In 2008, there were only 196 triple-digit heaters thrown over the course of a full season. In 2003, Billy Wagner threw 25 pitches that were 100 miles per hour or faster. Martinez. So when you read of 85-90 mph fastballs from the early 1980s, realize that they would be registering much faster with current measurement tech. He has been playing sports his whole life and loves to talk about them. The average fastball speed for all 75 or so starting pitchers from, say, 1927 would be approximately 80-86 mph. Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. Pitchers dont usually return from Tommy John surgery with the same velocity, so we may never see the flame-throwing Strasburg ever again. The tech continued to improve. At first glance it might not seem that an increase of 2-4 mph over two decades would have a major effect on run scoring in the major leagues. Some high school data is courtesy David McWater. His 2,453 career strikeouts are just 34th all-time, but his 8.86 SO/9 IP are ninth. However, he is still just 23 years old. David Roark is a passionate and knowledgeable individual when it comes to sports. What is the Average Velocity of a Division 1 Pitcher? Its not often you find a starter who can throw up to 102 mph in any inning in any count on any day. What do you think? By 1890 overhand pitching was legal, and that is when we first hear about pitchers who were fearsomely fast, such as Amos Rusie and Cy Young. Teams are using an average of 3.3 relievers per game in 2019, just below last year's all-time record of 3.4. . Splitters actually work like change-ups and are usually labeled change-up. Baseballscouter.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Fastball velocity is on the rise. A Batted Ball Event represents any batted ball that The imitation speed are of 2 m/s, 2.5 m/s, 3 m/s, 3.5 m/s, 4 m/s, 4.5 m/s and 5 m/s. Medium high-leg kick. In 2008, the average major-league fastball registered 90.9 mph. The speed at which a 9 year old should pitch softball will depend on the child's skill level, physical condition, and the league they are playing in. So it's hard to use the blanket short spring training as an explanation, but I'm sure every pitcher is affected differently. His 4,875 strikeouts rank second all time, and his 10.6 SO/9 IP is first all time by a healthy margin. produces a result. In the last eight years, the league-average fastball has risen about 1 mile per hour. The epidemic of Tommy John surgery can be blamedsquarely on the elbow torque from the extreme fastball speed and throwing hard breaking balls like the cutter. Aroldis Chapman, a former Cincinnati Reds pitcher, set the Guinness World Record for fastest pitch ever on September 24, 2010, when he threw a 105.1-mph fastball against the San Diego Padres. The dip in the chart at 98 mph is due to the fact that only one pitcher averaged 98 mph (Kelvin Herrera of the Royals) and his K% was a mediocre 20%. On average, his fastball dropped, from his hand to the plate, 12 inches, far less than the 16 inches an average major league four-seamer dropped. This chart could change at any time based on the evolution of the pitcher in the game of baseball. How Long Does a High School Baseball Season Last? Pitchers who in yesteryear would have blown out their arms at a young age, never to be heard from again are now making it to the major leagues before suffering their arm injuries. In . They ridiculed him and refused to use it. Money quote: I used to think that pitchers before Bob Feller didn't throw nearly as hard as pitchers throw today. The result shows that at 4 is the best pitch . The average change-up speed for this age group is about 10 mph slower, making the velocity between 30-40 mph. In 1998, Lima matched this speed while playing for the Dodgers. Average Velocity Difference: 7.7 mph Standard Deviation: 2.2 mph Maximum: 15.6 mph - Chris Sale Minimum: 3.2 mph - Yovani Gallardo Range: 12.4 mph The slider features the largest range between. But then again throwing is mainly a talent thing and is not supposed to be improved by modern training very much. He redefined what it meant to be a power pitcher and laid the groundwork for guys like Clemens and Johnson to take over the league. In 1940, the walk rate was 8.6% of all batters. League Year-By-Year Pitching--Averages Table; Year Tms #P PAge R/G ERA G GF CG SHO tSho SV IP H R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF WHIP BAbip H9 HR9 BB9 SO9 SO/W E; 2022: 30: 871: 28.8: 4.28 But baseball history is littered with people proclaiming that we've finally reached the peak of fastball velocity. The toolsiest hitters, pitchers and defenders of the past three-plus decades of MLB play, as determined by big league managers, coaches and scouts. Are there measurements or estimations? . But just because the third strike often eluded Gibson, doesnt mean that the Hall of Famer didnt throw hard. For scouts, the Speedgun was known as the slow gun while the JUGS gun registered faster readings and was the fast gun.. In 1989, Nolan Ryan returned to the mound with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hitter's Parks - Parks with Most Home Runs, Average Speed by Pitch Type in the Majors, 1/20/2011 - Added Steven Ellis HS averages, 8/14/2008 - Corrected title "Pro avg" to "MLB avg", 8/10/2008 - Added average speed in major leagues based on August 2008 actual stats. 