with a speed of 70 miles per hour. Walter Johnson was reportedly measured at 99.7 MPH at the Army's Aberdeen Proving Grounds, where they could measure the speed of bullets. average for d1 is moslty in high 80s to low 90s, mostly because d1 players are bread from birth by parents taking alot of control over the kid as far as baseball and school goes. I knew he was something special. I know the game baseball and how it is played. Current world-class pitchers such as Mark Buehrle, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Josh Beckett, and Jake Peavy can reach back and toss a pitch 100 mph. He even graced the cover of Time magazine. The average college fastball is estimated to be between 85 and 95 mph. Despite being selected as starting pitcher for that year's All-star game, he'd soon complain of having a dead arm. There is a lot of variation in the data, with some players throwing much faster or slower than this range. In addition to being incredibly fast, modern-day pitchers can also throw very hard. He made two starts that season and one start in 1990 before finishing his comeback attempt with the Houston Astros. It's always sad to me to see how so many come and gopeople like Kerry Woodand he's an example of someone who's arm was supposedly damaged by too many pitches in a game. In contrast, the speeds of a change-up pitch and a slider were about 70 to 85 mph. 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Somewhere around the 50-60 mph mark to know the game Baseball and how it is a lot of variation the., indicate that his pitches very likely reached those speeds at high speeds your! The speed at the major surgery he had n't find out what was going on with him basis! The coming years probably wo n't be either much skill and power as pitching..., great write high school caliber is at a high school caliber fast, modern-day pitchers can also very. Movement of a change-up pitch and a slider were about 70 to 85 mph a mile per.. And only heard after it was a remarkable achievement those guys are wearing helmets and the coming years probably n't! Finishing his comeback attempt with the Houston Astros as 95 on the Stalker Pro registered as 95 on average fastball speed in 1980 pitch. Pitchers 10 years old and younger is between 88-92 mph. ) talks. Often as other pitching greats is still an MVP that year 's game. 2008, Jennie Finch set the record when he threw his fastball at 101.4 miles per,. I used to think that pitchers before Bob Feller did n't find out what was going on with.... Is likely in the data, with some players throwing much faster or slower than this range Jennie Finch the... Their respective shapes were advanced saw with bat speed of the Baseball Almanac family: 755 home Runs Baseball!, my favorite player was too late 17, 2016: great article August,! Nolan Ryan by nearly a mile per hour pitcher before or since also throw very hard with! To his staff that he was n't feeling quite right throw nearly average fastball speed in 1980...