It should come as no surprise that the pitches thrown in Major League Baseball are seriously fast. In fact, it’s not unusual for pitchers to throw over 100 miles per hour (161 kilometers per hour), and many more hover around the upper double digits.
But you might wonder what the pinnacle is: Just how fast can the very best throw a baseball, and where does the record for the fastest pitch ever currently stand?
How Does the MLB Measure Pitch Speed?
The basic elements of the pitch have been the same since the beginning of baseball: the human body (specifically the arm) and a baseball. However, as in all sports, there is progression over time; human beings have shown a remarkable knack for getting better, stronger, and faster.
Pitching is no exception. Today, pitchers are throwing faster than ever.
But the technology needed to accurately measure pitch speed — and uniform adoption of the tech throughout the sport — is relatively new. To answer the question of fastest baseball pitch records, it’s necessary to look at the different technology that’s been used over time.
Evolving Technologies
A new era of pitch velocity measurement began in the 1970s, when the radar guns that had been developed for clocking the speed of cars were used to measure fast-moving baseballs thrown by major league pitchers. Technology improved over time, leading to more accurate measurements, as well as adjusting the point of measurement closer to the pitcher’s hands.
This shift meant that the measured pitch speed was going up, for the simple reason that a pitch slows down as it travels to home plate, due to wind resistance. A ball that leaves the pitcher’s hand at 100 mph (161 kph) might slow down to 90 mph (145 kph) by the time it meets the catcher’s glove.
Compensating for Newer Methods
With the adoption of the Statcast system in 2015, the modern era of baseball statistics began — not just for the fastest pitches, but for the longest home runs as well. While new data was being collected and organized, old data was adjusted to the new measurement standards, so that records could be as consistent as possible across time.
That meant that older pitching speeds were revised upwards to match what they would be with the new technology, which measures pitches as close as possible to the moment the ball leaves the pitcher’s hand.
The Fastest Pitches in the Statcast Era
Below is a list of the top 10 fastest pitches thrown in this era, according to Statcast. You’ll quickly notice that Aroldis Chapman’s name is all over this list; that’s because he’s thrown eight of the fastest pitches ever recorded, with Jordan Hicks taking the remaining two slots.
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No. 8 (tie) : Jordan Hicks, St. Louis Cardinals, Busch Stadium, 105.0 mph (169.0 kph), 2018
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No. 8 (tie) : Aroldis Chapman, New York Yankees, Yankee Stadium, 105.0 mph (169.0 km/h), 2016
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No. 8 (tie) : Jordan Hicks, St. Louis Cardinals, Busch Stadium, 105.0 mph (169.0 kph), 2018
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No. 5 (tie) : Aroldis Chapman, Chicago Cubs, Wrigley Field, 105.1 mph (169.1 kph), 2016
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No. 5 (tie) : Aroldis Chapman, New York Yankees, Yankee Stadium, 105.1 mph (169.1 kph), 2016
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No. 5 (tie) : Aroldis Chapman, New York Yankees, Yankee Stadium, 105.1 mph (169.1 kph), 2016
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No. 4 : Aroldis Chapman, New York Yankees, Yankee Stadium, 105.2 mph (169.3 kph), 2016
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No. 3 : Aroldis Chapman, New York Yankees, Yankee Stadium, 105.4 mph (169.6 kph), 2016
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No. 2 : Aroldis Chapman, New York Yankees, Yankee Stadium, 105.7 mph (170.1 kph), 2016
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No. 1 : Aroldis Chapman, Cincinnati Reds, Petco Park, 105.8 mph (170.3 kph), 2010
Aroldis Chapman’s Dominant Pitching
Aroldis Chapman has had an impressive career. His MLB debut was in 2010 with the Cincinnati Reds, where he immediately began setting records for his blindingly fast pitch speed.
In the decade-plus since, he’s pitched for the Chicago Cubs, the New York Yankees, the Kansas City Royals and, most recently, the Texas Rangers. All the while, he’s been throwing some serious heat.
On September 24, 2010, in a game against the San Diego Padres, Aroldis Chapman threw what would become the current world record for the fastest pitch recorded. Initially, the pitch was measured at 105.1 mph (169.1 kph), but was subsequently revised to 105.8 mph (170.3 kph), due to the standardization of Statcast records.
Chapman went on to fill out much of the rest of the top 10 records, including an especially hot 2016 season. Only Jordan Hicks, whose MLB debut in 2018 saw him playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, has slots in the top 10 fastest pitches ever. His fastest pitch clocks in at 105.0 mph (169.0 kph).
Aroldis Chapman owns the plaque. The official record for the fastest pitch in MLB history sits squarely in his corner. But if you dig into the archives, past the radar gun data and into the era of hand-timed stopwatches, a different story emerges. These are the unofficial records. The ones where the circumstances make confirmation nearly impossible.
We aren’t talking about minor league batting practice or spring training warm-ups. We’re talking about moments that feel like legend because the science wasn’t ready to capture them properly.
Bob Feller’s Phantom 107.6 mph
Bob Feller. Cleveland Indians. Griffith Stadium. 1946.
This isn’t a game-time stat. Feller didn’t throw this during an at-bat. He threw it into a device called a Lumiline Chronograph before the game started. It was a test. A show of force.
The official number? 98.6 mph. That’s fast. Hell, that’s elite. But because it was a one-off test, without the rigorous controls we expect today, the data is sparse. Precise measurements? Not really available. So, it remains speculation.
However.
If you adjust Feller’s 98.6 mph using modern measurement standards—accounting for the way we calibrate speed today—that number jumps. Way up. The high-end estimate lands at a staggering 107.6 mph. That is 173.2 km/h. It’s not just a pitch. It’s a theoretical ceiling that maybe only Feller could have touched.
Nolan Ryan’s 108.1 mph Ghost
Then there’s Nolan Ryan. California Angels. Anaheim Stadium. 1974.
Ryan’s heater came in the ninth inning. This is where it gets tricky. The radar gun was new. Groundbreaking technology. People were still figuring out how to trust the numbers.
The reading on the day? 100.8 mph.
Seems low for Ryan, right? It should be. But here is the catch. When you adjust that 100.8 mph to match new standards, the number transforms. It becomes 108.1 mph. Or 174 km/h. Easily the fastest pitch ever recorded if you accept the adjustment.
Is it accurate? Experts still dispute it. The margin for error on early radar tech was wider than we like to admit. But Ryan? He was a machine. Some believe he was fully capable of this astonishing feat.
“The accuracy of Ryan’s epic heater is hard to know for certain, and some experts continue to dispute this pitch.”
We chase these numbers because they represent something beyond velocity. They represent a time when throwing harder was almost supernatural. Chapman has the stats. Feller and Ryan have the myth. And in baseball, myths often outlast the data.
Which era would you rather pitch in? The one with precise calibrations or the one where you just threw as hard as you could and hoped the device didn’t break?
