Fastest pitch ever?


Aroldis Chapman?

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My money is on either Nolan Ryan or Billy Wagner.

The problem with this question is it is a lot more complex than it first appears.

The equipment, and the methods, of measure pitch velocity have changed a LOT. When Nolan played, guns were not common until he was older, and they were pointed near home plate where velocity was lowest. Later guns measured closer to the release point, making velocity look higher. Today, it's finally standardized in between these ranges, with different tech (high speed cameras).
However, since the methods used for various players varied and produced different results, it is VERY difficult to compare players across eras with certainty.

Also, how do you measure? Single throw? Average throw? Most throws over 100? Are we counting only pitches thrown during a MLB game? What about the Minors? Practice? etc, etc.


MLB likes to say Chapman.

Guinness World Record says Ryan.

Many people who saw them pitch say Steve Dalkowski or Feller at his prime.

I'm interested to see this documentary because this is a difficult question that people have tried to answer for a long time.

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Dude you are way overthinking this lol. The question was fastest pitch ever. That means the fastest pitch ever. If the question was fastest average throw ever the question would be fastest average throw ever. If the question was most throws over 100 the question would be most throws over 100. I've never in my life heard anyone respond to the simplest question of what the fastest pitch ever is and dissect it to somehow make it an entirely different question. And no, not in practice, not in the minors, in the majors lol. I gotta say you are one of the most literal people I've ever heard. I bet you're going to correct the fact that I literally said "heard" because technically I didn't hear you lol. The first part of your assessment was valid, but I just couldn't get past you not comprehending what the actual question was asking. That being said, not sure if anyone will know for sure given the valid arguments you made in the beginning of your response.

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This may not be the documentary for you friend, as nothing I wrote is uncommon among baseball nerds.

Here is a whole website on the very subject, lol:
http://www.efastball.com/

Simply stating "fastest pitch ever" is too vague for the certainty you seem to have derived. Nevermind the OP doesn't mention it need be in the Majors anywhere, you seem to be making that part up. Maybe the problem isn't me being too literal ... maybe it's you assuming too much?

That said, if you are so confident, how about just answering the OP's question?


P.S.
"With Kevin Costner narrating, lead a cast of baseball legends and scientists who explore the magic within the 396 milliseconds it takes a fastball to reach home plate, and decipher who threw the fastest pitch ever."

Runtime of 127 minutes.

How do you think this film takes so long to answer the question if it is as direct as you imagine?

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Walter Johnson "the big train"

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[deleted]

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Anyone remember Wayne Simpson from the 1970's Reds before he threw his arm out? IIRC, he was 14-1 before the All-star break, something happened to his arm and his career faltered. But I remember him with just blazing speed.


My Chimp DNA seems to have lost its password temporarily. Sluggr-2

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Agreed about Dalko. No doubt, the fastest ever to <almost> pitch in the majors. The stuff of legends there.

Koufax was an unusual choice for this film because his curve was his most devastating pitch. They'd call it a slider today, but it was nasty once he controlled it. But he is certainly famous.

Ryan is the greatest specimen the world may ever see. I cannot imagine anyone else throwing that hard, that many innings, that many years.

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Koufax was an unusual choice for this film because his curve was his most devastating pitch. They'd call it a slider today, but it was nasty once he controlled it. But he is certainly famous.


I believe it was one of the strikeouts in the perfect game film that was a very good curveball - obviously many mph slower with a big arc.

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If you watch the movie, it actually is complicated and they had to compensate for the different positions of measurement.
If one guy has a radar over home plate and measure 98mph, and another guy rates 102mph 50ft out from home plate (current measure spot). which one is faster? Actually it would be the 98mph guy because they said it looses something like 7mph over the distance. So the 98mph guy would actually read more like 105mph if measured in the same location.

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billy blanks oxiclean
first pitch i was sold 

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The scientific comparison of recorded fastballs near the end of the documentary said Nolan Ryan had the fastest fastball of all of the clocked pitches, after allowing for the method of recording their speed. Clocked at the same distance where Chapman was clocked at around 105, Ryan's recorded speed would have been just over 108 MPH when all the distances and measurements were equalized.

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I understand completely where they're coming from with the location of measurement and drag coefficient, but I'm still struggling with the comparison.

Anyone with Ryan's ability to hold high 90's that deep into games and into his 40's should definitely be in consideration. However, if you're going to talk about standardization, the methods of measurement need to be discussed. I gotta believe the margin of error in today's guns are a lot smaller than in Feller and Ryan's days. Not only that, but I'd like to see their drag coefficient calculation put to the test and check speed at 50' and 67.5'. I'm sorry, but I can't believe for a second that Johnson threw 94 with that motion: 0 drive, 0 torque, 0 pronation. Also, Chapman is 100% recoil, explosion, and torque and has much longer lever arms than Ryan. As time passes, athletes get stronger -- it's evolution. Chapman is built for speed and uses max effort in 2013 (prime)...gotta be harder than Ryan in 30 years ago. I'd love to see Ryan versus today's guns, but we can't.

I'm not saying there's no way that Ryan (or Feller or Dalkowski) didn't throw harder...I'm just saying that's it's unlikely and any 'method' of comparison should be questioned.

If we didn't have methods to time sprinters, would everyone be saying that Jesse Owens and Carl Lewis and Michael Johnson were faster than Bolt?? I bet they would. And they'd be wrong.

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Except throwing ability doesn't seem to be advancing among athletes the way running is. In fact, all evidence seems to be the opposite, even with the recent spread of HGH and steroids. Take a peek:


Ex. The world record for a javelin throw is over 30 years old.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men%27s_javelin_throw_world_record_progression


Ex. The world record for the discus is 30 years old.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men%27s_discus_throw_world_record_progression

Notice in both cases, the more recent attempts are often worse than the attempts from the 1970's.

Ex. Longest Football throw is from 1988.
https://www.reference.com/sports-active-lifestyle/longest-football-throw-history-6b2b4c821b672b5c


The longest baseball throw is from 1957!
http://thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com/long197.html

There is no reason to expect modern pitchers to be throwing harder.


P.S. The visual aspects of the pitching motion are not in any way reliable measures of velocity.

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