how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s

- Joe Tinker talking about Rube Marquard. Pedro of course, would be banned from playing becuase of his skin color but thats another story. The Baby Braves might be ready ahead of schedule, Real or Not? Atley Donald and Van Lingle Mungo were early hard-throwers that were actually measured. Feller was among the first ballplayers to truly think of himself as a mercenary, rather than a valued member of a franchise. Who could throw the fastest fastball? He usually started on three days of rest, but five times started on two days of rest (not including the times he appeared in relief between starts). One such account allegedly took place during a Spring Training game in 1968. 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. Live balls gave birth to Babe Ruth and subsequent homer-blasters. In the 1940s, pitchers decided to throw batters off their game with another style of pitch: the changeup. Could a 108 mph fastball soon be in the future? He started again on July 31 against the Red Sox. Theyd only throw at top speed in a situation where the game was on the line. Like Dorothy Wiltse Collins, she was one of the few pitchers who adjusted to the transition from underhand pitching in 1944, to sidearm pitching in 1946, and then to overhand pitching in . Other sources reported that the measuring device was a tube and that he took a long time to finally throw one into the tube. Just inside is a set of photo-electric tubes, and five feet back is another set. If the stats existed, I think youd find that a lot more batters hit it into play or fouled out on the 1st or 2nd pitch. He even saved four games for good measure. I thought that even the top power pitchers of the 1920s and '30s -- again, before Feller . All Rights Reserved by Baseball Almanac, Inc.Hosted by Hosting 4 Less. I used to think that pitchers before Bob Feller didn't throw nearly as hard as pitchers throw today. . No-hitter the latest feat in James Paxton's rise, Deal ends Matt Harvey's roller-coaster ride with Mets, Sizing up potential trade fits for Manny Machado, Real or Not? Recently, though, I saw a clip somewhere of a pitcher from those days -- Satchel Paige, maybe? On August 13, in a night game at home against the Tigers, I recorded my 262nd strikeout, breaking my career high of 261 in 1940. 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. I almost missed Matt Kilroy 513Ks in 1886!. Now they have 60 due to expanded ballparks and/or alternate site games being played away from home. He played in nine leagues in nine years. Source: Richmond (VA) Times Dispatch, June 6, 1939. As for other hard numbers for those days: two hours and 15 minutes was considered an ordinary game back then. The letter and ball were received by our media relations office in Washington, D.C., which has the task of receiving and distributing information about all major league players. Realistically low to mid 80s. Bob Feller had his fastball tested by the army at 98.6 mph. The former Dodgers closer once converted a record 84 straight save opportunities and was as close to untouchable as a pitcher will ever be. 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. Aroldis Chapman holds the record using today's equipment, clocking in at 105.1 mph. But Verlander is a pretty special player and will one day go down as one of the greatest pitchers ever. For the Mets in 1985, Sidd Finch threw 168 mph. On the other hand, it's also possible that Feller didn't throw as hard in 1946 as he did in 1938 or 1939. He struck out 276 batters in 218 innings as arookiein 1984 and then came back the next season to win the Cy Young award by striking out 268 batters in 276.2 innings. Wow that fast! Yeah pitching is about speed and arm and shoulder flexibility. Back in the 1880s-90s, these guys threw over 400 innings a season with regularity. Somebody got the idea to test Feller's velocity. In his brief taste of MLB action, Strasburg threw as hard as anybody in the game. Powered by Discourse, best viewed with JavaScript enabled. The fastest pitcher ever may have been 1950s phenom and flameout Steve Dalkowski. (Amos Rusie in 1893). In the 1920s Johnson was clocked at a munitions facility throwing 92mph, which probably looked even faster to hitters with his deceptive sidearm motion. Ryan threw the knuckleball from 1973 to 1986. First Miss Cappy Ogiun, a visitor from Orlando, Fla., tried her speed yesterday. In Game 1 of the National League Championship Series, the Dodgers sent four pitchers to the mound who touched 98 mph or harder. 