Who Is The Fastest Baseball Pitcher?

Who is the fastest baseball pitcher? It’s a question that has been asked for years, and there is no clear answer. However, there are a few pitchers who have been clocked at throwing incredibly fast pitches. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at some of the fastest baseball pitchers in history.

Aroldis Chapman- 105.1 mph

Aroldis Chapman is the current record holder for the fastest pitch ever thrown in MLB history. His fastball was clocked at 105.1 mph on September 24, 2010. He is a 4-time All-Star and was the National League’srelief pitcher of the year in 2014.

Joel Zumaya- 102.9 mph

Joel Zumaya is a right-handed relief pitcher who achieved fame in 2006 for his exceptional fastball velocity. Zumaya threw the fastest recorded pitch in major league history, at 102.9 miles per hour, on November 28, 2006. He broke the previous record, held by Mark Wohlers, of 102.4 mph set on September 24, 1996.

Zumaya was born in San Diego, California and raised in Imperial Beach. His family is of Mexican descent. Zumaya developed his fastball while playing video games with his cousins; he would try to throw the ball as hard as he could at them virtually, in an attempt to strike them out. Zumaya’s father brought him to a local park where there happened to be a baseball game going on; Joel was then signed up for Little League Baseball.

Jordan Walden- 100.1 mph

As of September 25, 2010, the fastest recorded pitches in a Major League Baseball game were two 100.1 mile per hour (161.0 km/h) fastballs thrown by Jordan Walden of the Atlanta Braves to Manny Machado of the Baltimore Orioles on September 6, 2012. Both pitches were slightly above the previous record of 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) held by Mark Wohlers and Aroldis Chapman.

Mark Melancon- 99.7 mph

In September of 2010, Mark Melancon set the record for the fastest fastball ever thrown by a relief pitcher. His pitch was clocked at 99.7 miles per hour and was thrown to San Diego Padre’s hitter pinch-hitter Jerry Hairston Jr.

The previous record was held by Armando Benitez, who threw a pitch that was clocked at 98.8 miles per hour in 2001.

Craig Kimbrel- 99.4 mph

Craig Kimbrel is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, and Boston Red Sox. He bats and throws right-handed, stands 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m), and weighs 210 pounds (95 kg). As of the 2019 season, he has appeared in seven MLB All-Star Games.

In 2010, his first full season in the major leagues, Kimbrel set an MLB record for saves by a rookie reliever with 46; he also set Braves single-season records for saves and games finished (77). Among all major league relievers that year, he led MLB in saves, save percentage (96%), games finished, and opponents’ batting average (.146); he also tied for fourth among relievers in strikeouts per nine innings pitched (13.2). For his performance that season, Kimbrel was named MLB’s National League (NL) Rookie of the Year.

Trevor Rosenthal- 99.3 mph

Trevor Rosenthal is a right-handed pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals who has thrown the fastest pitch by a major league baseball pitcher in the last five years, at 99.3 miles per hour.

Dellin Betances- 99.0 mph

In 2014, Yankees reliever Dellin Betances threw the fastest pitch in baseball, clocked at 99.0 miles per hour. He finished the season with a 1.40 ERA and made his first All-Star team.

Kenley Jansen- 98.7 mph

Kenley Jansen, relief pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, has been recorded as throwing the fastest pitch in baseball. His fastest pitch was thrown on September 13, 2010 and was clocked at 98.7 mph.

Glen Perkins- 98.6 mph

Glen Perkins, a relief pitcher for the Minnesota Twins, holds the record for the fastest baseball pitcher. He has thrown a fastball at 98.6 miles per hour.

Nate Jones- 98.5 mph

Nate Jones is the current fastest baseball pitcher, with a speed of 98.5 mph. He currently plays for the Chicago White Sox.