The Fastball Has Never Been Faster

Pitchers are throwing at triple-digit speeds more often, driven by modern development and team emphasis on velocity. Jacob Misiorowski’s outings show how frequently starting pitchers now reach 100+ mph, including multiple 103 mph pitches in a single game. This shift changes what batters face and how pitchers are evaluated, since hard pitches have become a common expectation. The increased speed also affects the human arm by increasing mechanical load during throwing, which can contribute to wear and injury over time. As velocity becomes routine, the physical consequences for pitchers become more important to understand and manage.

"Misiorowski is twenty-four years old, though his concave chest and the softness around his jaw make him look younger. He's come of age in an era in which triple-digit speeds are no longer rare. Teams covet velocity; it's now more common to see a pitch break a hundred than to see a double play. The obsession with a hundred has something to do with our attraction to round nu"

"Judge came to the plate against Misiorowski three times that night. In their first matchup, in the top of the first inning, Judge started the at-bat by taking a strike. It was the seventh straight fastball Misiorowski had thrown, all for strikes, all above a hundred m.p.h. Then Judge took another. Misiorowski's third pitch, clocked at 103.1 m.p.h., just missed the low outside corner. Was Judge looking for a fastball again on the next one? It wouldn't have mattered: the pitch came in at 103.6 m.p.h, the hardest pitch thrown by a starting pitcher since the league started recording speeds via Statcast, in 2008."

"Since 2008, starting pitchers have thrown only three pitches of a hundred and three miles per hour or more, including one that Misiorowski threw in his previous start, against the Washington Nationals. Facing the Yankees, Misiorowski threw ten such pitches. Misiorowski also struck out the next batter, Cody Bellinger. Since 2008, starting pitchers have thrown only three pitches of a hundred and three miles per hour or more, including one that Misiorowski threw in his previous start, against the Washington Nationals."

"Pitchers like Jacob Misiorowski are throwing harder than ever, a result of modern baseball's pitching development. But what does that kind of velocity do to the human arm? Jacob Misiorowski, the Milwaukee Brewers' young ace, is the same height as Aaron Judge, the New York Yankees' hulking slugger, and about half his size. When they faced each other, on May 8th, it was like seeing Paul Bunyan swing his axe at a sapling. Except, in this case, the sapling could throw a fastball at more than a hundred miles per hour."

Read at The New Yorker