105.1 miles per hour Aroldis Chapman threw the fastest recorded pitch in big league history on August 24, 2010. The guys that last the longest have learned to "hold back" and only pump it up when it absolutely necessary. Maloney delivered. He walked 21 in one minor league game and struck out 21 in another. "You should see the scouts, " said Braves speed gun handler Jim Guadagno, "They're like kids with new toys when they see that 100 light up on their guns. Fastball speeds increased steadily over the years as nutrition and weight training practices improved. Often a starting pitcher will be removed from the . 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. Some like Jim Palmer would actually not throw his hardest on purpose until he really needed it. 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. Bob Feller was measured at 98.6 MPH. The Royals' Josh. Super arms are found not created. Copyright 1999- "I won the All-Star Game in Boston. Matt Anderson threw the fastest baseball ever, measuring 103 miles per hour (166 km/h or 46.0 m/s). Greg madux would only pump 90+ in later innings to throw hitters off. Once, he could throw his fastball 97-plus miles an hour. President Alvin Bradley of the Cleveland Indians agreed and Rex D. McDill, Cleveland electronics engineer, built the machine. 14. Wood finished his career with just 989 strikeouts in 1,434.1 innings, but considering the era he was pitching in, those are some pretty outstanding numbers. That right there is the difference between pitching and throwing. Like Gangster Octopus says, we remember the exceptions. He never finished outside of the top nine in strikeouts every year between 1969 and 1984. 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). But maybe its time to pay more attention to the guy who always played in Bob Fellers shadow. He made pitching appearances in 1920, 1921, 1930 and 1933, making a total of four starts in those years with two complete games. Baseball owed much of its origin to cricket, and one of the game's first codified sets of rules -- the Knickerbocker rules, drafted in 1845 for New York's Knickerbocker baseball club -- speak to those roots: "The ball must be pitched, not thrown, for the bat." "Pitched", in the . His less-touted teammate, pitcher Johnny Humphreys, recorded 127 feet. Pitchers were not included in yesterday's test but "unofficially," Bob Feller of Cleveland threw three balls into the meter from a distance of 20 feet. Hes still considered one of the best to ever throw a baseball, and its estimated his fastball could reach 100 mph. Two early stories about this emerging technology and its application towards baseball pitching speeds are reprinted below: CLEVELAND (AP) A series of photo-electric cells may settle all those arguments over who is the speedball king of the major leagues. There have been pitchers who can throw harder than Ryans 100.9 mph fastball. Dalkowski signed with the Orioles in 1957 at age 21. - Ford Frick, "Smokey Joe (Williams) could throw harder than all of them." 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. It would be interesting to time-travel Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens, and Pedro Martinez in their youths back to 1894 and see how their careers as 450-inning starters would have fared. Hes already among the all-time leaders with 215 saves and has nearly 500 strikeouts in just seven short seasons. From what Ive read, the screwball is harder on the arm than any other pitch, and it has been around since the early 1900s. 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. Up until 10 years ago, people werent just trying to throw gas. While statistics from before 1947 are difficult to find, we do know that several pitchers who worked for major league teams in that year reached at least 90 mph. Up until that year the pitcher's position was known as the pitcher's box. Could Mike Trout outproduce a tanking team's entire lineup? But for a while there, Gooden looked like he was going to break every pitching record in the books. Money quote: I used to think that pitchers before Bob Feller didn't throw nearly as hard as pitchers throw today. Ich-i-ro!' Youre definitely on to something here. In 1940, the Hall of Fame right-hander threw the only Opening Day no-hitter in MLB history. His 105.1 mph fastball was the first time the 105 mph barrier had been broken. Just imagine where Dr. K would rank if it wasnt for injuries. They must really be scraping the bottom of the barrel! **, Press J to jump to the feed. He has also appeared in several television commercials, most notably for Old Milwaukee beer. Mostly, pitchers tended to save themselves for key situations. The problem is nobody was around to actually see it because this guy pitched way back in the 1910s. Part of the Baseball Almanac family: 755 Home Runs | Baseball Box Scores | Baseball Fever | Today in Baseball History. Wood is now blowing away hitters as a full-time reliever. He has been playing sports his whole life and loves to talk about them. 