Our best estimate is that(exactly 28 years after Bob Feller's record pitch in 1946)using today's standard of measurement at 50 feet from the plate.Nolan Ryan in his 2nd year with the Angels broke Sandy Koufax's record with 383 strikeouts in 1973. The Angels wanted to use their strikeout king to boost sagging attendance for 1974. So in August 1974 George Lederer, the Angels Director of Public Relations and Promotions, and former L.A. Dodgers beat writer for the Long Beach Independent Press-Telegram, began the groundwork for a scientific test to be conducted by Anaheim-based Rockwell International scientists (likely using a coherent laser radar).They tested the device for baseball purposes first on "an asphalt parking lot at the Rockwell International facility in Anaheim, the Rockwell engineers sought to test their device in a dry run before taking it to the stadium for an upcoming Ryan outing" using Charlie Sands, the Angels catcher on the DL, and the LH former high-school pitcher son of George Lederer, Tom.They decided to get some readings during a live game, then try it again with a big promotional event.The first ever test of pitch speeds during a live game was conducted on Tue. 8/20/1974 in Anaheim Stadium (Angels) vs. the Detroit Tigers.Four Rockwell scientists recorded two of Nolan Ryan's pitches atThere were fears about aiming a laser directly at Ryan, so they aimed it from the press box to a point 9-10 feet in front of the plate.That speed was also 'verified' by the Guinness Book of World Records s1 . This Guinness record still stands to this day (although they did not convert the result to FFE).Only the pitches that passed through an infrared beam 17 inches wide and 2 inches high recorded a reading. s3 The results of this test were not publicly announced until the second test on 9/7 - although Ryan was told the night of 9/6.Since the first test was deemed a big success, the following day on 8/21/1974, the Angels announced to the nation that there would be a second test for the public during an upcoming home game. The Angels decided to have a promotion where fans would get to guess Ryan's fastest speed at that next home game.It would be interesting to know who won each of these prizes. I'll keep looking.The game was on Sat. 9/7/1974 in Anaheim Stadium vs. The Chicago White Sox.Ryan's fastest pitch in that second game reached 100.8 mph (at 9-10 feet from plate) on 9/7/1974 s1 . See chart at right.Today's pitch speeds are measured from 50 feet away from the plate, but Ryan's was measured at approx. 10 feet. Pitch speeds drop 8-11 mph (average 9 mph) from 50 ft away to the front of the plate. So we must add 6-8 mph to the speed measured by Rockwell in order to be equivalent to today's readings.Therefore, Nolan Ryan's pitching speed as measured today would be at minimum 106 mph and could have been as high as 110 mph.How did we arrive at 108.1 mph? The facts are 100.9 at 10 feet, plus 9 mph drop per 50 feet. So add 7.2 mph (9/50*40) to 100.9 to get 108.1 mph.The speed of the ball as it crossed the plate would have been 99.1 mph - calculated as 100.9 at 10 feet less (9/50X10) or 1.8 mph. u3 In the Sports Illustrated article Speed Trap For An Angel on 9/16/1974 Ron Fimrite reported:In 1988, 14 years after the 1974 tests, when Ryan was 42 years old and in his last year with the Astros, he was still hitting 97 mph, and averaging 93.2 mph.It's interesting to note that all 6 of the above hitters wait much longer to begin their stride than most today.