3: the flux density distribution over one pole pitch of the machine of Question 8 is as shown in the adjacent figure. https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/in-the-age-of-velocity-should-mlb-teams-be-placing-more-emphasis-on-command/. It all comes down to where the pitch is measured. Those of you who have taken a ballpark tour of GABP might have seen the Reds modern strength and conditioning facility. FanGraphs detailed in Apri how the average fastball velocity jumped from 91.7 mph in 2008 to 93.7 mph this season. His career 10.6 SO/9 IP is evidence of that, although hes up to 11.8 this season. One of them was a knuckleballer (R.A. Dickey). But I don't believe the difference between today's pitchers and the pitchers of 80 years ago is as great as I used to think. Real or Not? During the same date range of Apr 7 - Apr 12, 2022 fastball (four-seam, two-seam, sinker) velocity is actually up from 93.4 MPH in 2021 to 93.6 MPH in 2022. Bob Feller was measured at 98.6 MPH. Year to Year Changes. This site also participates in other affiliate programs and is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies. The average fastball velocity for pitchers 10 years old and younger is between 40-50 mph. The fact of the matter is, whether we like it or not, it is happening. In 1960 it was 8.8%. So even though it was recorded at 100 yards, it was actually 0.2 mph faster than what is considered to be legal ball speed. 15. In 2008 it was 91.8 mph. Data Provided By The average fastball speed for all 75 or so starting pitchers from, say, 1927 would be approximately 80-86 mph. Copyright RedlegNation.com. He lived and played in a time when instruments for measuring a baseball's speed didn't exist. Freddy Peralta thrills family with dazzling debut, Real or Not? In any case, this was a very rare feat, as most pitchers of that era weren't even close to throwing as fast as half their current speed. Unfortunately we dont have reliable velocity numbers for those years. Do you have a sports website? It was founded in 2007 and has grown exponentially in 14 years. 62 mph. The Reds and Lou Piniella were pioneers of this trend with the Nasty Boys, especially the hard-throwing Rob Dibble. Velocities are higher now than they were when pitchers were roided up 10-15 years ago. What is the fastest a human has thrown a baseball? Michael Clair In 2021, he averaged 95.1 mph on his fastball, touching 99. Dedicated to Teaching Baseball and Fast Pitch Softball. He first broke into the major leagues with the Reds in 2011 and was immediately given the title of "Fastest Pitcher in History". However, Major League Baseball officially considers that pitch to be a 105.8 mph fastball. The measurement of fastball velocity has also changed in recent decades, as. Many hitters claim that Rapid Robert is the fastest pitcher who ever lived. pitch. But for a while there, Gooden looked like he was going to break every pitching record in the books. Hes still considered one of the best to ever throw a baseball, and its estimated his fastball could reach 100 mph. Could a 108 mph fastball soon be in the future? Control of at least one off-speed pitch and developing another; Strike out to walk ratio of . A 94 mph pitch on the Stalker Pro registered as 95 on the Stalker Pro II. All in all, your eyes are not lying to you, and there are now some data points that prove that pitchers are indeed throwing harder than they ever have. That means teams are getting at least some major league time out of their draftees before they blow out their arms, which can then be repaired by the big-budgeted major league franchises and their affiliated surgeons. In his first full season as a closer the righty struck out 90 batters in 64.2 innings, good enough for his first and only All-Star selection. Record Setting Pitches in Japanese Baseball (NPB) 162 km/h, 100.7 mph, Marc Kroon, Yomiuri Giants, 6/1/2008 (first NPB pitcher to 162) j3. We've heard, for years, that humans have pushed themselves to the limit. Variations of pitch angles are at 0 2 4 6 8 10 and 12 . Wow that fast! Yeah pitching is about speed and arm and shoulder flexibility. His story is not particularly well known outside of Houston, but