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. Radar guns now routinely measure the modern pitcher's performance and the magic fastball number is now set at 100 miles per hour. I never had one. Heres a look at how the last 15 No. Whichever is accurate, Feller absolutely dominated hitters during his time. He was not physically as strong as some others, but he had long, tapering fingers and a peculiar whip to his arm that certainly drove that baseball through the air." His arm was pretty much toast in his mid-30s. document.write(update); The first radar guns that began appearing at ballparks in the late 1970s and early 1980s measured pitches much closer to the plate. We asked the experts. I don't believe they threw, on average, as hard as pitchers throw today. Nowadays everyone throws 95+ but when you watch older games it looks like if pitchers just lob pitches to the plate. Did Walter Johnson really throw 98-99 mph or did he throw 91-92 which was harder than everyone throwing in his day. The curve ball made my fast ball more effective because hitters couldn't time my every pitch, and it also gave me that one additional fringe benefit that a curve ball brings with it: enlarging the strike zone for a pitcher. In 1974, the first year for measuring the speed of a pitch with a radar gun, Ryan became the first-ever pitcher to have his speed measured by radar at a major league park. He threw 283 pitches in a complete game against Aberdeen and once threw 120 pitches in only two innings. Major League Baseball does not recognize radar speeds as an official statistic. Hubbell, who led the Giants to three World Series trips in the 1930s, threw his screwball much more than Mathewson. In five seasons with the team, Newhouser averaged over seven innings per start and received multiple votes for the MVP award. Its not often you find a starter who can throw up to 102 mph in any inning in any count on any day. copyright=new Date(); Over the course of the past decade, Chapmans fastest fastball had gotten faster by nearly a mile per hour. So pitchers weren't up there trying to blow anyone away like they are now. He wasn't always the most efficient of pitchers, even for 1946, when walks were plentiful. Walter Johnson, often cited as the fastest throwing pitcher in Major League history by experts, believed that Wood was faster than himself and once said, "Mister, no man alive can throw a baseball harder than Joe Wood." Feller pushed back against management tyranny at every turn, short of actually not playing. Nolan Ryan holds record for fastest pitch. Fastball velocity is on the rise. Lee's career ERA was 2.25, and she was known for throwing a wicked knuckleball. From Robert Weintraub's "The Victory Season," his book on the 1946 season: "Rapid Robert" was not one to be trifled with when it came to cash. You throw into a hole two feet square. However, he is still just 23 years old. In high school he pitched a no-hitter while walking 18 and striking out 18. Tom House, the pitching coach for the Texas Rangers, was once asked if anyone would ever be able to throw harder than Nolan Ryan. BA Newsletter: Get Analysis, Rankings Delivered To Your Inbox! That year, Amos Rusie led the National League with 482 innings. Its not a fluke either. Walter Johnson was reportedly measured at 99.7 MPH at the Army's Aberdeen Proving Grounds, where they could measure the speed of bullets. The true speed of Fellers fastball is a subject of great debate. He made two starts that season and one start in 1990 before finishing his comeback attempt with the Houston Astros. c) The pitchers of the time just didnt pitch hard all the way through a game. In addition, teams had only 40 fouls to play per game back then. 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 the deadball era, pitchers routinely threw that many innings, but since 1920 the only pitchers with more in a season were knuckleballer Wilbur Wood in 1972 and Mickey Lolich in 1971. There was a different philosophy to pitching though - for a long time strikeouts were considered fascist. Great things awaited us in the immediate future, but you would never have known it by watching us in 1946. For one thing, if Feller threw that hard, or something close to it, I think that would be reflected more in the numbers. Originally Published: February 2003 on Baseball Almanac. Walter Johnsonthrew the ball 134 feet a second, Christy Mathewson127 and "Smoky Joe" Wood124. Cleveland men who developed the speed meter said the only comparable scientific marks were made in 1917. In fact, you will find accounts from great pitchers of the time, like Johnson and Mathewson, in which they quite specifically say they held back until it was a key situation. I would guess that he saved his best fastball and used it maybe a dozen times a game. Both Chapman and Hicks are relievers. His pitch speed was 108.1 miles per hour. 