The velocity of a baseball depends on the person throwing the baseball and the type of pitch he is throwing. The most common types of pitches are fastballs, curveballs, sliders and change-ups. Estimating how fast the pitcher is going to throw the baseball is far from a science because thin pitchers such as Dwight Gooden and Tim Lincecum often throw the ball faster than much larger pitchers.
Records
Aroldis Chapman of the Cincinnati Reds threw the fastest pitch in Major League Baseball history on Sept. 24, 2010, when a radar gun measured his fastball at 105.1 mph, according to Baseball Almanac. Forty-eight pitchers have thrown a pitch at least 100 mph during a Major League Baseball game. Nolan Ryan, the all-time leader in strikeouts, was the first in 1974. His 100.9-mph pitch was the record until Rob Dibble threw a 101-mph pitch in 1992. Robb Nen increased the record to 102 mph in 1997, Armando Benitez tied Nen in 2002 and Joel Zumaya’s 104.8-mph pitch was the record from 2006 to 2010. Randy Johnson and Roger Clemens, who are second and third in all-time strikeouts, have thrown 100-mph pitches. Other 100 mph club members include Gooden, Lincecum, Bobby Jenks, Billy Wagner, Josh Beckett, Brad Lidge, J.R. Richard, C.C. Sabathia and Kerry Wood.
Fastballs
All of the fastest pitches were probably fastballs because a fastball’s velocity is higher than the velocity of other pitches, according to radar guns. A good major league fastball is thrown at least 90 mph, according to “Why They Scratch Themselves: How to Understand Baseball.” However, author John Hood wrote that a good fastball shouldn’t be straight. Instead, it should move slightly to the left or right and drop slightly as it reaches home plate 60 feet away from the pitcher’s mound.
Breaking Balls
Curveballs and sliders are called breaking balls because they “change directions suddenly, breaking sideways and down,” wrote Hood. Fastballs and breaking balls are all gripped firmly between the fingers, but pitchers snap their wrists sharply downward when they throw curves and sharply sideways when they throw sliders so they can spin the baseball. A good major league curveball has a velocity of about 80 mph and drops dramatically as it reaches home plate. A good major league slider has a velocity of about 85 mph, looks like a fastball as it approaches home plate, and curves more than a fastball but less than a curveball.
‘Slowballs’
Hood calls change-ups “slowballs” because their velocity is considerably slower than the other three primary pitches. In fact, “change-up” is short for changes in speeds. Its primary purpose is to throw off the timing of the batters as they look for faster pitches. Change-ups, unlike the other pitches, aren’t firmly gripped between the fingers. Instead, they’re held in the palm of the pitching hand or lightly between the fingers. Hood doesn’t estimate the speed of a good change-up because it’s not that important, but notes that pitchers use the same throwing motion they use for other pitches so they can fool batters.
References
- Baseball Almanac: The Fastest Pitcher in Baseball History
- Baseball-Reference.com: Career Leaders & Records for Strikeouts
- "Why They Scratch Themselves: How To Understand Baseball"; John W. Hood; 1994
- "Encyclopedia Britannica Macropedia" Vol. 14; 2002
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