Fastest Fastball?

[TheHawkN02]

Does anyone know who has the fastest recorded pitch in MLB history? If so, please include pitcher and speed of pitch in MPH. My personal guess might be Nolan "Flame Thrower" Ryan, but if aware of one faster, please reply.

Thanks in advance, "TheHawkN02" out.

[baseball5113]

i'm not 100% on this but i'm along the lines of 90-95% that it was nolan ryan...i am for sure that it was 101.3 mph.

[The Commissioner]

The Guiness Book of World Records lists Nolan Ryan's 101.9 MPH fastball on 8/20/74 as the fastest pitch ever recorded. This and other Guiness Baseball Records can be found right here at the almanac:

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/recbooks/rb_guin.shtml

[gophills619]

Hasn't Billy Koch's fastball been measured at 101 mph?

[codehappy]

Nobody knows who threw the hardest. Most radar guns used in-game to measure pitch speed are not kept well calibrated, and (depending on the delivery of the pitcher) don't always get a good enough "read" on a ball to return an accurate speed. So most of those readings are uncertain to within a couple MPH.

Nolan Ryan did have a fastball officially clocked at 101.9 MPH under controlled conditions, which is why his numbers are in the Guiness world record book. But, hey, Nolan Ryan probably pitched faster balls in a game sometime in his long MLB career. Nobody knows for sure which major league player had the fastest fastball. Nolan Ryan is a safe bet - certainly among the fastest - but nobody knows.

Many people who saw both Nolan Ryan and a minor league pitcher Steve Dalkowski pitch thought Dalkowski threw the hardest. A, ahem, "slight" control problem kept him out of the majors. Here's an article where you can read more about Dalkowski, it's certainly a fascinating story: http://home.rmci.net/taengon/page8.html

[billforn]

Back in the 1940s, Bob Feller was clocked by a photo cell device at 107 mph. This device predates radar guns and is considered to be more accurate than radar guns. In fact, from my understanding, to this day the U.S. military still uses the photo cell technology because of its precision.

[Themescules]

Nolan Ryan's Fastball was clocked at 100.9 MPH not 101.9, as a matter of fact if you look at the link The Commissioner gave it will say 100.9, I remembered when RYAN did it.

Yesterday July 24th, 2002 I was watching ESPN and they showed a ball that Guillermo Mota of the Dodgers threw to Ron Gant and Gant got a hold of it and smacked a two-run homer in the 7th inning for the Padres. Espn froze the scene and the pitch gun showed the pitch to be 101 MPH, that's the fastest I've scene and you can contact ESPN about it, it was pretty cool to see a pitch that fast and more amazingly Gant smashing it into the seats.

Themescules

[trosmok]

I have heard the same story about Feller and the photo cell, and under controlled conditions I'm sure the velocities are close but not fully representative of what can happen in game. A little adrenalin is a wonderful thing! Herman "Flea" Clifton related to Mike Shannon a case for someone who could really bring it: We went out to watch the Indians take batting practice, (during his rookie season as a Tiger in 1934). I wanted to see them hit because they had some people who could swing the bat.... Hal Trosky, Earl Averill, Sam Rice, Joe Vosmik. Well, I was sitting there in our dugout, and to my surprise these guys weren't hitting nothing. This big old plowboy was out there pitching, and the Indians could hardly hit a foul tip off him, in batting practice. This plowboy was throwing with a nice and easy sidearm motion, but the ball was just exploding up to the plate. Our manager, Mickey Cochrane, and one of his coaches, Cy Perkins, came in to the dugout, so I said to them, "Who's that plowboy out there pitching? The Indians can't even hit a foul ball off him." Cochrane looked at Perkins, and Perkins looked at Cochrane, and then they both laughed. "You don't know who that is?" asked Cochrane. "No, I don't. That's why I'm asking you" I said. "That's Walter Johnson," Cochrane said. "Walter Johnson!" I said. "He's the Cleveland manager; he's got to be almost 50 years old; and his own pitchers don't throw that fast?!" "And I'm damn glad they don't." said Cochrane.

[treant985]

[updated:LAST EDITED ON Jul-26-02 AT 11:36 PM (EDT)]I've seen the little MPH part of the screen at 102 for Armando Benitez, along with 100 for Felix Rodriguez, 101 for Bartolo Colon, and 101 for Randy Johnson.

[Steffo]

last year i saw randy at 102, Rob Nen at 100, Kyle Farnsworth at 101 and Felix Rodriguez at 100, to name a few.

