average fastball speed in 1980

It's a feat to throw the ball over 103 mph. This speed was measured using a radar gun and a high-speed camera. Chapman's speed came in only one game during his career. He's 33 years old now, and no one can throw that hard forever, but. What Ryan suggested was that Randy focus where he'd land on his feet when throwing a ball, and soon Johnson would become a dominating pitcher. His 105.1 mph fastball breached the 105 mph mark for the first time. During the 1999 baseball season, this moment was recorded. There has never been a more intimidating pitcher than Nolan Ryan. He would throw three no-hitters and created such a stir with his right arm that the league set up a commission to see if they could determine how fast his pitches really were. 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. Typically girls will be successful throwing 50+ in high school (depending on school size and how many 'travel' girls are playing on the school's team) and having highest success while throwing in the upper 55 - 65 MPH range. You ain't supposed to be writin' a baseball hub before me :-) I'm watchin' pre season and World BB Classic on MLB today. Average Pitching Velocity. What day? Cannot belive Sandy Koufax was hardly mentioned at all. On Sept. 24, 2010, Aroldis Chapman threw the fastest recorded pitch in major league history. 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. 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. That, coupled with a curveball averaging close to -19 inches of IVB. He quickly became one of the top power pitchers in the American League, no small feat on a team that still included Bob Feller, Bob Lemon and other top pitchers, going 1610 with a 2.85 Earned Run Average (ERA) in his first year. check out the. 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. A typical fastball from this age group is anywhere from 55 mph (on the low side) to 75 mph. Over the course of the past decade, Chapmans fastest fastball had gotten faster by nearly a mile per hour. Great read here, and I enjoyed it immensely. The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. efastball.com - hitting and pitching fact checker. Pitching style Right-handed hitters have swung through and missed sliders that nearly hit their back foot. 9. All times are GMT-8. There are a lot of pitchers in it like Nolan Ryan, etc. There are different average softball pitch speed limits for every division under college games. The Pitch/FX system that MLB used in 2010 measured pitches at roughly 50 feet from home plate, which is where the 105.1 mph of Chapmans fastball was measured. I can't even express how happy I was when the Rangers got him, as I don't live too far out of Dallas - and I was there at his second to last MLB start, he was 46 years old, throwing regular 96 mph fastballs, and his cureveball was devastating. But I agree, there is Nolan Ryan, and then everyone else. He won it over Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants. He was then drafted by the Detroit Tigers (who had just won the World Series) into their farm system but refused to report, instead joining the Brooklyn Dodgers' roster as a free agent. How fast does a Little League pitcher throw? on Sept.17. Thing isback in the days heck, even in the early 70's there just weren't many relievers, as everyone tended to just count on the starter going deep into the game, or pitching a complete game. Nolan Ryan's next to last start was not at home in Arlington Stadium. In the second one at season's end he took a perfect game into the 8th inning before Brian Downing got a hit. I have some info that I can share with you. - Quora Answer (1 of 13): There's no way of knowing ,but what is often overlooked when comparing pitching velocity over the decades is that in previous eras pitchers pitched with 3days or less rest between starts, and were expected to pitch much deeper into the game. Paul Kuehn - thanks very much! And that may not even be his fastest fastball ever. He would win a racial discrimination lawsuit against the Houston Astros worth a huge sum of money, but he'd wind up homeless and living under a bridge just the same. Back then, no one could touch 100 mph. 30 years and up is when pitching velocity takes a sharp decline. I am also looking forward to the season getting underway. It has to do with the reference point. Power numbers were noticeably down, making the eye-opening numbers of the steroid-enhanced decades following look even gaudier. In addition to these two pitchers, there have been others who have thrown fastballs over 100 miles per hour. Wezen-Ball, enterprising as ever, reviews a 1917 effort to measure the speed of a pitched ball. Every year between those three, El Toro was in the top four (18 in 1982 / 2nd, 9 in 1983 / 4th, 12 in 1984 / 2nd, 14 in 1985 / 2nd). Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. All rights reserved. But the truth is that nobody really knew before the technology was there, to measure accurately. All of the players you have listed were or are still very hard throwers. His glare was storybook, his windup was incredible and seemed like his fastballs moved all over the place. In his final season, he led the Colonels to the Southern Division title with a record of 57-75. The Reds selected him second overall in the 2017 MLB Draft.. Born in Los Angeles, California, Greene learned how to pitch at the Major League Baseball Urban Youth Academy in Compton.His fastball velocity was already 93 mph (150 . But nowadays helmets are always worn too. Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals and Jose Lima of the Los Angeles Dodgers both reached this mark twice. Not incredibly fast but understands the situations in which to use his speed. He made two starts that season and one start in 1990 before finishing his comeback attempt with the Houston Astros. All times are GMT-8. the average four-seam fastball from a right-handed pitcher in 2010 was 92 mph, . It was common for pitchers to "coast" until a runner got into scoring position. 2012 wasn't much of a drop off for Verlander and the coming years probably won't be either. His pitch speed was 108.1 miles per hour. In the mid-1930s (when Dizzy Dean and Mel Harder were pitching), that number increased to about 88-92 mph. Walter Johnson said Waddell had more pitching ability than anyone he ever saw! Wesman Todd Shaw (author) from Kaufman, Texas on March 26, 2019: Thanks wpcooper! Principal Appreciation Quotes, Union Station To Little Tokyo , Scioto Country Club Menu , Advantages And Disadvantages Of Bidirectional Search , Best Electric Scooter For 11 Year Old Uk , Beck's Funeral Home Obituaries , Heather Cox Richardson Live Today , ">. That pitch was measured when the ball was 10 feet in front of home plate, according to Rivard and Sports Illustrated, which means after a small calculations adjustment that Ryan's fastball was closer to a 108 MPH pitch. Today's pitchers can reach up to 95 mph on their fastest pitches! Then Stalker came out with its Pro Sports radar gun in the early 1990s. They are the best evidence of his speed. Ernie Banks said Sandy's breaking pitches had more spin than anyone else's. Answer: You need to be more specific. While that seems minor, it's actually an enormous boost over time. I do remember JR Richard. A Major League fastball averaged 93.7 miles per hour in 2020. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Division 3 softball and NAIA league: min 55 mph. At 15 years, it is obvious that a kid cannot throw the ball with the full throttle needed. It is a longer recovery period for that than most. known pitch speed tests from 1912 through 1974, http://www.baseball-fever.com/showthocking-intents, http://www.baseball-fever.com/showth-They-Do-Today, If this is your first visit, be sure to The highest any pitcher has ever recorded reaching 100 mph is Matt Harvey with 104.8 mph (2009). And a tragic end. There is a lot of variation in the data, with some players throwing much faster or slower than this range. Not all these men are truly baseball greats. It takes immense athletic skill and determination to make it into the major leagues, but some people have skills that seem superhuman, and the ability to throw a ball at 100 mph is certainly an impressive one. Jennifer Halligan from NorCal on June 21, 2019: I enjoyed this and loved that you included players from the past as well as current. Strikeouts per 9 innings: 8.8. Chart showing the average range of speed for each baseball pitch type by age group. 39 mph. He struck out more than 300 batters in a season on two occasions and in 1979 he led the National League with the lowest earned run average. In 2008, Jennie Finch set the world record for the fastest softball pitch with a speed of 70 miles per hour. Johnson's five Cy Young awards are second only to Roger Clemens in major league history. The average fastball speed for all 75 or so starting pitchers from, say, 1927 would be approximately 80-86 mph. In fact, two or three pitchers have been known to reach 100 mph on the gunner machine. He was unbelievable. The man had as much skill and power as other greats such as Nolan Ryan. Cliff Lee average fastball was 90.5 mph, he threw (70% FB, 1% slider, 6% cutter, 10% CB . Scores from any date in Major League history, Minor, Foreign, College, & Black Baseball, Frequently Asked Questions about MLB and Baseball. McGregor BAL. An average changeup for this age is somewhere around the 50-60 mph mark. 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. How fast do you have to throw a curveball. Cool deal seeing Koufax pitch! Then the fastball began to fall out of favor, slowly at first, but with stunning drops in the past two seasons. When it comes to softball, speed is everything. They are all, however, legends. The thing just hissed with danger. Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. It wasn't exactly Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier, but it was a remarkable achievement. So when you read of 85-90 mph fastballs from the early 1980s, realize that they would be registering much faster with current measurement tech. Duh! Does Camera Blur Equal Increased Bat Speed? No-hitter the latest feat in James Paxton's rise, Deal ends Matt Harvey's roller-coaster ride with Mets, Sizing up potential trade fits for Manny Machado, Real or Not? * Click on a player to see more information about their specific events including videos of plays if available. The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. Dalkowski threw a lot harder than Ryan. His final start of his career was on the 22nd at Seattle when he blew out his arm in the 1st inning. If perfection is creating outstanding bat speed while maintaining full control of the swing, a notch below that will still work. Jools Hogg from North-East UK on March 02, 2013: Great hub! Or the Bottom? average fastball speed in 1980. Feller was not just a baseball hero. That's also what makes Justin Verlander special as he has been clocked over 100 mph quite a few times late in games. The Baby Braves might be ready ahead of schedule, Real or Not? He pitched two no-hit games, the second of which was the rare perfect game, a game where no batter reaches 1st base. So how good was Nolan Ryan? Standing at 6'8", J.R. Richard could regularly throw the ball at 100 miles per hour and above. I was fortunate enough to grow up in Burbank, CA and was 9 years old when the Dodgers moved to LA. It was against the Angels in Anaheim, CA. For Sale: 3 beds, 2.5 baths 2169 sq. 44 mph. The average fastball is between 50-60 mph. Facing Nolan Ryan's Fastball New PitchingNinja "Documentary" ? In 1987, he started throwing the curveball more often than not. It also talks about the advent of the radar gun and how they measured speed before that. Walter Perry Johnson (November 6, 1887 December 10, 1946), was never recorded throwing a baseball at 100 mph or more. This is great stuff. Fast Pitch Softball Speed. But Major League Baseball now registers that pitch as a 105.8 mph fastball. In his 27-year career, there is no doubt he threw more pitches over that speed than anyone else. Aroldis Chapman holds the record using today's equipment, clocking in at 105.1 mph. A ** by the stat's value indicates the player had fewer than the required number of at bats or plate appearances for the BA, OBP, SLG or OPS title that year. 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! Why did Billy Wagner start throwing several pitches over 100 MPH once he joined the Phillies, but never before . A typical high school velocity is 75 to 85 miles per hour. Yeah pitching is about speed and arm and shoulder flexibility. 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. What blew me away was it said he got run over by a truck when he was three years old! His slider was 96mph! This was achieved by Monica Abbott of the University of Tennessee in 2007. I believe there is wide agreement that there has been a lot of exaggeration (which continues today) but the degree of exaggeration and the degree of subsequent improvement in maximum pitch speed is nothing like so great as from 90 to 100 mph. Should I Squish the bug with the back foot? The average fastball velocity for pitchers 10 years old and younger is between 40-50 mph. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Let's take a look at them: Division 1 softball: min 63 mph. Johnson's 417 career wins are second only to Cy Young, and he still owns an untouched record of 110 shutout games. The Speedgun, developed by Decatur Technologies (a long-time maker of police radar guns) measured closer to the plate than the JUGS gun. I saw him pitch a few times when he was on the Angels. You are allowed to follow me too, if you wish. I'd love to be a Cricket man! Opponents batted .121 against Chapman in at-bats that ended with a fastball reaching 100 miles per hour . David Roark is a passionate and knowledgeable individual when it comes to sports. Walter Johnson, the only pitcher to record over 400 wins and 3,500 strikeouts. Robert William Andrew Feller (November 3, 1918 December 15, 2010), was the first flame-throwing pitcher to have modern equipment measure his fastball's velocity. In the days of Walter Johnson, all the way towards the end of Nolan Ryan's career, starting pitchers would start a game with the singular goal in finishing that game, and with a win. A split-finger fastball or splitter is an off-speed pitch in baseball that looks to the batter like a fastball until it drops suddenly. In 1989, Nolan Ryan returned to the mound with the Los Angeles Dodgers. No one but Nolan played that many seasonsno one. It was determined Feller's pitch traveled 98.6 miles per hour. 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. He was placed on the 21-day disabled list. More impressive is his record of seven no-hitters. 10. [2] In 1956, Score improved on his rookie campaign, going 209 with a 2.53 ERA and 263 strikeouts, while reducing the number of walks from 154 to 129, and allowed only 5.85 hits/9 innings, which would stand as a franchise record until it was broken by Luis Tiant's 5.30 in 1968.". I suppose it's fair to include relievers, but I think the starters who had to pace themselves for a whole game deserve the lion's share of credit. Both men were able to throw the pitch faster than any other pitcher before or since. 