In early 1946, the Washington Senators owner Clark Griffith set up an exhibition game against the Cleveland Indians and, in an effort to boost sagging attendance, started a promotion where he told fans they could see how fast the Indians' Bob Feller could throw. He borrowed a photo-electric cell device, referred to as a 'Sky Screen Chronograph', from the Aberdeen, MD ordnance plant so Feller could pitch through it just prior to the game. s4 s5 These devices were used to measure the speed of artillery rounds during the war.The problem was, he never told Feller until he got to the field. So on August 20, 1946, Bob Feller threw approximately 30 pitches in front of 31,000 fans (20,000 more than normal) into a device the newsreels called a "lumiline chronograph" using "photo electric cells".He pitched from the mound through a v-shaped opening (the first sky screen) in the device located just in front of the plate. The ball then passes through the second sky screen, and the separate chronograph/timer calculates the time/speed between the two screens.His fastest speed recorded was 98.6 mph on the second throw, but the measurement took place at home plate, or 60.5 feet from the pitchers plate. To compare his speed to others, you must add the average 9 mph speed drop from 50ft to the plate. Therefore,at the equivalent 50 ft mark.Some news reports indicated that Feller threw 98.6 mph. Some indicated 145 fps and 98.6 mph. Some indicated 145 fps and 98.8 mph.If you convert 145fps to mph, you get 98.86 mph, not 98.6 mph. So, either the 145fps is rounded and 98.6 is correct. Or the conversion from fps to mph was performed incorrectly from the start. We are going to assume the 98.6 mph is correct since that speed has been reported ever since, and not corrected by anyone. Plus, one press report indicates that he will be timed to '1-10,000 of a second', indicating fps with decimals.Ryan's plate speed would have been at least 99 mph (100.9 less 2 mph reduction per 10 feet) and was roughly 0.4 mph faster than Feller's 98.6 mph at the plate.See the event at Cavalcade of Sports Bob Feller Lew Fonseca s11 produced a film for the American League, released January 16, 1941 s11 , where Feller in 1940 threw a ball as a speeding Indian police motorcycle (incorrectly referred to as a Harley in most reports) raced by at 86 mph. s10 This pitch speed is approx. 93-94 mph out of his hand. The calculation is based on: approx. 10 moving frames from release to 'contact' (two are repeated), at 24fps video, equals approx. 89.2 mph average speed. This calculation assumes, based on Feller's book 'Bob Feller�s Little Blue Book of Baseball Wisdom', that he started 60.5 feet from the target.The pitch speed is approx. 103 mph out of his hand. This calculation is based on:

A 100 mph fastball pitch will lose 8-11 mph (average 9 mph) from just out of the pitchers hand (50 feet way) until it reaches the front of the plate.Was the measurement taken at the plate? 50 feet away? Most confusion over comparing pitch speeds arises over this issue.Radar guns can provide fastest speed, slowest speed and average speed. So, on a 100 mph pitch a gun could provide readings of 100, 91 and 96 mph on the same pitch. Different parks and venues display different readings.Where along the flight path was the fastest speed measured? Nobody knows. So, it's possible a radar gun could provide a slower than actual reading if the gun caught the ball closer to the plate.However,(except for rounding up), regardless of what you read in blogs and articles.Very accurate. There is no more accurate system for measuring pitch speed.The MLB Enhanced Gameday system (and Pitch F/X) was started during the 2006 postseason. On opening day April 1,2 and 3, 2007 every park was publishing very basic data, but only the White Sox, Seattle, and Anaheim had detailed speed data. By the end of 2007, they rolled out the system to 28 of the 30 parks, but it is said that only about 1/3 of the total games are included. At the start of the 2008 season, all 30 ballparks had this capability. s2 MLB began tracking data for any exhibition (spring training) games played in MLB parks beginning in the 2008 season. 2008 dates include exhibition games only in home parks on March 28, 29 and 30. 2009 dates include March 15,16,17,19 plus April 2,3,4. Beginning the Spring Training 2010 season, certain (maybe most?) spring training fields had Pitch F/X capabilities. u10 This system does not use radar guns. Each park's system utilizes 2 high speed video cameras (60 frames per second), a setup crew to layout a grid before each game, and a crew in the truck sizing up each batter, pitcher and pitch using computer software. See Dr. Alan Nathan's Guide to Pitch F/X - by Mike Fast This system provides 2 different speed stats - 50 feet from the plate and just in front of the plate.Radar guns are regularly lampooned unfairly in the press and in blogs. Radar gun readings are very accurate, but they may vary by gun brand. The best are within 0.5 mph because they display results rounded to the nearest 1 mph. Home guns can be within 1.0 mph. That's very accurate.The gun may give a slower reading if the angle of the gun is not the same angle as the pitched ball. The bigger the difference, the slower the reading.The biggest confusion over gun readings is where the reading is taken from (how far is the ball from the plate?). Was the reading out of the pitcher's hand, over the plate, or somewhere in the middle? Some guns pick up the fastest speed, some pick up the speed at 15 feet out of the hand, some over the plate, etc. Obviously, the ball will be fastest right out of the pitcher's hand and will slow down as much as 11 mph as it approaches the plate.Given the above, it is unlikely that a radar gun would ever provide a reading that is over 2 mph too high.However, there would be inconsistencies between parks as the gun may be shooting at different plate distances.From Tom Lederer in Remembering the Ryan Express in Baseball Analysts quotes the 9/2/1974 LA Times article by Dan Hafner giving a preview of the 9/7 event:

Pitch Speed Tests Before Radar Guns - 1912 to 1974u11

Everybody Loves Speed

Chronographs with various screen devices - called 'lumiline', 'photo-electric pitching meters', 'gravity drop interval recorders', 'DuMont cathode-ray oscilloscope [with a] photoelectric eye'

High speed and low speed video cameras

Racing against a speeding motorcycle

Early 'coherent laser radar'

Demystifying Chronographs and Screens

Chronographs still used and sold today

the two triangles are the 'screens'

Accuracy

Even Stalker uses Chronographs to verify speed

Oehler Model 57 Photoelectric Screens

Why Did Portable Radar Guns Overtake Chronographs for Pitch Speed Tests?

50 Foot Equivalent for Comparing Pitch Speeds Across Eras

List of All Recorded Pitch Speed Test Results - 1912-1974

FFE Name Tested Speed Method Tested distance When Where Device Comment 108.1 Nolan Ryan 100.9 mph (twice) Early radar 10 ft from plate 08/20/74 Anaheim Stadium during game, in press box Rockwell Intl coherent infrared laser radar 1st test with Guinness 108.0 Nolan Ryan 100.8 mph Early radar 10 ft from plate 09/07/74 Anaheim Stadium during game, in press box Rockwell Intl coherent infrared laser radar 2nd test for public 107.6 Bob Feller 98.6 mph lumiline chronograph plate 08/20/46 Griffith Stadium Washington DC, home plate Portable lumiline chronograph using photo electric cells from ordnance plant at Aberdeen, MD 103.2 Bob Turley .00362/6in-138.12fps-94.17 mph oscillograph 60.5 feet, device at plate 05/12/54 Baltimore Stadium, home plate Dumont Labs cathode-ray oscillograph added to 102+ list 10/7/2014 102.5 Steve Dalkowski 93.5 mph lumiline chronograph plate Jun 1958 US Army Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD US Army Aberdeen Proving Ground lumiline chronograph 102.2 Joe Black 93.2 mph oscillograph 60 feet 6 inches, device at plate 09/20/53 Ebbets Field, Brooklyn NY Dumont Labs cathode-ray oscillograph added to 102+ list 10/5/2014 102.1 Terry Forster (White Sox) 94.9 mph Early radar 10 ft from plate 09/07/74 Anaheim Stadium during game, in press box Rockwell Intl coherent infrared laser radar 2nd Ryan test for public 100.1 Steve Barber 95.55 mph 50fps camera counted frames, avg speed Spring 1960 Miami? 50fps camera 99.8 Don Drysdale 95.31 mph 50fps camera counted frames, avg speed Spring 1960 Miami? 50fps camera 99.3 Atley Donald 139 fps/ 94.77 mph photoelectric chronograph 20 ft away 08/30/39 Cleveland Stadium, side of field Rex D. McDill's Cleveland Speed Meter � photoelectric chronograph 99.3 Rudy York 139 fps/ 94.77 mph photoelectric chronograph 20 ft away Summer 1939 Cleveland Stadium, side of field Rex D. McDill's Cleveland Speed Meter � photoelectric chronograph 99.3 Ralph Kress 139 fps/ 94.77 mph photoelectric chronograph 20 ft away Summer 1939 Cleveland Stadium, side of field Rex D. McDill's Cleveland Speed Meter � photoelectric chronograph 99.3 Roy Cullenbine 139 fps/ 94.77 mph photoelectric chronograph 20 ft away Summer 1939 Cleveland Stadium, side of field Rex D. McDill's Cleveland Speed Meter  photoelectric chronograph 98.1 Mickey Lolich (Tigers) 90.9 mph Early radar 10 ft from plate 08/20/74 Anaheim Stadium during game, in press box Rockwell Intl coherent infrared laser radar 1st Ryan test 97.7 Sandy Koufax 93.20 mph 50fps camera counted frames, avg speed Spring 1960 Miami? 50fps camera 97.6 Jack Kucek (White Sox rookie) 90.4 mph (twice) Early radar 10 ft from plate 09/07/74 Anaheim Stadium during game, in press box Rockwell Intl coherent infrared laser radar 2nd Ryan test for public 97.5 Johnny Podres 88.5 mph oscillograph 60 feet 6 inches, device at plate 09/20/53 Ebbets Field, Brooklyn NY Dumont Labs cathode-ray oscillograph 96.7 Dee Miles 136 fps/ 92.7 mph photoelectric chronograph 20 ft away Summer 1939 Cleveland Stadium, side of field Rex D. McDill's Cleveland Speed Meter � photoelectric chronograph 95.7 Ryne Duren 91.16 mph 50fps camera counted frames, avg speed Spring 1960 Miami? 