The Dodgers Fan

[Ytown_Tribe_fan]

I recall the Bob Feller story, but I think it was 98 mph. He had to throw the ball through a box, and it took several attempts to get it just right. I'm sure he hit over 100 from time-to-time, especially when he was in his early years.

I'd like to see what Colt Griffin does when he gets his cup of coffee. He hit 100 while in high school two years ago.

[froshman2002]

Well yes that would be a Mr. Schilling. The gun actually could not pick up the ball because it was traveling so fast and sinking and rises and doing all kinds of nasty stuff. But we are all certain it was faster and more nasty then all others.

But rest assured it was a strike.

Because as we know Mr. Schilling does not walk anyone, he only strikes them out.

Please see the thread about Mr. Schilling in the this forum for further proof of his awesomness.

Mr. Schilling you know where to report and what you should be picking up. And yes that is singing we hear in the background.

[Monsi]

Does anybody know where to find more information about the Bob Feller story?

I have a bet with an English Cricket lover, who is telling me cricket bowlers are faster than baseball pitchers.

[Kroxquo]

Cricket bowlers are allowed a running start, however their elbow cannot bend at the point of the release of the ball, so I would think that that would tend to slow the ball down.

[Shoeless]

The fact is we'll never have controlled measurements of anyone in the past...the issue is not accurate quantity but legend, innuendo, reputation. So my vote, for the pre-radar era, is with Dalkowski. He once threw it through a chainlink backstop--they kept the hole; I think it's mentioned in the article codehappy refers to.

[webmaster]

Hello Baseball Fans,

Many of you mentioned the original article written about Bob Feller. Others some anecdotes. Today I wrote an article about this topic and included a nifty little velocity calculator (in case you ever wondered how many feet per second a 100 mph fastball is actually traveling).

The Fastest Pitcher in Baseball History

Enjoy,

Sean

[Mulliganfan]

I'm still digging through my things to find the Baseball Digest article that said NY Yankee (infielder) Mark Koenig threw the fastest pitch on record. I actually wrote to Koenig at the time. He denied throwing a ball that hard, saying that it was physically impossible to throw a ball as hard as what they clocked him at.

[Mulliganfan]

Originally posted by Macker
Was is Koenig or Joe Gordon who was the Yankee 2nd baseman clocked as 117 (or was it 127) MPH? Maybe it was Koenig, but I seem to have misremembered it as Gordon. I think we are talking about the same story.

It was discussed in Baseball Digest several years ago. The editors stated that it wasn't clear what distance the 2nd baseman threw the ball (whether it was a 'pitch' or whether he was clocked from his 2nd base position.

OK, so you remember it too. It was Koenig. I wrote him a letter years ago about this and he replied "it is humanly impossible to throw a ball 117 miles per hour."

[cowboy15]

at a spring training camp for the astros is was reported that JR Richard hurled a fastball at 103. whether thats true or not i dont know....

[TheDarkDragon]

Eddie Feigner (the greatest fastpitch softball pitcher of all time) had a fastball clocked on a radar gun at 104. To my knowledge, this is faster than any clocked baseball pitcher.

I remember the game in which Randy was clocked at 100+, and it was in fact 102.

I seem to recall Nolan Ryan being clocked at 103.5 or so, in a controlled environment outside of a game.

Alan Embree, (setup man and now closer-by-committee chairman for the BoSox) was clocked at 100 at least once last season.

[Steffo]

I remember watching a Cubs game where I think it said 101 mph after Kyle Farnsworth pitched. The Guiness record is just pure baloney. They don't ever keep track of it. I bet Walter Johnson or Bob Gibson threw it 101+ a couple times.

[Ichi Ro]

Jenks of Chicago threw 102, two times tonight in Seattle.

[buckthis]

last year i saw randy at 102, Rob Nen at 100, Kyle Farnsworth at 101 and Felix Rodriguez at 100, to name a few.

The Dodgers Fan

Many Giants fans wish this was true but it's not. Mr. Nen last threw that hard three years ago.

Billy Wagner was in town last week and clocked a few at 100.

[Zito75]

How about Steve Dalkowski? He is the real version of "Nuke LaLushe." I've read stories that he could throw close to 110, this being back in the early 60's. He had massive control problems and eventually drank himself into dementia. Another tragic tale of wasted youth...

[Chisox73]

Jenks of Chicago threw 102, two times tonight in Seattle.

I saw that last night. I thought it was funny when Jenks threw that 1st 102 mph ball,Richie Sexson fouled it off the HP umps mask.That had to rattle the ump.