Whats The Fastest Pitch Ever Thrown In Major League Baseball?

Whats The Fastest Pitch Ever Thrown In Major League Baseball? According to MLB.com, the answer is 105 mph! That’s pretty darn fast!

Introduction

In baseball, the fastball is the most common type of pitch. Pitchers who can throw a fastball with speed and control are always in high demand.

The fastest pitch ever recorded in Major League Baseball was clocked at 105.1 miles per hour. That pitch was thrown by Aroldis Chapman, a relief pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, in a game against the San Diego Padres in 2010.

Since Chapman’s record-breaking pitch, there have been a handful of other pitchers who have come close to matching his speed. The closest anyone has come is 104.8 miles per hour, thrown by Joel Zumaya of the Detroit Tigers in 2006.

Aroldis Chapman’s Record-Breaking Pitch

In 2010, Aroldis Chapman, a Cuban-born pitcher playing for the Cincinnati Reds, set the record for the fastest pitch ever thrown in a major league baseball game. His pitch reached a speed of 105.1 miles per hour (169.0 kilometers per hour). Chapman’s record-breaking fastball was clocked using the PIXEL technology system installed in all major league stadiums.

The Fastest Pitches Ever Thrown in MLB

In major league baseball, the fastest pitch ever thrown was clocked at 105.1 miles per hour. The pitch was thrown by Aroldis Chapman, a relief pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, against the San Diego Padres on September 24, 2010. Chapman’s pitch broke the previous record of 104.8 miles per hour, which was set by Joel Zumaya of the Detroit Tigers in 2010.

Chapman’s feat was short-lived, however, as just a few days later on September 28, 2010, Chapman himself was eclipsed as the owner of the fastest pitch ever thrown when the Tampa Bay Rays’ Matt Moore threw a ball clocked at 105.8 miles per hour.

How Fastball Velocity Has Increased in MLB

The average fastball velocity in MLB has increased steadily over the past several years. In 2005, the average fastball was clocked at 91.4 mph. By 2019, that number had jumped to 93.2 mph. The increase in velocity is likely due to a number of factors, including improved training methods and the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

A handful of pitchers have been able to consistently throw fastballs at speeds above 100 mph. The current record for the fastest pitch ever thrown belongs to Aroldis Chapman, who reached 105 mph on a pitch in 2010. Chapman is one of only a handful of pitchers to have ever thrown a pitch that fast in a major league game.

The Impact of Fastball Velocity on Pitching

In baseball, velocity is king. A pitcher who can throw hard is always going to have an advantage over one who doesn’t. But just how important is velocity? And what is the fastest pitch ever thrown in a major league game?

To answer the first question, let’s look at some data. In general, pitchers who throw harder do tend to have better results. In 2015, the average fastball velocity in the MLB was 91.5 mph. Among pitchers who threw at least 50 innings, those with average fastball velocities above 94 mph had an ERA that was nearly a run lower than those below 94 mph. Fastball velocity is also correlated with strikeouts. In 2015, the MLB average strikeout rate was 7.6 per 9 innings. But among pitchers with fastball velocities above 94 mph, the strikeout rate was 8.8 per 9 innings.

So fastball velocity does seem to be important for pitchers. But what about the second question? What is the fastest pitch ever thrown in a major league game?

The answer might surprise you. The title of “fastest pitch ever thrown” actually belongs to Aroldis Chapman, a relief pitcher for the New York Yankees. In 2010, Chapman threw a ball that was clocked at 105 mph against Hassan Anderson of the Colorado Rockies. That’s pretty fast!

Of course, not all pitches are created equal. A pitcher who can throw hard but doesn’t have good control is not going to be as effective as one who doesn’t throw quite as hard but has good control. So while fastball velocity is important, it’s not the only thing that matters for a pitcher.

Conclusion

From the research that we have conducted, it seems that the answer to this question is somewhat difficult to determine. While there are many sources that claim to know what the fastest pitch ever thrown in MLB history is, there seems to be little agreement on what that figure actually is. Based on the information we were able to find, it seems safe to say that the fastest pitch ever thrown in MLB history was somewhere between 105-108 miles per hour.