What was the speed of a fast-ball then, vs. now? Honest question - I’m truly curious. I honestly don’t know if pitchers have advanced in their delivery or not, but I’m sure some baseball geek can give provide data to the 72nd decimal place.
100 mph fastballers have been around alot longer than you think. Walter Johnson’s fastball was once “measured” at 100 mph in 1914. (albeit not by a radar gun)
This mantra by some that todays baseball talent is so far ahead of the 1920’s and 30’s players is pure bunk.
I would argue the other way around.
What was the speed of a fast-ball then, vs. now? Honest question - I’m truly curious. I honestly don’t know if pitchers have advanced in their delivery or not, but I’m sure some baseball geek can give provide data to the 72nd decimal place.
100 mph fastballers have been around alot longer than you think. Walter Johnson’s fastball was once “measured” at 100 mph in 1914. (albeit not by a radar gun)
This mantra by some that todays baseball talent is so far ahead of the 1920’s and 30’s players is pure bunk.
I would argue the other way around.
I’d say the ability to set any speed you want on pitching machines makes that a tad overrated, but then again I don’t follow baseball, haven’t for almost two decades because I find it as ‘real’ as rasslin’.
All thats missing is the flower boa’s, and some bleach bottle blond in ‘come hither’ heels traipsing around the basepaths between innings.
Walter Johnson once attended a game pitched by Bob Feller, whose fast ball was measured at about 99 mph by radar. He was asked if he was faster? Johnson, a modest man who didn’t talk much, hestitated. Finally he said: I was faster. Somewhere I read something about Babe Ruth’s bat speed, as it was calculated by someone. Phenomenal. But of course, the crucial fact is that the Babe did not play the outfield for, what three or four years? Had he done this he easily could have hit a hundred more homers.
On the other side, Ruth never had to play night games, and Bonds, to give him all due credit, has worked fanatically on his physical conditioning. The easy life finally got to the Babe.