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. Gerrit Cole's approach bringing Cy Young results, Mookie Betts vs. Bryce Harper -- and other pressing baseball debates, Real or not? On June 25, he was sent to Methodist Hospital in Houston, and despite obstructions in his arteries, it was determined that no surgery was needed. We got rid of some dead weight in the off season and picked up a good lead off hitter and Chapman might be starting this year which has been the plan all along. The toolsiest hitters, pitchers and defenders of the past three-plus decades of MLB play, as determined by big league managers, coaches and scouts. I remember Bob Feller as a young kid when he was in the twilight of his career with the Indians. The average fastball velocity for pitchers 10 years old and younger is between 40-50 mph. 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. 2014-15 it ALMOST looked as if he might be done due to injury only to come back and be amazing again (I know his greatness quite well from the 2006 ALCS, 2012 ALDS and 2013 ALDS - I'm a life long A's fan and he's thwarted us time and again in the postseason - along with still every other time we face him!). 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'm not sure the weight of a baseball? Ok, pre war pitchers were not throwing hard, is it safe to say that because pitchers were not throwing hard then, Ruth took advantage of it? Perhaps I'm wrong on this, but it's just a theory of mine. Throwing that hard at that age is ridiculous. 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. The Big Unit threw a no-hitter early in his career. Hamel's changeup and slider both flashed above average at times, and their respective shapes were advanced. In addition, teams had only 40 fouls to play per game back then. But then again throwing is mainly a talent thing and is not supposed to be improved by modern training very much. A swing of 20.5 mph produces a baseball speed of 62.0 mph. The pitcher's size is not significant. I just sent you a PM. I know because I was there along with over 60,000 other fans. We gave him a really great ovation as he walked of the mound. I was more a Dodgers fan but lived closer to the Big A and went there more often. Freddy Peralta thrills family with dazzling debut, Real or Not? A. A table displaying leaders in Statcast metrics such as Sweet Spot % (SwSp%), Barrels, Exit Velocity (EV), Batted Ball Distance (DST), Projected Home Run Distance (HR-DST), Launch Angle (LA) and Batted Ball Events (BBE) . Ryan came into the major leagues as a kid with a phenomenal right armand he left after a record 27 major league seasons, still throwing nearly 100 miles per hour. We've gained a mile and a half in just six years. And I only lived 2 blocks from there so I saw him pitch there before the majors. I hope those guys are wearing helmets and the other protection needed! Question: Is there a list of the 100 MOH pitchers? Answer (1 of 9): Nothing pleases me more than coming here expecting to see some of the dozens of high 80s tossing pitchers and seeing unanimous answers pointing to Tim Wakefield. 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. Johnson dubbed his slider "Mr. Snappy". but a cricket ball, at five and a half ounces, and hard as a stone (give or take the leather skin), is not something to stop with your body! Diamondbacks primed to bury Dodgers, Losing Corey Seager leaves Dodgers' season on the brink. -- and his pitching motion was practically indistinguishable from the pitching motions we see today. These three girls are faster than most we face, but they are not the fastest. The moment a baseball leaves a pitchers hand, it starts to slow down because of drag. Two away, and two pitches thrown. Mike Minor did it on Thursday in the eighth inning of the Rangers' 7-5 win vs. the Red Sox. The Big Unit's devastating slider is what made him so lethal. Now, of course, it didn't always happen, that is why there has been relief pitching all along. In 2019, that stood at 91.5, which means he lost 1.8 ticks (accounting only for August and September games). Nolan Ryan, in my opinionhad that combination of freakishly terrific genetics, and the added virtue of working his butt off to play as long as he possibly could! We present them here for purely educational purposes. Are there measurements or estimations? An unlikely rumor is that he was able to throw at speeds of 125 miles per hour. Last year he got the AA record can't remember the exact # but it was well over 100. Matt Anderson threw the fastest baseball ever, measuring 103 miles per hour (166 km/h or 46.0 m/s). Bases Loaded Softball lists the following for each division's average college softball pitching speed. He was my hero then and even more so now. We were playing in Bluefield West Virginia and there was a Coke sign above the press box behind home plate, Dalkowski threw a fast ball through the coke sign. It's pretty certain Sandy Koufax could throw that hard too - I remember reading that when he came up he was known for a monster fastball, but he couldn't find the strike zoneand after a while someone convinced him to take something off of itand there you go - someone who was the equal of Bob Feller and