how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s
Posted byThe average fastball speed for all 75 or so starting pitchers from, say, 1927 would be approximately 80-86 mph. Perhaps I'm wrong on this, but it's just a theory of mine. Could Mike Trout outproduce a tanking team's entire lineup? [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, September 28, 1915, AFTERNOON EDITION, Page PAGE SIX, Image 6, brought to you by Central Michigan University, Clark Historical Library, and the National Digital Newspaper Program. Modern pitchers however exert themselves on every pitch. Some pitchers made their names by painting the corners and keeping hitters guessing. There have been three periods in baseball history when workloads for starting pitchers declined noticeably: 1) In the 1890s when the pitchers were pushed back to 60 feet, 6 inches; 2) In the early 1920s when the lively ball came out; and 3) In the 1990s when pitch counts became all the rage. No longer could pitchers rely on wicked movement. Still this is a surprise for me. In 995 minor league innings, he walked 1,354 batters and struck out 1,396. However, hes so deadly on the mound largely because hes so tall and throws from the left side, not necessarily because he throws harder than anybody else. I believe in the dead ball era, guys topped out around 85 mph. The device measures the ball's speed between the two points and flashes it on a scale facing the pitcher. It was harder for batters to pick up, and therefore arm-busting pitches with lots of movement werent needed. He was once clocked at 101 mph in 2009 and is capable of throwing in the upper 90s late in the game. Satchel Paige, who could bring on the heat himself, believed Feller was the fastest and told teammates, "If anybody threw that ball any harder than Rapid Robert, then the human eye couldn't follow it." God I loved it. The next year, as a member of the Fort Wayne Daisies, she threw a no-hitter. All rights reserved. In addition, teams had only 40 fouls to play per game back then. In the mid-1930s (when Dizzy Dean and Mel Harder were pitching), that number increased to about 88-92 mph. Walter Johnsonthrew the ball 134 feet a second, Christy Mathewson127 and "Smoky Joe" Wood124. Source: The Cultural Encyclopedia of Baseball, 1997. d) *(corollary to above) * Pitchers at the time could more or less legally occlude the ball with tobacco, mud, etc. Perhaps I'm wrong on this, but it's just a theory of mine. What is the world record speed for throwing a baseball? I'm going off my memory so plenty of room for error, but I recall in an interview that pitchers back in the day wouldnt every themselves unless they were in a jam. Back then, no one could touch 100 mph. Diamondbacks primed to bury Dodgers, Losing Corey Seager leaves Dodgers' season on the brink. Before the pitch reached the plate Bench dropped his glove and caught the ball bare-handed - or so the story goes. Chapman is capable of hitting 105 repeatedly and may still be developing physically. Now, youre expected to throw your best the entire game. Broxton hasnt been good in about three years, and his fastball has lost more than a little bit of zip, but as recently as 2008 or 2009, Broxton threw as hard as any Dodgers pitcher since, well, Eric Gagne. He didnt and ended up winning 254 games. It was estimated that Dalkowski's fastball at times reached 105 mph. As Ted Williams once said, "Three days before he pitched I would start thinking about Robert Feller, Bob Feller. He redefined what it meant to be a power pitcher and laid the groundwork for guys like Clemens and Johnson to take over the league. Could we eventually see 110 mph? Stephen Louis Dalkowski Jr. (June 3, 1939 - April 19, 2020), nicknamed Dalko, was an American left-handed pitcher. A rookie catcher named Johnny Bench was behind the plate and eight-year veteran Jim Maloney was on the mound. Even though both were clocked rather crudely, their measurements would extrapolate to over 100 mph on a modern radar gun. This time was measured in the past 1999 baseball season. Walter Johnson did not throw 99 mph for 370 innings in 1910. The true speed of Fellers fastball is a subject of great debate. I set my sights on the number 343 and went into every game the rest of the season with two goals always in mind: win the game, and strike out as many as I can. He was loyal to the Indians, but only because they paid him. Mostly, pitchers tended to save themselves for key situations. In addition, before 1893, the pitching mound was only 50 feet away from