50fps camera 95.6 Herb Score 91.08 mph 50fps camera counted frames, avg speed Spring 1960 Miami? 50fps camera 95.4 Walter Johnson 134 fps/ 91.4 mph gravity drop interval recorder ? 1917 Remington Arms lab, Bridgeport CT gravity drop interval recorder 95.3 Bob Turley 90.75 mph 50fps camera counted frames, avg speed Spring 1960 Miami? 50fps camera 94.0 Bob Feller 10 frames motorcycle and 24fps? video 60 feet 6 inches 1940 Chicago street in Lincoln Park motorcycle and 24fps video 93.3 Steve Sundra 131 fps/ 89.3 mph photoelectric chronograph 20 ft away Summer 1939 Cleveland Stadium, side of field Rex D. McDill's Cleveland Speed Meter � photoelectric chronograph 93.3 Wally Moses 131 fps/ 89.3 mph photoelectric chronograph 20 ft away Summer 1939 Cleveland Stadium, side of field Rex D. McDill's Cleveland Speed Meter � photoelectric chronograph 92.5 Bob Milliken 83.5 mph oscillograph 60 feet 6 inches, device at plate 09/20/53 Ebbets Field, Brooklyn NY Dumont Labs cathode-ray oscillograph 90.6 Johnny Humphries 127 fps/ 86.6 mph photoelectric chronograph 20 ft away 06/06/39 Cleveland Stadium, side of field Rex D. McDill's Cleveland Speed Meter � photoelectric chronograph 90.6 Christy Mathewson 127 fps/ 86.6 mph gravity drop interval recorder ? 1917 Remington Arms lab, Bridgeport CT gravity drop interval recorder 88.5 Smokey Joe Wood 124 fps/ 84.5 mph gravity drop interval recorder ? 1917 Remington Arms lab, Bridgeport CT gravity drop interval recorder 87.7 Walter Johnson 122 fps/ 83.2 mph chronograph 10/06/12 Remington Arms bullet testing range chronograph with copper wires and a steel plate How far away? 20/60ft? 87.2 Jimmy Foxx 122 fps/ 83.2 mph photoelectric chronograph 20 ft away 06/06/39 Cleveland Stadium, side of field Rex D. McDill's Cleveland Speed Meter � photoelectric chronograph 87.2 Jim Tabor 122 fps/ 83.2 mph photoelectric chronograph 20 ft away 06/06/39 Cleveland Stadium, side of field Rex D. McDill's Cleveland Speed Meter � photoelectric chronograph 87.2 Roger Cramer 122 fps/ 83.2 mph photoelectric chronograph 20 ft away 06/06/39 Cleveland Stadium, side of field Rex D. McDill's Cleveland Speed Meter � photoelectric chronograph 86.0 Van Mungo 113 fps/ 77.0 mph ? June 1933 West Point Ballistics lab ? 85.1 Bob Feller 119 fps/ 81.1 mph photoelectric chronograph 20 ft away 06/06/39 Cleveland Stadium, side of field Rex D. McDill's Cleveland Speed Meter � photoelectric chronograph 85.1 Ben Chapman 119 fps/ 81.1 mph photoelectric chronograph 20 ft away 06/06/39 Cleveland Stadium, side of field Rex D. McDill's Cleveland Speed Meter � photoelectric chronograph 85.1 Julius Solters 119 fps/ 81.1 mph photoelectric chronograph 20 ft away 06/06/39 Cleveland Stadium, side of field Rex D. McDill's Cleveland Speed Meter � photoelectric chronograph 85.1 Jim Shilling 119 fps/ 81.1 mph photoelectric chronograph 20 ft away 06/06/39 Cleveland Stadium, side of field Rex D. McDill's Cleveland Speed Meter � photoelectric chronograph 84.7 Lefty Gomez 111 fps/ 75.7 mph ? June 1933 West Point Ballistics lab ? 81.5 Nap Rucker 113 fps/ 77.0 mph chronograph 10/06/12 Remington Arms bullet testing range chronograph with copper wires and a steel plate How far away? 20/60ft? ?? Billy Loes ?? oscillograph 60 feet 6 inches, device at plate 09/20/53 Ebbets Field, Brooklyn NY Dumont Labs cathode-ray oscillograph ?? Ben Wade ?? oscillograph 60 feet 6 inches, device at plate 09/20/53 Ebbets Field, Brooklyn NY Dumont Labs cathode-ray oscillograph ?? Lou McEvoy 150 fps/ 102.27 mph ? 05/23/30 West Point Ballistics lab ?