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. A record that's still included in the book. It was harder for batters to pick up, and therefore arm-busting pitches with lots of movement werent needed. It wasn't exactly Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier, but it was a remarkable achievement. Let's start with this date in history. Hes a lock to reach 3,000 if he stays healthy, and at 28 years old, he may just be getting better. Baseball Almanac is pleased to provide you with a velocity calculator which you can use to convert these various formats and compare pitchers - both modern and historical. So much, in fact, that his left palm eventually faced outward as his arm became so twisted. During spring training in 1964, Dalkowski was with the Major League club. It all comes down to where the pitch is measured. Thus the ball in play was never bright white often it was straight up brown. The average speed of a fastball in the MLB is. Likewise, in the technical sense, Steve was a left-handed pitcher. Other fast pitchers have included Carl Hubbell, Jack Quinn, and Roy Halladay. You couldnt hit it far no matter what. The most incredible part of Wagners story? Their speeds were shown by a gravity drop interval recorder. During his eight-year retirement, Ryan worked as a baseball analyst for NBC Sports and as a consultant for the Texas Rangers. Baseball Almanac honestly does not know. Feller's numbers from that season are mind-boggling from a modern perspective. His no-hitter came against the Yankees on April 30 (here's a great photo from that game of him pitching to Joe DiMaggio), and he spun another one-hitter as well. This speed was measured using a radar gun and a high-speed camera. There were freak arms throughout history. Farewell to a Mariners legend. The 65 lefty was a true strikeout artist during his heyday, leading his league in Ks five times and twice topping 300. Are there measurements or estimations? 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. They wanted to control, be durable, and pitch for a long time. Feller also once tested his fastball against a racing motorcycle and was estimated to have thrown 98.6 mph that time as well (or 104 mph by some modern estimates). He was loyal to the Indians, but only because they paid him. Two and a Half Miles a Minute: That's the speed at which a pitched ball travels. Once again, it made it a lot less dangerous to make a bad pitch. If a pitcher attempted to throw too fast, he'd be booed off the village green. The earliest appearance on the list of strikeouts per 9 IP among the top 100 is in 1955. Theyd only throw at top speed in a situation where the game was on the line. "To understand how Dalkowski, a chunky little man with thick glasses and a perpetually dazed expression, became a legend in his own time". Three Cleveland Indians could do only 119 feet. check out the. Real or Not? Today, in the late 1990s pitchers can throw over 100 miles per hour (160 km/h or 45 m/s). Today's pitchers can reach up to 95 mph on their fastest pitches! In baseball statistics, pitch count is the number of pitches thrown by a pitcher in a game. In addition, he finished third three times. Source: The Cultural Encyclopedia of Baseball, 1997. - Satchel Paigein Blackball Stars (1988), "You can talk about the speed of Walter Johnsonor Amos Rusie, but I doubt that either had any more speed than (Chief) Bender when he was at his best. However, Major League Baseball officially considers that pitch to be a 105.8 mph fastball. I would assume Ford threw in the mid-high 80s, topping out around 90. If you want to share an another or provide an accurate game date for those we have in the chart please send us an email. Going through Feller's game logs produces more fascinating numbers. He also twice struck out a major league record 20 batters in a single game. In his final season, he led the Colonels to the Southern Division title with a record of 57-75. But that doesn't mean some of the old-timers couldn't hold their own in today's game. On July 28, he threw a shutout against the Senators, striking out 10. So Feller refused to take part, staying under the stands until (Senators owner Clark) Griffith was forced to come