the plate. We verified that the letter and ball were indeed from Johnson and that he did in fact set the world record in 2000. Also, the dead ball era (prior to 1920) meant that no one was going to hit it very far. The best workhorses of that time approached 700 innings and they werent even playing 154 games in a season yet. In 1958 the Orioles sent Dalkowski to the Aberdeen Proving Grounds, a military installation where Feller was once clocked. A couple things to remember about pitching velocity measurements, MLB finally standardized how pitch speeds are collected in 2017. Super arms are found not created. He topped 100 Ks in his first full season as the Los Angeles closer and regularly reached triple-digits. The historical record suggests Feller paid a price for that record chase. Her best was 40 feet per second. On August 13, in a night game at home against the Tigers, I recorded my 262nd strikeout, breaking my career high of 261 in 1940. Carlton might be the pitcher most responsible for making the strikeout fashionable inMLB. He has also appeared in several television commercials, most notably for Old Milwaukee beer. During his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2010, the righty struck out 71 batters in 69.1 innings and walked only 18. Maloney delivered. Pitch f/x System Data (Excel Format)Download Courtesy of Trent McCotter & Joe Leftkowitz, Closer Tug McGraw named his fastballs! All Rights Reserved by Baseball Almanac, Inc. Privacy Policy. Even Lee Meadows, who pitched for the Chicago White Sox from 1939 to 1942, never reached 100 mph on a regular basis. Dalkowski signed with the Orioles in 1957 at age 21. The Baby Braves might be ready ahead of schedule, Real or Not? But then again throwing is mainly a talent thing and is not supposed to be improved by modern training very much. I had two or three different kinds of curve balls and a lot of confidence in each of them. Now they have 60 due to expanded ballparks and/or alternate site games being played away from home. Both men were able to throw the pitch faster than any other pitcher before or since. Hes still considered one of the best to ever throw a baseball, and its estimated his fastball could reach 100 mph. That's 2,118 more than the 3,730 that MLB leader David Price threw in 2014. Pitchers before 1930 (or so) regularly finished their starts, too. Powered by Discourse, best viewed with JavaScript enabled. According to University of Illinois physicist Dr. Alan Nathan, a pitch that leaves a pitcher's hand at 100. How fast does a pitcher usually throw? All Rights Reserved by Baseball Almanac, Inc.Hosted by Hosting 4 Less. He went 26-15 with a 2.18 ERA and 348 strikeouts, but that's not even the fun stuff. The earliest appearance on the list of strikeouts per 9 IP among the top 100 is in 1955. Hes led the NL in strikeouts in each of the past three seasons and is a threat to do it again this year. But nobody asked him to throw into the Lumiline Chronograph. And no one threw sliders like they do today. He played in nine leagues in nine years. So who is the fastest pitcher in baseball? He wasn't always the most efficient of pitchers, even for 1946, when walks were plentiful. Tom House, the pitching coach for the Texas Rangers, was once asked if anyone would ever be able to throw harder than Nolan Ryan. So how fast was Feller? I was never afraid to throw my curve when I was behind in the count, 2 and 0 or 3 and 1, or even late in a pressure situation. He never finished outside of the top nine in strikeouts every year between 1969 and 1984. I woudl suggest that it is in fact simply that they let the pitchers pitch so much back then. and our Also, the dead ball era (prior to 1920) meant that no one was going to hit it very far. It all comes down to where the pitch is measured. It was common for pitchers to "coast" until a runner got into scoring position. Pitchers dont usually return from Tommy John surgery with the same velocity, so we may never see the flame-throwing Strasburg ever again. The top speed is 90 miles per hour. In the low 80s most of them. From Robert Weintraub's "The Victory Season," his book on the 1946 season: "Rapid Robert" was not one to be trifled with when it came to cash. But maybe he did. The art of pitching has changed dramatically throughout the history of baseball. I had my fastest pitched timed when I was younger. A modern radar gun measures the pitch either out of the hand or ten feet away from the pitcher, depending on the gunmost measurements all the way up to the 1980's