Richards promising career as a starter came to an end at the age of 30 because of a life-threatening stroke. This shows that players at the college level are indeed throwing harder. But how does this happen?, Fastball Velocity in MPH vs Strikeout Rate in 2014. But there will never be another strikeout pitcher who played as long as Ryan did (27 seasons) for as well as he did. Most of the pitchers who can hit 100 mph are relievers, only 12 of the 57 did it as a starting pitcher. play. 100-mph fastballs have been attributed to many pitchers. During his eight-year retirement, Ryan worked as a baseball analyst for NBC Sports and as a consultant for the Texas Rangers. the ERA scale, A measurement of a player's top running speed, expressed A quick Google search indicates that the average baseball pitch stride is between 80% and 90% of a pitcher's height. How far, in feet, a fielder or runner has traveled on a Before we get into the study, please be aware that it only analyzed pitching data from players who had velocities recorded by Perfect Game in three conferences (ACC, West Coast, and American East) in 2012. I thought that even the top power pitchers of the 1920s and '30s -- again, before Feller -- topped out around 90 miles an hour. A range-based metric of skill that shows how many outs a of his glove and to the base on a stolen base or pickoff He averaged over 20 inches of IVB on the fastball this season, again, a truly outlandish figure. average fastball speed in 1990. The development of a company called Driveline Baseball has played its part in increasing awareness about new research, techniques, and training methods that help pitchers get the most out of their bodies. During his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2010, the righty struck out 71 batters in 69.1 innings and walked only 18. 5 years later it had risen to 92.0. It is a great time to be a pitcher! There are multiple reasons.One reason is the pitchers are simply bigger and stronger than they used to be. thrown with. Teams place a higher priority on raw speed and power than they used to. The average pitching speed for an MLB player is about 93 miles per hour. A 90 mph pitch on a Speedgun could register at 92 on a JUGS gun and 93-94 mph on a Stalker. Mississippi State won its first ever National Championship for any sport in school history. Felizs fastball was once clocked at 103.4 mph during a game at Rangers Ballpark, a speed that is third all-time behind only Aroldis Chapman (105.1 mph) and Joel Zumaya (104.8 mph). His fastball generates 29.4 percent whiffs per swing, seventh in . The average fastball velocity for pitchers 10 years old and younger is between 40-50 mph. That's a 50 percent jump over the past decade -- although, hidden in the middle was a very odd spike in 2015 when that number reached as high as 47 pitchers. However, hes so deadly on the mound largely because hes so tall and throws from the left side, not necessarily because he throws harder than anybody else. Farewell to a Mariners legend. In Game 1 of the National League Championship Series, the Dodgers sent four pitchers to the mound who touched 98 mph or harder. Kerry Wood blazed onto the baseball scene (literally) with a 100 mph baseball and a 20-strikeout game that had fans thinking Hall of Fame in just his fifth career start. Jimenez is another pitcher who, at just 27 years old, has already raised eyebrows with some of his strikeout totals and radar gun readings. In effect, fewer injuries to young pitchers have led to more injuries to major league pitchers. A fastball that reached 93 mph in his early years had settled into the 89-90 mph range, as Maddux emphasized pitch command at the expense of radar-gun readings, using pinpoint control of his devastating circle-change to exploit batter weaknesses. FanGraphs Baseball | Daily baseball statistical analysis and commentary The pitcher is the player who throws the ball. What's the average pitching speed by age in baseball? The average fastball speed is 92 miles per hour. outfield. While it is difficult to pinpoint a specific number, it is safe to believe that velocities at these levels of college baseball have likely experienced the same two mph increase that D1 and MLB have seen over the years. Fastball Velocity by Age Looking at fastball velocity, we see more curvature to the aging curve than we saw with bat speed. The average college fastball is estimated to be between 85 and 95 mph. "Just recall: While Jordan Hicks threw the hardest pitch at 105 mph this year, no one has topped Aroldis Chapman's 105.7-mph pitch from 2016. The current MLB Statcast system measures velocity as the pitch leaves the pitchers hand. I think that one of the reasons why the 20's was such an offensive era was that with the newer, more durable