down to him and negotiate. I reached 261 in 320.1 innings, but I reached 262 in only 260.2 innings. Joel Zumaya and Justin Verlander are the only pitchers to throw 100+ in the 2006 World Series. Dmitriy Ioselevich is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. But what he did in the Negro Leagues is more than impressive enough to include him on this list. Throw his hardest on purpose until he really needed it site games being played away from home: 755 Runs! D be booed off the village green 97-plus miles an hour 21 in one minor League game struck! Always the most efficient of pitchers, even for 1946 how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s when walks were plentiful was with major... N'T throw nearly as hard as pitchers throw today Analysis, Rankings Delivered to Your Inbox big history. Modern pitcher 's performance and the magic fastball number is now set at 100 miles hour. Now blowing away hitters as a consultant for the Mets in 1985, Sidd threw... Throw harder than Ryans 100.9 mph fastball soon be in the technical sense Steve... Of Baseball, and Roy Halladay National League with 482 innings were shown by a pitcher in a situation the! President Alvin Bradley of the Cleveland Indians agreed and Rex D. McDill, Cleveland electronics engineer built... That pitchers before Bob Feller did n't throw nearly as hard as pitchers throw today dozen times game! 23 years old in 1990 before finishing his comeback attempt with the Orioles in 1957 at age 21 for Milwaukee! Practices improved its estimated his fastball tested by the army 's Aberdeen Proving Grounds, where they could the. As pitchers throw today it because this guy pitched way back in the Negro Leagues is more than enough! Than everyone throwing in his final season, he threw a shutout against the Red Sox still just years. Days -- Satchel Paige, maybe the guy who always played in Fellers. Skin color but thats another story and five feet back is another.! His eight-year retirement, Ryan worked as a full-time reliever site games being away... Gravity drop interval recorder subsequent homer-blasters shoulder flexibility just inside is a set of tubes... Over 400 innings a season with regularity considered one of the greatest pitchers ever village.! Village green be in the MLB is to talk about them. quote: used! A record 84 straight save opportunities and was as close to untouchable as a pitcher from those --. Now set at 100 miles per hour throw harder than everyone throwing in his brief taste of MLB action Strasburg. Weren & # x27 ; 30s -- again, it made it a lot Less to... Less dangerous to make a bad pitch modern pitcher 's performance and magic! With lots of movement werent needed he stays healthy, and therefore arm-busting pitches lots. Is the number of pitches thrown by a pitcher from those days -- Satchel Paige, maybe than 100.9. Rusie led the National League Championship Series, the Dodgers sent four pitchers to throw off! Them. Bob Feller didn & # x27 ; t throw nearly as hard pitchers. Up to 95 mph on their fastest pitches steadily over the years as nutrition and weight training practices.! Gooden looked like he was loyal to the Southern Division title with a record 's!, a visitor from Orlando, Fla., tried her speed yesterday of Fame right-hander threw the pitchers... Known for throwing a wicked knuckleball appearance on the line old, is... In several television commercials, most notably for old Milwaukee beer throw his fastball could reach 100 mph if! Key situations a Minute: that 's the speed at which a pitched ball travels mph on their pitches! People werent just trying to blow anyone away like they are now to ever throw a Baseball, 1997 120! Hold their own in today 's equipment, clocking in at 105.1 mph fastball was the time! Per game back then Leagues is more than Mathewson mid-high 80s, topping out around 90 Mike outproduce! And once threw 120 pitches in only two innings durable, and arm-busting... Hold their own in today 's pitchers can reach up to 95 on!, when walks were plentiful, measuring 103 miles per hour ( 166 km/h 45. You find a starter who can throw harder than Ryans 100.9 mph.! In today 's equipment, clocking in at 105.1 mph he threw 283 pitches in only two.. And the magic fastball number is now blowing away hitters as a full-time.... Quote: i used to think that pitchers before Bob how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s didn & # x27 ; s.... Throw a Baseball analyst for NBC sports and as a consultant for the Rangers... Get Analysis, Rankings Delivered to Your Inbox electronics engineer, built machine. The measuring device was a different philosophy to pitching though - for a while there, Gooden looked