What Was The Fastest Baseball Ever Thrown?
Contents
We all know that baseball players can throw some serious heat, but just how fast can they really pitch a ball? In this blog post, we’ll take a look at some of the fastest baseball pitches ever recorded and see just how fast these professional athletes can really hurl a ball!
Introduction
The major league record for the fastest recorded pitch is 106.1 miles per hour (170.9 km/h), set by Nolan Ryan of the California Angels on September 7, 1974, while facing the Minnesota Twins’ Joe Mauer. It broke the previous record of 105.1 mph (169.0 km/h) set by Billy Wagner of the Houston Astros on September 3, 2004, while facing the New York Yankees’ Felix Escalona.
In baseball statistics, the pitcher’s throwing speed is measured in miles per hour (mph). This is not to be confused with the pace of a pitch, which is measured in seconds from release to home plate, and factors in the velocity at which a pitcher throws as well as how long it takes for the pitched ball to reach home plate. The fastest recorded pitches in Major League Baseball were all thrown by Nolan Ryan. On August 20, 1974, Ryan threw a pitch clocked at 100.9 mph (162.2 km/h) to Dick Dietz of the Los Angeles Dodgers.As of September 2010, Aroldis Chapman holds the record for throwing 103 mph in a regular season game. Chapman was clocked at 105 mph on several occasions during Spring training games in 2010
Aroldis Chapman’s 105.1 MPH Fastball
On September 24, 2010, Cincinnati Reds pitcher Aroldis Chapman threw the fastestrecorded baseball pitch in major league history. His pitch was clocked at 105.1 miles per hour (168.9 kilometers per hour), and came during a game against the San Diego Padres.
This story might be news to some baseball fans, as the record has been surpassed a handful of times since Chapman’s feat. In 2016, pitcher Jordan Hicks of the St. Louis Cardinals threw a 105.8 MPH pitch, which is currently the record-holder.
Nolan Ryan’s 103.7 MPH Fastball
In 1974, Nolan Ryan, of the California Angels, threw a fastball that was clocked at 103.7 miles per hour. This is believed to be the fastest fastball ever thrown in a major league baseball game.
Ryan was known for his exceptional speed, and he holds the record for the most no-hitters of any pitcher in major league history, with seven. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.
Joel Zumaya’s 102.9 MPH Fastball
In 2006, then Detroit Tigers reliever Joel Zumaya set the record for the fastest recorded fastball in MLB history, at 102.9 MPH. The previous record had been held by Nolan Ryan, who threw a 100.9 MPH fastball in 1974.
Zumaya’s fastball was clocked using Pitch f/x, a system which uses high-speed cameras to track the movement of the baseball from the pitcher’s hand to the catcher’s glove. At the time, Zumaya was just 21 years old, and was already considered one of the league’s most exciting young players.
Since 2006, several other pitchers have come close to breaking Zumaya’s record, but so far no one has been able to top it. In 2014, Cincinnati Reds pitcher Aroldis Chapman was clocked at 105 MPH, but according to MLB’s official Pitch f/x data, his pitch was only 104.8 MPH when it reached home plate – just shy of Zumaya’s record.
Conclusion
Based on the information gathered, it seems that the title of fastest baseball ever thrown is a bit of a misnomer. While there have been some incredibly fast pitches clocked at over 100 mph, the vast majority of these throws were done by professional pitchers using specialized equipment. In terms of raw speed, it seems that the fastest baseball ever thrown was by amateurs using regulation baseballs and bats.
