It should occur as no surprise that the pitches thrown in Major League Baseball are gravely fast . In fact , it’snot unusualfor hurler to throw over 100 mil per hour ( 161 kilometre per 60 minutes ) , and many more hover around the upper forked finger’s breadth .
But you might wonder what the pinnacle is : Just how fast can the very best throw a baseball , and where does the record for thefastest pitch evercurrently stand ?
How Does the MLB Measure Pitch Speed?
The basic elements of the tar have been the same since the beginning of baseball : the human eubstance ( specifically the arm ) and a baseball . However , as in all mutation , there is progression over prison term ; human being have shown a remarkable hang for get sound , stronger , and faster .
Pitching is no exception . Today , pitchersare throwingfasterthan ever .
But thetechnologyneeded to accurately evaluate pitch speed — and uniform borrowing of the tech throughout the summercater — is relatively new . To suffice the question of debauched baseball game pitch records , it ’s necessary to depend at the different engineering science that ’s been used over fourth dimension .
Evolving Technologies
Anew eraof tar speed measuring began in the seventies , when the radar guns that had been developed for time the stop number of cars were used to measure tight - move baseball thrown by major league pitcher . Technologyimproved over time , go to more accurate measurements , as well as set the peak of measuring closer to the pitcher ’s hands .
This shift meant that the measured pitch f number was lead up , for the simple reasonableness that a pitchslows downas it travels to home plate plate , due to idle words ohmic resistance . A ball that leaves the pitcher ’s script at 100 miles per hour ( 161 kph ) might slow down to 90 miles per hour ( 145 kph ) by the time it match the catcher ’s baseball glove .
Compensating for Newer Methods
With the borrowing of theStatcastsystem in 2015 , the innovative epoch of baseball statistics began — not just for the fastest pitches , but for thelongest abode runsas well . While fresh data was being collected and organized , old data was adjusted to the new measuring standards , so that record could be asconsistentas potential across sentence .
That imply that older pitching speeds were revise upward to twin what they would be with the new technology , which measures pitches as close as possible to the moment the ball leaves the twirler ’s script .
The Fastest Pitches in the Statcast Era
Below is a list of the top 10fastest pitchesthrown in this era , grant to Statcast . You ’ll quickly notice thatAroldis Chapman ’s name is all over this list ; that ’s because he ’s throw eight of the dissipated pitches ever recorded , with Jordan Hicks charter the remaining two slots .
Aroldis Chapman’s Dominant Pitching
Aroldis Chapman has had an impressive career . His MLB unveiling was in 2010 with the Cincinnati Reds , where he immediately set about set up record for his blindingly firm pitching f number .
In the ten - plus since , he ’s pitched for the Chicago Cubs , the New York Yankees , the Kansas City Royals and , most recently , the Texas Rangers . All the while , he ’s been throwing some serious heat .
On September 24 , 2010 , in a game against the San Diego Padres , Aroldis Chapman threw what would become the currentworld recordfor the fast auction pitch read . ab initio , the sales talk was value at 105.1 miles per hour ( 169.1 km/h ) , but was later revised to 105.8 mph ( 170.3 kph ) , due to the standardization of Statcast platter .
Chapman give way on to fill out much of the rest of the top 10 records , including an especially hot 2016 season . Only Jordan Hicks , whose MLB first appearance in 2018 see him playing for the St. Louis Cardinals , has slots in the top 10 fastest pitches ever . His fast pitch pin grass in at 105.0 miles per hour ( 169.0 kph ) .
Unofficial Records for Fast Pitches
While Aroldis Chapman holds theofficialrecord for the fastest pitch in MLB chronicle , there are some other fast pitch that often get discuss when the conversation turn to peak . Unlike the official records , these pitches were thrown under circumstances that make their speed hard to confirm .
No. 2: Bob Feller, Cleveland Indians, Griffith Stadium, 107.6 mph (173.2 km/h), 1946
This legendary , blaze - fastpitchwasn’t thrown during major conference game play . Instead , before the game start , it was measured by throwing into a equipment called a Lumiline Chronograph , which had been set up up to see how fast Feller was bewilder .
His degraded pitch was time at 98.6 miles per hour ( 158.7 kph ) . Because this was a one - off test , and the exact measure are n’t readily usable , it will always be a matter of speculation .
However , the high - end estimate for what that lurch would be today , using modern measurement measure , is a banging 107.6 mph ( 173.2 kph ) .
No. 1: Nolan Ryan, California Angels, Anaheim Stadium, 108.1 mph (174 km/h), 1974
Nolan Ryan’ssmokerwas throw in the ninth inning of a game in which the radar gun was being bring out as a newfangled , innovative technology .
While the measuring on the day was 100.8 mph ( 162.2 kph ) , adjusting to the new measure would make that a ignition - fast 108 miles per hour ( 173.8 kph ) , easily securing the record of the fastest pitch ever recorded .
Even so , as with Bob Feller ’s record , the accuracy of Ryan ’s epic heater is heavy to know for sure , and some expert continue to dispute this pitch . But Ryan stay on one of the most famous mound of all time , and some think he was up to of the astonishing feat .
