![]() ![]() This was the year that the concept of the radar gun was established. The year 1974 was a watershed year of sorts for how we have come to measure the speed of a pitch. Neither of these two pitchers have anything on Nolan Ryan though. That’s 2.5 mph faster than Chapman’s officially recorded fastest pitch of 105.1 mph. Adjusting Feller’s pitch to align with today’s standard, he was closer to 107.6 mph. Feller clocked in at an astonishing 98.6 mph on his fastest pitch of the test. ![]() However, this time the speed was measured right at home plate. Adjusting pitch speed to meet modern standards, Johnson’s pitch was much closer to 93.8 mph.įeller also threw a pitch through a device as did Johnson. Based on the design of the apparatus used, 83.2 mph is a calculation of how fast his pitch was travelling at 7.5 feet behind home plate. In summation, the calculation they arrived at, 83.2 mph, was flawed. used a device that was normally used to measure the speed of a bullet. Johnson’s pitch speed was calculated on a gun range, because where else would you test it? The Remington Arms Co. What’s unique about these three pitchers, however, is they were the first to have their pitches “clocked.” These are two of the best pitchers to ever take the mound, and arguably the best pitcher of their respective era. These pitchers are Walter “Big Train” Johnson, and Bob “The heater from Van Meter” Feller, or Rapid Robert for short. Until Nolan Ryan ushered in the “radar” age in 1974, there were only two other pitchers in history that were clocked using various devices. All MLB radar guns are set to record pitch speed at the 50-foot mark between the mound and the plate. Debating the fastestĭiscussing which pitcher is the hardest thrower in the modern game has long been settled by the radar gun. Going beyond the science, there’s just something about watching a flame-throwing pitcher put the clamps down on the opposing lineup. It’s even better when it’s late in the game and there are runners on the bases. For the pitcher, the dilemma is the same extreme, but it puts him in a unique position where it sets him at his limits of what is physically possible. This puts the hitter in a unique position that sets him in a situation where he must confront a cognitive dilemma of what’s humanly possible. Putting that in perspective, it takes a human being longer to blink. At 100 mph, the batter has 0.396 seconds to process the pitch and make his decision to swing. By the time a pitch thrown at 100 mph crosses home, a pitch thrown at 92 mph would still have 4.5 feet of travel left if thrown at the same time. One of the most striking comparisons made is the difference between a 92 mph fastball and 100 mph fastball. The science of the fastball has been well studied, and Fastball does a wonderful job of putting it all together. It tests the very limits of what’s humanly possible. There’s nothing more primal in baseball than the predator-prey aspect of facing a hard fastball. The struggle between hitter and pitcher is one of the ultimate showdowns in sports, especially in those many instances where the hitters know what’s coming, and the pitcher knows exactly what he’s throwing. It’s the element of confrontation that the fastball brings to the game. Their sinker (take this with a grain of salt because they've only thrown 2 of them in 2023) generates an extremely high number of swings & misses compared to other pitchers' sinkers, is an extreme flyball pitch compared to other pitchers' sinkers, has less armside run than typical and has slightly above average velo.Bob Feller showcasing his iconic high leg kick. Their change is thrown extremely hard, dives down out of the zone and results in somewhat more groundballs compared to other pitchers' changeups. Their fourseam fastball is straight as an arrow, results in somewhat more groundballs compared to other pitchers' fourseamers and has slightly above average velo. Their curve has sweeping glove-side movement, generates a high number of swings & misses compared to other pitchers' curves, is much harder than usual and has a sharp downward bite. Their slider is thrown extremely hard and results in many more groundballs compared to other pitchers' sliders. In 2023, they have relied primarily on their Slider (90mph), Curve (82mph) and Fourseam Fastball (95mph), also mixing in a Change (90mph). Ryan Pressly has thrown 9,883 pitches that have been tracked by the PITCHf/x system between 20, including pitches thrown in the MLB Regular Season, the MLB Postseason, The World Baseball Classic and Spring Training.
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