would measure a pitcher about 60 feet from his hand (although I believe Walter Johnson was clocked 25 or 30 feet away from his hand). Lefty led his league in strikeouts five times, including a gaudy 310 in 1972 and won a Cy Young award in three of those years. CLEVELAND (AP) - Three Boston Red Sox threw a baseball 122 feet a second into a new photo-electric pitching meter yesterday. It was on a closed off road in Chicago's Lincoln Park back in the summer of 1940, 5 years after Babe Ruth retired, that the first attempt to test the speed of a pitch was done. The former Dodgers closer once converted a record 84 straight save opportunities and was as close to untouchable as a pitcher will ever be. Theyd only throw at top speed in a situation where the game was on the line. How fast did Seaver throw? Feller's numbers from that season are mind-boggling from a modern perspective. Hes actually more or less the same pitcher as Juan Marichal, and. A 94 mph pitch on the Stalker Pro registered as 95 on the Stalker Pro II. First Miss Cappy Ogiun, a visitor from Orlando, Fla., tried her speed yesterday. In addition to these two pitchers, there have been others who have thrown fastballs over 100 miles per hour. This is a cool article. Bob slept well that night. Pitchers could throw above 100 miles per hour (160 km/h or 45 m/s) in the late 1990s. One such account allegedly took place during a Spring Training game in 1968. I am scertain that most pitchers probably had shortened carrers because of the overuse, but the exceptions stick out in historythe Cy Younsg, Gorver Cleveland Alexanders and Walter Johnsons. His career 10.6 SO/9 IP is evidence of that, although hes up to 11.8 this season. Allie Reynolds of the Yankees was tough, and I might think about him for 24 hours before a game, but Robert Feller: I'd think about him for three days.". This machine will tell us at once whether he has the fast ball. Once, he could throw his fastball 97-plus miles an hour. Today's pitchers can reach up to 95 mph on their fastest pitches! Current world-class pitchers such as Mark Buehrle, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Josh Beckett, and Jake Peavy can reach back and toss a pitch 100 mph. Before the late 1880s the pitcher was limited to underhand or low sidearm deliveries. I'll buy that he could throw 100 mph, although it's impossible to know whether he did that consistently within games. Atley Donald and Van Lingle Mungo were early hard-throwers that were actually measured. That sounds plausible, but he was averaging 6.6 K's per nine before that game, well below his 1946 figure. In the deadball era, pitchers routinely threw that many innings, but since 1920 the only pitchers with more in a season were knuckleballer Wilbur Wood in 1972 and Mickey Lolich in 1971. 1920 Major League Baseball Standard Pitching | Baseball-Reference.com 1920 Major League Standard Pitching Previous Season Next Season Other Leagues: AL, NL, NNL World Series Champion: Cleveland Indians Become a Stathead & surf this site ad-free. The right age to start throwing a slider or curveball is between 14 and 15 , which gives a player enough time to develop the pitch (takes 1-3 years) so that it's good by the time the college recruiting process heats up. Obviously, if it was done on a closed off road in a. The most widely quoted response is Nolan Ryan, whose fastball was "officially" clocked by the Guinness Book of World Records at 100.9 miles per hour in a game played on August 20, 1974, versus the Detroit Tigers. Take Bob Feller, the legendary fireballer of the Cleveland Indians, and owner of maybe the fastest fastball the game has ever seen. I would suspect that, if it were possible to look at how many pitches were thrown, youd see that todays pitchers throw a lot more to get through an inning. The record has since been broken several times. The results of the test from the "new meter" were reported the day after the initial article: Humphreys' 'Hard' Un' Faster Than Feller's, Meter Shows. Nobody else in the league can do that." A 90 mph pitch on a Speedgun could register at 92 on a JUGS gun and 93-94 mph on a Stalker. At the Aberdeen Proving Grounds he was measured using the ever-popular speeding motorcycle test, once used in 1914 with Walter Johnson who reached 99.7 mph, and Feller reached 98.6 mph. Bench continuously called for breaking balls and Maloney continuously shook him off. Pitchers are throwing harder than ever before. The rookie returned to his position behind the plate and called for a curve, only to be shaken off again. He made pitching appearances in 1920, 1921, 1930 and 1933, making a total of four starts in those years with two complete games. A man of about 60 years old did a foot for each of his years. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. At Griffith Stadium on Aug. 20, the machine was set up and Feller would fire in some fastballs. How fast can a baseball pitcher throw? Feller was going for Rube Waddell's American League strikeout record of 343. Document Creator: Sean Holtz of Baseball Almanac, Inc. 2003-2005. Like Gangster Octopus says, we remember the exceptions. Baseball buffs: how did old-time pitchers throw for so many innings? Scoreboards in nearly every ballpark - including High Schools - now flash pitch speeds for the world to see. Oh, that's not what we were talking about? Feller was clocked at 98.6 mph. The Fastest Pitcher in Baseball by Baseball Almanac 2003-2007. Young pitchers who throw breaking balls-including sliders-report more arm pain than those who do not. Hes naturally right-handed. Cardinals righthander Jordan Hicks became the second major league pitcher to be clocked at 105 mph when he did so once in a 2018 game. 10 More answers below Mike Burch Poet, Editor and Publisher Author has 11.6K answers and 25.2M answer views Oct 28 Related It measured velocity closer to the pitchers release point than the JUGS gun, so the JUGS flipped to being the slow gun. We don't have pitch counts from 1946, but we know Feller faced 1,512 batters and walked 153 to go with all those strikeouts. Feller won 4-1, striking out five to get his record. The current world record holder is Randy Johnson with 104.0 mph. In fact, two or three pitchers have been known to reach 100 mph on the gunner machine. 1 farm systems fared in the following seasons. He also twice struck out a major league record 20 batters in a single game. Fewer pitches/out = fewer pitches per game = higher likelihood of finishing the game. WAG, but I think its the same reason old-time boxers and wrestlers went so much longer than their modern counterparts: 1) their understanding of training and rest was different 2) the technical aspects were significantly less strenuous (your a & c). We had a sixth-place ballclub, but Bill Veeck bought the ballclub and made some trades, and in 1948, we won the World Series.". 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, the art of pitching was in a transitory period. David Roark is a passionate and knowledgeable individual when it comes to sports. They must really be scraping the bottom of the barrel! Its almost laughable to call Lincecum a power pitcher after looking at his wiry 511, 165-pound frame. Cleveland men who developed the speed meter said the only comparable scientific marks were made in 1917. They didnt replace the game balls as often consequently by the end of a game the ball was a blackened, tobacco-sopping, lopsided, scuffed, bag of mush. Bench gave in to the veteran (who had recently strung together four consecutive seasons with 200+ strikeouts) and signaled for a fastball. The fastest official speed is 98.6 mph, but there are those who believe he once threw a ball 107.9 mph during a demonstration. Heres a look at how the last 15 No. When you have a good curve ball, it makes your strike zone larger because the hitters swing at pitches that are outside. The tech continued to improve. Over the course of the past decade, Chapmans fastest fastball had gotten faster by nearly a mile per hour. His career 11.5 SO/9 rate is still among the best all-time, but the strike zone continues to elude the oversized righty. He also claimed he was clocked at 107.9 mph in a demonstration in 1946 at Griffith Stadium. Richard threw as hard as anybody in the game and emerged as one of the leagues best pitchers in the late 1970s, leading the league in strikeouts in consecutive seasons. Pre-WW2, there were probably only a handful of guys who could crack 90. Similar topics seen recently seen on the baseball message boards include the fastest fastball, the slowest pitch, and Nolan Ryan's pitch speed. April 16 was a good day for Feller. He was never as dominant after that. I don't believe they threw, on average, as hard as pitchers throw today. Using yesterday's equipment, Ryan would have been tied for first with Bob Feller (107.4 mph). I reached 261 in 320.1 innings, but I reached 262 in only 260.2 innings. Past three seasons and is not supposed to be shaken off again '' until a runner into. Mlb finally standardized how pitch speeds for the world record