How fast can an MLB pitcher throw a fastball?

Average MLB fastball velocity in 2022
Some of the fastest pitchers in 2022 clocked over 103 mph, with multiple relievers and even a few starters hitting 102 mph with relative ease. Unsurprisingly, MLB set a record for the highest average fastball velocity ever in 2022.
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Is a 110 mph fastball possible?

The fastest of them tops out at 105 MPH. WIRED examines why the 110 MPH fastball is almost impossible.
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Who threw 106 mph?

There actually is a major leaguer who has thrown pitches at 101 mph and has a 106 mph exit velocity on a hit. Jacob deGrom, who was a shortstop for much of his college career at Stetson, had a 106 mph exit velocity on a single in 2015. He also has 47 101-plus mph pitches in his career.
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Do any MLB pitchers throw 100 mph?

In the pitch-tracking era (since 2008), there have been 223 MLB pitchers to hit 100 on the radar gun, according to Baseball Savant's Statcast. Almost half of those have happened since 2018. The Twins have had only four pitchers reach triple digits in this era: Duran, Jorge Alcala, Brusdar Graterol and Juan Morillo.
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How fast can MLB pitchers throw?

For years, the best baseball pitchers in the major leagues strived to reach the 100 miles per hour (mph) mark for a fastball. Nolan Ryan held the world record for a time with a 100.9 mph fastball thrown in 1974. Today, it's quite common for major league pitchers routinely to throw fastballs in the 95+ mph range.
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Why It's Almost Impossible to Throw a 110 MPH Fastball | WIRED



How fast was Babe Ruth's fastball?

Babe Ruth was a legendary baseball player and one of the most popular athletes in history. He is best known for his home run record, but he also had an impressive throwing ability. What is this? A study found that Babe Ruth threw the ball with an average speed of 97 miles per hour.
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Did Nolan Ryan throw 100 mph?

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. A record that's still included in the book.
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Who threw a 108 mph pitch?

As a result, Aroldis Chapman is credited with throwing the fastest pitch in MLB history. On Sept. 24, 2010, Chapman made MLB history. Then a rookie relief pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, the fireballer unleashed a fastball clocked at 105.1 mph by PITCH/fx.
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Why it's almost impossible to throw a 110 mph fastball?

The number of pitchers who can break the 100 MPH has gone up dramatically in the last decade, with one who can throw 105. But breaking 110 MPH is nearly impossible, due to the physical limitations of human bones, muscles, and ligaments.
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How fast did Nolan Ryan actually throw?

1. Nolan Ryan. There have been pitchers who can throw harder than Ryan's 100.9 mph fastball. But there will never be another strikeout pitcher who played as long as Ryan did (27 seasons) for as well as he did.
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What's the fastest pitch in MLB history?

Fastest pitch ever thrown

As a result, Aroldis Chapman is credited with throwing the fastest pitch in MLB history. On Sept. 24, 2010, Chapman made MLB history. Then a rookie relief pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, the fireballer unleashed a fastball clocked at 105.1 mph by PITCH/fx.
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What is the fastest pitch Nolan Ryan ever threw?

Nolan Ryan: 108.1 MPH

Nolan Ryan with a 108.1 MPH reading according to the doppler laser radar readings that were used in 1974.
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What is the fastest exit velocity ever?

122.4 MPH exit velocity! 😮 Oneil Cruz just hit the hardest-hit batted ball in Statcast era history!
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How long does it take a 102 mph fastball to reach home plate?

A fastball takes . 4 seconds to reach home plate after it leaves a pitcher's hand, but a hitter needs a full . 25 seconds to see the ball and react. “Light hits our eye and the information needs to get to our brain,” said researcher Gerrit Maus of UC Berkeley.
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How long does it take a 105 mph fastball to reach the plate?

A 100-mph fastball takes roughly 375-400 milliseconds to reach the plate. For reference, the blink of an eye takes 300-400 milliseconds.
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How fast does a 95 mph fastball get to the plate?

A 95-mph fastball is traveling about 139 feet-per-second. That means it takes about 0.425 seconds to reach the plate. That's less than half a second for hand-eye coordination to do its thing and make a connection.
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What is the slowest fastball ever thrown?

This 35.1 MPH Frank Schwindel pitch is the slowest (known/measured) MLB pitch to ever get hit for a home run!
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Why is a spitball illegal in baseball?

Why is the spitball pitch illegal? The spitball is illegal because it gives the pitcher an unfair advantage and because of the tragic death of Ray Chapman in 1920.
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How long does it take a 90 mph fastball to reach the plate?

A 90-mph fastball can reach home plate in 400 milliseconds -- or four-tenths of a second. But a batter has just a quarter-second to identify the pitch, decide whether to swing, and start the process.
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Do any MLB pitchers throw a knuckleball?

Bob Purkey. Purkey pitched for the Pirates, Reds and Cardinals over the course of his 13-year MLB career, and his successful implementation of the knuckleball enabled him to be enshrined in the Reds' Hall of Fame.
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Has there ever been a 27 pitch game?

No, there has never been a 27-strikeout baseball game. The all-time record for strikeouts in a 9-inning game is 20.
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What is the hardest thrown pitch?

Fastest recorded pitches, since 2008
  • Aroldis Chapman: 105.8 mph (9/24/10)
  • Aroldis Chapman: 105.7 mph (7/18/16)
  • Aroldis Chapman: 105.4 mph (7/18/16)
  • Aroldis Chapman: 105.2 mph (7/22/16)
  • Aroldis Chapman: 105.1 mph (7/22/16)
  • Aroldis Chapman: 105.1 mph (8/2/16)
  • Aroldis Chapman: 105.1 mph (7/18/16)
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Who threw 116 mph pitch?

That's not a pitch. Bauer is taking a running start and whipping a 3oz ball a short distance. He threw a ball 116.9 mph, not a pitch. It's semantics, we know.
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Is it possible to throw 108 mph?

The year 1974 was a watershed year of sorts for how we have come to measure the speed of a pitch.
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What was Randy Johnson's fastest pitch?

In the prime of his career, Johnson's fastball was clocked as high as 102 mph (164 km/h), with a low three-quarters delivery (nearly sidearm). His signature pitch was a slider that broke down and away from left-handed hitters and down and in to right-handed hitters.
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