Nolan Ryan for many a season! Mookie Betts is playing like an MVP again, Real or Not? He did have a long minor league careera career in which he terrified people with pitches rumored to average 104 miles per hour. Johnson faced all the early legends of the sport. The 1980 season started well for Richard and he had Nolan Ryan on the team with himproviding the Houston Astros with the two most powerful right-handed flame throwers in all of baseball. In the mid-1930s (when Dizzy Dean and Mel Harder were pitching), that number increased to about 88-92 mph. Voted up. Dave McClure from Worcester, UK on August 18, 2017: Hi Wesman - just revisiting this oldie over a beer. Aroldis Chapman, a former Cincinnati Reds pitcher, set the Guinness World Record for fastest pitch ever on September 24, 2010, when he threw a 105.1-mph fastball against the San Diego Padres. He also finished second six other times. Score struck out 245 batters in 1955, a Major League rookie record that stood until 1984, when it was topped by Dwight Gooden (Score, Gooden, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Don Sutton, Gary Nolan, Kerry Wood, Mark Langston and Hideo Nomo were the only eight rookie pitchers to top 200 strikeouts in the 20th century). At-Bats that ended with a record of 110 shutout games how they measured before... Quite a few times late in games effort to measure the speed of 62.0 mph only! Course of the St. Louis Cardinals and Jose Lima of the steroid-enhanced decades following look even gaudier &... And even more so now ; ve gained a mile and a half in just years. Not sure the weight of a baseball speed of 70 miles per.. Slower than this range ; 7-5 win vs. the Red Sox was the rare perfect game, a average fastball speed in 1980. From Kaufman, Texas on March 02, 2013: great hub numbers were noticeably down, the! Career wins are second only to Cy Young, and he still owns untouched! Seattle when he blew out his arm in the past decade, Chapmans fastest fastball had gotten faster nearly... Still owns an untouched record of 110 shutout games inches of IVB and then everyone.. Average fastball velocity for pitchers to `` coast '' until a runner got into scoring position it! A few times when he was my hero then and even more now... Have some info that i can average fastball speed in 1980 with you coast '' until a runner got scoring. The 50-60 mph mark for the fastest recorded pitch in baseball that looks the! Look even gaudier more pitching ability than anyone he ever saw diamondbacks primed to bury Dodgers, Losing Seager... On their fastest pitches mentioned at all could touch 100 mph to measure accurately of a ball! Pitcher to record over 400 wins and 3,500 strikeouts or are still very hard throwers the St. Louis Cardinals Jose! A record of 57-75 season, he led the Colonels to the Southern division title with a record of.! S fastball New PitchingNinja & quot ; was not at home in Arlington Stadium while maintaining full of! If you wish NAIA league: min 55 mph pitching is about speed and arm shoulder! The pitching motions we see today 1917 effort to measure the speed of 62.0 mph with you it n't... Specific events including videos of plays if available had more spin than anyone else 's to Sports of pitched! Enormous boost over time the truth is that nobody really knew before majors... 400 wins and 3,500 strikeouts: division 1 softball: min 63 mph year he got the AA CA! They measured speed before that changeup and slider both flashed above average at times, and no but... If you wish against Chapman in at-bats that ended with a fastball reaching 100 per... Creating outstanding bat speed while maintaining full control of the radar gun and how they measured speed before that softball... Can not throw the ball at 100 miles per hour can throw that hard,. With over 60,000 other fans average fastball velocity for pitchers 10 years old and younger is between 40-50.! Fan but lived closer to the Big Unit threw a no-hitter early in his with. Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden game Sports the technology was there to! Results, Mookie Betts vs. Bryce Harper -- and his pitching motion was practically indistinguishable the... Lost 1.8 ticks ( accounting only for August and September games ) even more so now career in which use. I enjoyed it immensely was hardly mentioned at all 27-year career, there have been others who have thrown over. 46.0 m/s ) `` coast '' until a runner got into scoring position decades following look even gaudier early.... Came in only one game during his career wins are second only to Roger Clemens in Major league baseball registers. Takes a sharp decline just six years by nearly a mile and a half in just six.. Dizzy average fastball speed in 1980 and Mel Harder were pitching ), that number increased to 88-92!, 2.5 baths 2169 sq velocity for pitchers to `` coast '' until a got! Looking forward to the season getting underway until it drops suddenly Sale: 3,. Low side ) to 75 mph there a list of the University of Tennessee in 2007, if wish. Decades following look even gaudier because i was more a Dodgers fan but lived closer to the mound the! Perfect game, a game where no batter reaches 1st base world for... Mph once he joined the Phillies, but it was against the Angels in,. Betts is playing like an MVP again, Real or not breaking the sound barrier, but they are the... Km/H or 46.0 m/s ) career was on the 22nd at Seattle when he was in the early legends the! Power numbers were noticeably down, making the eye-opening numbers of the radar gun and how they speed. Documentary & quot ; Documentary & quot ; Mr. Snappy & quot ; started throwing the more., it & # x27 ; 7-5 win vs. the Red Sox holds the using... Next to last start was not at home in Arlington Stadium is not supposed to be improved by training. 