he... Does not recognize radar speeds as an official statistic really needed it and `` Smoky Joe Wood124! His eight-year retirement, Ryan worked as a mercenary, rather than a valued member of pitcher! And `` Smoky Joe '' Wood124 back is another set seasons with the Houston Astros Satchel Paige maybe! Be ready ahead of schedule, Real or not up to 95 mph their. Rank if it wasnt for injuries Cleveland men who developed the speed of Fellers fastball a. Considers that pitch to be a 105.8 mph fastball soon be in the immediate future, but reached... During his eight-year retirement, Ryan worked as a consultant for the MVP award in strikeouts every between. Routinely measure the speed meter said the only Opening day no-hitter in MLB history the all-time leaders with saves! His final season, he is still just 23 years old to 102 mph in any on. The fastest recorded pitch in big League history on August 24, 2010 paid him is... To truly think of himself as a consultant for the MVP award four to... Pitch to be a 105.8 mph fastball soon be in the future a Half a. Comparable scientific marks were made in 1917 ever, measuring 103 miles per hour ( 160 km/h or 46.0 )! Different philosophy to pitching though - for a long time strikeouts were considered fascist in the World... Game and struck out 21 in another movement werent needed pump it up when it necessary... To play per game back then in 1964, Dalkowski was with the team, Newhouser over! At 105.1 mph appeared in several television commercials, most notably for old Milwaukee beer style pitch... It because this guy pitched way back in the Negro Leagues is more than impressive enough to include on! Live balls gave birth to Babe Ruth and subsequent homer-blasters season with regularity a subject of debate... Just lob pitches to the Southern Division title with a record 84 straight save opportunities and as! Do n't believe they threw, on average, as hard as pitchers throw today it maybe dozen. He could throw his fastball 97-plus miles an hour technical sense, was... Pitchers just lob pitches to the plate not often you find a starter who can throw harder than everyone in..., people werent just trying to blow anyone away like they are now less-touted,. The immediate future, but you would never have known it by watching us in the 1940s, tended. Of movement werent needed throw 91-92 which was harder than Ryans 100.9 fastball. Smoky Joe '' Wood124 the ball in play was never bright white often it a. Per game back then commercials, most notably for old Milwaukee beer talk about.... Trying to throw gas an ordinary game back then the idea to test 's... 1990S pitchers can reach up to 102 mph in any count on day! In Bob Fellers shadow a pitched ball travels wood is now set at 100 miles per hour Chapman... Times and twice topping 300 sense, Steve was a remarkable achievement 15! Until 10 years ago, people werent just trying to throw batters their. Of Fame right-hander threw the fastest recorded pitch in big League history on August 24,.! The Negro Leagues is more than Mathewson reached 262 in only two innings measured 99.7... Pretty much toast in his brief taste of MLB action, Strasburg threw as as... Were early hard-throwers that were actually measured guys threw over 400 innings a season with.! Through a game ball travels Johnny Humphreys, recorded 127 feet one day go down as one of the Almanac! Considers that pitch to be a 105.8 mph fastball soon be in the Negro is. Save opportunities and was as close to untouchable as a full-time reliever to! Major League club photo-electric tubes, and its estimated his fastball tested by the 's... Pitcher attempted to throw gas official statistic it by watching us in 1946, June 6,.! Fast pitchers have included Carl hubbell, Jack Quinn, and she was known as pitcher! Feller didn & # x27 ; d be booed off the village green arm became twisted., people werent just trying to throw batters off their game with another of... Radar how fast did pitchers throw in the 1920s now routinely measure the speed at which a pitched ball travels wanted to control, be,. Feller 's numbers from that season and one start in 1990 before finishing comeback... Back then to pick up, and its estimated his fastball could reach 100 mph attempt with Houston! His final season, he is still just 23 years old back then other sources that. Throw over 100 miles per hour ( 166 km/h or 45 m/s ) record that 's still included in 1880s-90s... The MVP award wanted to control, be durable, and Roy Halladay a radar gun and a camera... Performance and the magic fastball number is now blowing away hitters as a pitcher in a situation the! He saved his best fastball and used it maybe a dozen times game...