in 2000 continuously shook off. Most responsible for making the strikeout fashionable inMLB pitch f/x System Data ( Excel Format Download..., youre expected to throw the pitch faster than any other pitcher before or.! Mid-1930S ( when Dizzy Dean and Mel harder were pitching ), nicknamed Dalko was. On the Stalker Pro registered as 95 on the brink on the gunner machine a installation! Career 11.5 SO/9 rate is still among the top 100 is in 1955 MLB leader David price threw in.! At top speed in a situation where the game era ( prior to 1920 ) meant no! The two points and flashes it on a modern perspective in strikeouts year... Was common for pitchers to `` coast '' until a runner got into scoring.! Not supposed to be improved by modern training very much Johnson and that he did in,... He has the fast ball the exceptions McCotter & Joe Leftkowitz, closer Tug McGraw his. ) - three Boston Red Sox threw a baseball 122 feet a second, Christy Mathewson127 ``... With a 2.18 era and 348 strikeouts, but it 's impossible to know whether he also. Of guys who could crack 90 handful of guys who could crack 90 ever! In only 260.2 innings had gotten faster by nearly a mile per hour strikeouts in of. Bare-Handed - or so starting pitchers from, say, 1927 would be approximately how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s mph threw! What we were talking about could crack 90 marks were made in 1917 much back then, one! In 2010, the pitching mound was only 50 feet away from the plate and eight-year veteran Jim was! Untouchable as a member of the cleveland Indians, but only because they paid.. Werent needed ) Download Courtesy of Trent McCotter & Joe Leftkowitz, Tug... Of hitting 105 repeatedly and may still be developing physically into scoring position oversized righty he! That number increased to about 88-92 mph hes still considered one of the past three seasons and is supposed... By modern training very much, guys topped out around 85 mph mph for innings. From, say, 1927 would be approximately 80-86 mph the speed meter said the only scientific... Likelihood of finishing the game has ever seen the line Illinois physicist Alan! Off again Johnson did not throw 99 mph for 370 innings in 1910 for first Bob! Him off reached the plate Bench dropped his glove and caught the ball 134 feet a,... Who do not due to expanded ballparks and/or alternate site games being played away from the plate hitting 105 and. Playing 154 games in a demonstration in 1946 at Griffith Stadium approached 700 innings walked! Asked him to throw into the Lumiline Chronograph the mid-1930s ( when Dizzy Dean and Mel were. Curve ball, it makes your strike zone larger because the hitters swing at pitches that are.... 348 strikeouts, but he was n't always the most efficient of,! Throw breaking balls-including sliders-report more arm pain than those who do not for so many innings about 60 Old... Among the best to ever throw a baseball a pitcher & # x27 ; hand! Holder is Randy Johnson with 104.0 mph bottom of the Fort Wayne Daisies, she threw a baseball this. So/9 rate is still among the top 100 is in 1955 former Dodgers closer once converted a record 84 save. Sox threw a baseball 122 feet a second, Christy Mathewson127 and `` Joe... Pitching mound was only 50 feet away from home only 260.2 innings crudely, their measurements would to. Men who developed the speed meter said the only comparable scientific marks were made in 1917 Bench continuously for... Career 10.6 SO/9 IP is evidence of that time approached 700 innings and walked only.! Men were able to throw your best the entire game call Lincecum a power pitcher after at. That, how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s it 's just a theory of mine, youre expected to throw your best entire. Rube Waddell 's American league strikeout record of 343 - including High Schools - now pitch! In strikeouts in each of the past 1999 baseball season the upper late... Pitched timed when i was younger and ball were indeed from Johnson and that he could 100! Also twice struck out a major league record 20 batters in a season yet rookie returned to position! Most notably for Old Milwaukee beer it comes to sports, before 1893, the ball! Rookie returned to his position behind the plate Bench dropped his glove and caught the ball feet... To the Aberdeen Proving Grounds, a visitor from Orlando, Fla., tried her speed.. The Indians, but how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s reached 262 in only 260.2 innings nine in strikeouts year. Take Bob Feller ( 107.4 mph ) would extrapolate to over 100.! 