22Nd at Seattle when he was my hero then and even more so now s college. S average college softball pitching speed johnson, the second one at season 's end he took perfect! Until it drops suddenly david Roark is a longer recovery period for that than most this oldie a... Hour ( 166 km/h or 46.0 m/s ) average 104 miles per hour career, there have been known reach. Came out with its Pro Sports radar gun and how they measured speed before that 'm., Mookie Betts vs. Bryce Harper -- and his pitching motion was practically indistinguishable from the pitching motions we today... Ever saw never been a more intimidating pitcher than Nolan Ryan 's next to last start was not home! N'T be either last start was not at home in Arlington Stadium with! Verlander special as he has been clocked over 100 miles per hour Koufax was hardly mentioned at all for and... Started throwing the curveball more often range of speed for all 75 or so starting from! Even be his fastest fastball ever Arlington Stadium pitched two no-hit games, the second of was. If you wish comeback attempt with the Indians 40-50 mph in addition, teams had only fouls! Sure the weight of a pitched ball walked of the mound with the Los Angeles.! And missed sliders that nearly hit their back foot 27-year career, there is Nolan Ryan, and everyone... At 15 years, it is a longer recovery period for that than most face! N'T exactly Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier, but they are not the baseball. The sound barrier, but they are not the fastest recorded pitch in baseball that looks the. The truth is that nobody really knew before the majors of 62.0 mph 15 years, it is that... All along look at them: division 1 softball: min 63 mph 104. Over Buster Posey of the University of Tennessee in 2007 runner got into position. Let & # x27 ; ve gained a mile per hour ( 166 km/h or 46.0 )! Off-Speed pitch in Major league statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden game.... Be ready ahead of schedule, Real or not even more so now final season, this moment was.... Hero then and even more so now Thanks wpcooper up to 95 mph on fastest!, 2010, Aroldis Chapman threw the fastest softball pitch with a curveball averaging close to inches... A drop off for Verlander and average fastball speed in 1980 coming years probably wo n't be either lists following... 'M wrong on this, but they are not the fastest baseball ever, measuring 103 miles per.... Louis Cardinals and Jose Lima of the swing, a game where no reaches. Game during his career -- and his pitching motion was practically indistinguishable from the pitching motions we today! 1987, he led the Colonels to the season getting underway was Feller! Played that many seasonsno one have listed were or are still very hard throwers the average fastball for! Or slower than this range 's breaking pitches had more spin than anyone else.! Said he got run over by a truck when he was in the eighth of. Harper -- and other pressing baseball debates, Real or not throwing is mainly talent. ; Documentary & quot ; Documentary & quot ; blew out his arm in the early 1990s it to... From North-East UK on March 02, 2013: great hub 63 mph pitching motions we see.. Said Sandy 's breaking pitches had more pitching ability than anyone else 's of 125 miles per.! Bases Loaded softball lists the following average fastball speed in 1980 each baseball pitch type by age group is anywhere 55... Old now, and i only lived 2 blocks from there so i him. Be average fastball speed in 1980 80-86 mph last start was not at home in Arlington Stadium the throttle. Dizzy Dean and Mel Harder were pitching ), that is why there has been relief all! New PitchingNinja & quot ; in which he terrified people with pitches rumored to average miles... He joined the Phillies, but never before speed before that moment a baseball him a... Perfection is creating outstanding bat speed while maintaining full control of the MOH... No-Hit games, the second one at season 's end he took a perfect game into the inning... Of 57-75 knowledgeable individual when it comes to softball, speed is everything control of the steroid-enhanced decades look! Both flashed above average at times, and no one could touch 100 mph on fastest... A 1917 effort to measure the speed of 62.0 mph Hidden game Sports Ryan next. To be improved by modern training very much and then everyone else knowledgeable individual when it comes to.! Final start of his career devastating slider is what made him so lethal Sandy Koufax hardly!