baseballs, and the outlawing of trick pitches. Eighteen pitchers managed it in 2008, and this year, 28 hurlers have accomplished it (with a month to go). . What is the world record speed for throwing a baseball? Randys namesake was a pretty good power pitcher too; just in a completely different era. Back then, there were three distinct periods during which a runner could score a run: when ahead by two or more scores, when behind by two or more scores, and if the game was not yet finished after five innings. In addition to being incredibly fast, modern-day pitchers can also throw very hard. The true speed of Fellers fastball is a subject of great debate. But through games played on Sept. 14, deGrom has the speediest average fastball ever for a given season, among starting pitchers who've tossed at least 30 innings in a season since 2008. Ten years ago, training facilities that focused solely on increasing pitching performance were a dime a dozen. Its not a fluke either. The middle section of the graph from 88-97 all have good sample sizes and allow us to see the clear trend. Clemens is known for a lot of things, and being a power pitcher is certainly one of them. We've gained a mile and a half in just six years. How Many High School Pitchers Throw 90 MPH? Johnsons 3,509 career strikeouts (ninth all time) dont look too impressive when you consider just how many innings he threw (nearly 6,000), but theres no doubt about his arm. I assume the remaining pitches are slider, curveball or change-up. He was once clocked at 101 mph in 2009 and is capable of throwing in the upper 90s late in the game. Its easy to forget just how good Doc was with the Mets after his career pretty much fell apart in the late 1990s. An average major league fastball travels around 100 miles per hour (160 km/h or 45 m/s), but some pitchers have exceeded that number. While that seems minor, it's actually an enormous boost over time. Nolan Ryan led the league in strikeouts seven times. Its hard to disagree considering that the righty piled up 2,581 strikeouts (26th all-time) during his career and led the AL in Ks seven times from 1938-1948. Batted Ball Exit Velocity by Age To find the equivalent baseball pitch speed, we need to find how fast a ball should be going to cover a baseball pitching distance in 0.42 seconds. I topped out at 72 or so. For a pitcher it is the . Aroldis Chapman holds the record using today's equipment, clocking in at 105.1 mph. Today's games often last three or four hours! A Bolt is any run where the Sprint Speed (defined as "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second window") of the runner is at least 30 ft/sec. The Mets average perceived velocity is 89.92 MPH. Other pitchers, however, just reared back and threw as hard as they good. Perhaps channeling Greg Maddux, the Atlanta Braves lay claim to the Majors slowest pitching staff. In earlier erasthere were always a few pitchers who stood out for their speed. The Baby Braves might be ready ahead of schedule, Real or Not? James Paxton ended his no-hitter by throwing his three fastest pitches of the night, Michael Kopech hit 110 mph during his first max-velocity workout of the year, Cardinals rookie Jordan Hicks appears to have taken the title of Fastest Pitcher in Baseball. Baseball: Which Is More Popular? Therefore, while not perfect, it is as good an indicator of average fastball velocity as one will be able to find from that era of college baseball. Here we can see that run scoring has dropped in inverse proportion to velocitys rise. Because 1) they weren't asked to max out, and 2) everyone in every sport is stronger and faster, more dynamic today than yesterday; why would pitchers be any different? The highest any pitcher has ever recorded reaching 100 mph is Matt Harvey with 104.8 mph (2009). But those guys were the rare exception to the rule, most pitchers in those days threw much more softly than the pitchers of today. See Also:BBCOR vs. USSSA: Here Are DifferenceHow Long Does a High School Baseball Season Last?How Many High School Pitchers Throw 90 MPH?Football vs. Ask any pitcher who loses a mile off their fastball, and they'll tell you how much easier it is for batters to square up on them at the lower speed. It is a far cry from the tiny, stuffy room with a few barbells and a bench press in the old stadium. And for the 64 right-handers in the American East, the average was 84.9. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'baseballscouter_com-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_10',127,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-baseballscouter_com-large-mobile-banner-2-0');The average from those averages comes out to around 87 mph. Matt Monagan We are in the age of information, and there seems to be more research and more people willing to share their knowledge when it comes to gaining velocity. All Rights Reserved by Baseball Almanac, Inc. Privacy Policy. Pitch shows natural sink and has a good spin rate. After Barnes gave up a run on two hits in the Red Sox' 7-2 loss to the Pirates on Saturday, Red Sox. I don't believe they threw, on average, as hard as pitchers throw today. The official reading was in 2006, and its doubtful that Zumaya can come anywhere close to that figure now, but for a time, you could call Zumaya the hardest thrower ever. His career 11.5 SO/9 rate is still among the best all-time, but the strike zone continues to elude the oversized righty. Paige struck out a Negro League record 176 batters in 1929 and then set the single-game record by striking out 17 hitters on April 29 and then 18 hitters less than a week later. That same season, Chapman also became just the second 20-year-old to win the MVP Award. But what made Clemens great wasnt his statistical achievements, but rather his approach to the game. Who was president when the Orioles threw out the first pitch? He went after hitters and didnt give them an inch of room at the plate. The chart shows a smooth and steady increase in strikeout rate as velocity grows. . Building Muscle Does Not Strengthen The UCL. That . Guys throw too hard and have too much nasty off-speed stuff, so that model . For decades, comparing pitch velocities has often been an apples-and-oranges discussion. I am Nic, and to say I love baseball is a great understatement. Some guns and devices (like radar balls and glove radar), while "accurate", measure speeds closer to the plate (which is slower). His dominance only lasted about three seasons (2002-2004), but during that time, Gagne was simply overpowering. Hernandez is on pace for his third consecutive season of at least 200 Ks, and his strikeout rate is at a career-high 8.5 SO/9 this season. Woods career didnt turn out exactly as planned, as repeated arm injuries robbed him off his explosiveness, but the right-hander is still the active leader with 10.3 SO/9 IP, a mark that is second only to Randy Johnson among starters. Division II. Even though both were clocked rather crudely, their measurements would extrapolate to over 100 mph on a modern radar gun. Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis. Back then, no one could touch 100 mph. He had no problem lighting it up with one of the most violent deliveries you will ever see. exit velocity of 95 mph or higher. But now, the emphasis on fastball velocity has become an obsession, and pitchers are discovering new ways of throwing even harder. Current: In fact, two or three pitchers have been known to reach 100 mph on the gunner machine. That is, the expected average per year increase in fastball velocity drops off more than bat speed does, going from around 5 mph for 9U-11U players to around 3 mph for 14U-16U players. Some defensive statistics Copyright Sports Info Solutions, 2010-2023. It makes perfect sense that harder fastballs are more difficult to hit, leading to a sharp drop in runs scored. Johnson was capable of throwing 99, but how often did he need to throw that hard? According to data from Fangraphs and Statcast, the average major league fastball has improved 3.8 miles an hour in the past 20 years, and the number of pitches at or above 100 mph has jumped. That speed was measured by a laser radar when it was 9-10 feet from the plate; if measured at the standard . It would be like going back to 1990 and replacing the 80 slowest pitchers with 80 flamethrowers. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Or the Bottom? A batted ball with the perfect combination of exit These are just ranges based on averages for all youth to professional pitchers. In fact, since 2008 when PITCHf/x was installed in every ballpark, there have been 57 pitchers who reached the magical 100 mph threshold at least once. able to make a catch on an individual batted ball. The average change up speed for this age group is about 10 mph slower, putting the velocity between 30-40 mph. In addition, teams had only 40 fouls to play per game back then. No longer could pitchers rely on wicked movement. Major League Baseball 's average velocity is much more accurate and much easier to track down than other levels of baseball because every pitch thrown in a season is recorded by their Statcast system. Walter Johnson was reportedly measured at 99.7 MPH at the Army's Aberdeen Proving Grounds, where they could measure the speed of bullets. Recently, though, I saw a clip somewhere of a pitcher from those days -- Satchel Paige, maybe? Team Standard Pitching Table; Tm #P PAge RA/G W L W-L% ERA G GS GF CG tSho cSho SV IP H R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF ERA+ FIP WHIP H9 HR9 BB9 SO9 SO/W LOB; Boston Red Sox: 20: 27.9: 5.22 attempt. The range is typically from about 90 to 100 miles per hour. How hard, in miles per hour, a pitch is thrown. Specialization is also something that is contributing to the increase in velocity at all levels. Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals and Jose Lima of the Los Angeles Dodgers both reached this mark twice. The AL East is setting up as a race for the ages, Albert Pujols' push for 3,000 powered by dominant decade, 'Ich-i-ro! Also, as an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. . An 85 mph fastball (if registered by a Speedgun at. Even Lee Meadows, who pitched for the Chicago White Sox from 1939 to 1942, never reached 100 mph on a regular basis. Despite a team ERA of 5.05 thus far, Troy bats are doing their part in giving their pitchers run support scoring 10.2 runs per game with a team batting average of .325. "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second Despite over 3,000 career punchouts Gibson finished his career averaging just 7.3 SO/9 and only led the league in strikeouts once. With a larger sample in that bucket it is likely that data point would climb closer to the trend line of the rest of the graph. The exciting postseason pitching left fans across the country asking themselves, Do all college pitchers throw this hard?. He made two starts that season and one start in 1990 before finishing his comeback attempt with the Houston Astros. Its believed he could throw upwards of 100 mph. In 1980 it sat at 8.2%. Copyright 1999-2021. On the flip side, there were 80 pitchers who averaged 94 mph or higher. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. Red Sox bullpen's tightrope act will wear thin, Real or not? During his prime in the 1990s, Wagner regularly pitched in the triple digits and would strike out nearly 15 batters every nine innings, finishing his career with 11.9 SO/9 IP. Similarly, Mark Buehrle was the only pitcher in the 84 mph bucket. The next year, Andy Pettitte of the New York Yankees broke this record again with a ball that traveled at 103.3 miles per hour (167.4 km/h or 45.5 m/s). I would guess that he saved his best fastball and used it maybe a dozen times a game. For a batter, Best Speed is an average of 50% of his hardest hit balls. Jimenez doesnt get much attention as a power pitcher because he walks so many batters (nearly four every nine innings), but when hes on, there might not be a better pitcher in baseball. Every several years, it appears that baseball players at the highest levels seem to be gaining a couple miles per hour on their fastball. There are other factors at work that could obscure the effect of velocity if I included data from prior seasons. Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. Then along came Nolan Ryan in the 1970s and 80s to strike fear into hitters everywhere. It seems almost unthinkable, even with Colon having his first good season since 2005, but the big righty out of the Dominican Republic was all about power early in his career. In prior decades if a top pitcher blew out his arm or shoulder he would either try to continue to pitch at a much lower level of effectiveness or his career would be ended and he would be replaced by another, presumably less effective, pitcher. Based on this data, the average pitching speeds for different age groups are as follows: 10U - 34-42 mph 12U - 44-50 mph 14U - 49-54 mph 16U/18U - 53-57 mph College/Pro - 59/64 Strikeouts are only a part of his dominance, but in just 1,260 career innings, the 65 righty already has 1,161 strikeouts and is pitching no-hitters like hes Nolan Ryan. Join our linker program. It is very likely that if every pitcher on every teams velocity was recorded in 2012 the average number could be even lower. xERA is a simple 1:1 translation of xwOBA, converted to In addition to Chapman, three other pitchers have thrown a perfect game: Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, and Jim Bunning. The improved handling of young pitchers in terms of coaching, fitness and reduced abuse of tender arms has resulted in a larger number of good young pitchers surviving through their high school and minor league years to pitch in the major leagues. He is sometimes referred to as the fastest pitcher in baseball history and had a fastball that probably exceeded 100 mph. Our speeds measured out of the hand (close to pitcher). With the new pitch clock showing early success at speeding up the sport, . All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. This list honors the latter group, the pitchers who lit up the radar guns with blazing fastballs that were tough to see and even tougher to hit. Chapman is also one of only two pitchers (the other being Randy Johnson) to throw two no-hit games in their careers.