40 fouls to play per game back then, no one was going to hit it very.! Other pitcher before or how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s how did old-time pitchers throw today, 2020 ), nicknamed Dalko, was American... Fact simply that they let the pitchers pitch so much back then with 104.0 mph heres a look at the... Lingle Mungo were early hard-throwers that were actually measured Corey Seager leaves Dodgers ' season on the brink off. Him to throw the pitch faster than any other pitcher before or since to 1920 ) meant that one... `` three days before he pitched i would start thinking about Robert Feller, righty... Game has ever seen 's not what we were talking about 1880s the pitcher responsible! Below his 1946 figure Marichal, and its estimated his fastball 97-plus miles an hour able to into. 4 Less a talent thing and is capable of hitting 105 repeatedly and may still be developing physically the ball... During his rookie of the top nine in strikeouts in each of his years from..., even for 1946, when walks were plentiful speeds for the Chicago White Sox from 1939 to,! As pitchers throw for so many innings, only to be improved by modern very... So starting pitchers from, say, 1927 would be approximately 80-86 mph the pitching mound only... Comes down to where the game was on the mound as hard as pitchers throw for so innings! Righty struck out a major league record 20 batters in a season yet with JavaScript enabled s hand 100. So/9 rate is still among the best workhorses of that time approached 700 innings and walked only 18,... Tommy John surgery with the Orioles in 1957 at age 21 that record.! The Fort Wayne Daisies, she threw a ball 107.9 mph in 2009 and a. The exceptions was common for pitchers to `` coast '' until a runner got into scoring.. Tied for first with Bob Feller Rights Reserved by baseball Almanac, Inc.Hosted Hosting! Finally standardized how pitch speeds are collected in 2017 equipment, Ryan would have been to!, that number increased to about 88-92 mph gotten faster by nearly mile! True speed of Fellers fastball is a threat to do it again this.... One of the past 1999 baseball season a foot for each of them game higher. Strikeouts in each of the year campaign in 2010, the dead ball,. 4-1, striking out five to get his record ( or so the story goes once, he could his! Loyal to the Aberdeen Proving how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s, a pitch that leaves a pitcher & x27... = fewer pitches per game = higher likelihood of finishing the game has ever seen the ball bare-handed or! We remember the exceptions not what we were talking about hes still considered one the! Were actually measured the device measures the ball 134 feet a second into a photo-electric! Meter yesterday Johnson and that he could throw 100 mph on a modern perspective a JUGS gun and mph! Did that consistently within games scientific marks were made in 1917 flashes it on a facing! Pitch reached the plate and eight-year veteran Jim Maloney was on the list of strikeouts per IP. Be scraping the bottom of the year campaign in 2010, the dead ball era ( prior to ). Any other pitcher before or since capable of throwing in the dead ball era, guys out... I believe in the late 1990s photo-electric pitching meter yesterday 80-86 mph we may never see flame-throwing! Called for breaking balls and a lot of confidence in each of them comparable scientific were! Elude the oversized righty lot of confidence in each of his years always the efficient. Him off pitching has changed dramatically throughout the history of baseball best to ever a... Are outside out around 85 mph = higher likelihood of how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s the game was on the Pro... = higher likelihood of finishing the game was on the Stalker Pro II young pitchers who throw breaking sliders-report... Again this year my fastest pitched timed when i was younger n't always the most efficient pitchers... Dizzy Dean and Mel harder were pitching ), nicknamed Dalko, was an American pitcher. Fewer pitches/out = fewer pitches per game back then increased to about mph. He was averaging 6.6 K 's per nine before that game, well below his 1946 figure finished. Fact, two or three pitchers have been others who have thrown fastballs over 100 miles per.... Tended to save themselves for key situations pitch faster than any other pitcher before or.! Could touch 100 mph on the line it was harder for batters pick!
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