Rumors

Jim Maloney (Reds) 1965 99.5 mphs20 when? where? device?

1974 Speed Test  Ryan s1 s22 s23

First Live Test During the Angels-Tigers Game 8/20/1974  Ryan's record 100.9 mph, 108.1 FFE

Second test  Live Promotional Event During the Angels-White Sox Game 9/7/1974  100.8 mph, 108.0 FFE

Speed Results for Both Tests

Nolan Ryan (Angels) 8/20/74, 100.9 mph at 10 ft away, or 108.1 mph FFE , 99.8 mph est. plate speed, 1st inning vs. Tigers' Ron LeFlore (he threw two 100.9 pitches that game)

, 99.8 mph est. plate speed, 1st inning vs. Tigers' Ron LeFlore (he threw two 100.9 pitches that game) Nolan Ryan (Angels) 9/7/74, 100.8 mph at 10 ft away, or 108.0 mph FFE , 99.7 mph est. plate speed, 9th inning vs. White Sox' Lee "Bee Bee" Richard

, 99.7 mph est. plate speed, 9th inning vs. White Sox' Lee "Bee Bee" Richard Mickey Lolich (Tigers) 8/20/74, 90.9 mph at 10 ft away, or 98.1 mph FFE , 89.1 mph est. plate speed

, 89.1 mph est. plate speed Jack Kucek (White Sox rookie RHP) 9/7/74, 90.4 mph at 10 ft away, or 97.6 mph FFE , 88.6 mph est. plate speed (he threw 90.4 twice during the game)

, 88.6 mph est. plate speed (he threw 90.4 twice during the game) Terry Forster (White Sox reliever) 9/7/74, 94.9 mph at 10 ft away, or 102.1 mph FFE, 93.1 mph est. plate speed

Warmup  88.5 mph at 10ft, 86.7 mph plate speed, 95.7 mph FFE (warmup readings 68.5, 55, 88.5 and 70.7 mph)

Inning 1  87.6 mph at 10ft, 85.8 mph plate speed, 94.8 mph FFE

Inning 2  93.4 mph at 10ft, 91.6 mph plate speed, 100.6 mph FFE

Inning 3  94.1 mph at 10ft, 92.3 mph plate speed, 101.3 mph FFE

Inning 4  98.8 mph at 10ft, 97.0 mph plate speed, 106.0 mph FFE vs. Jerry Hairston

Inning 5  96.4 mph at 10ft, 94.6 mph plate speed, 103.6 mph FFE

Inning 6  91.3 mph at 10ft, 89.5 mph plate speed, 98.5 mph FFE

Inning 7  96.7 mph at 10ft, 94.9 mph plate speed, 103.9 mph FFE

Inning 8  94.1 mph at 10ft, 92.3 mph plate speed, 101.3 mph FFE

1960 Speed Test  High Speed Cameras15

This Week 6/19/1960

Who's The Fastest Pitcher?

Here's how we did the testing: We set up a high-speed movie camera which takes 50 frames a second. It photographed the ball from the pitcher�s mound until it crossed home plate � 60 feet, six inches away. By counting the number of frames it took the ball to reach the plate, our mathematicians were able to translate the velocity into miles per hour. The results were arrived at not on the basis of one pitch � but by averaging the five fastest pitches thrown by each man. The final standings are [below]

Steve Barber (Orioles rookie) 95.55 mph, or 100.05 mph FFE

Don Drysdale (Dodgers) 95.31 mph, or 99.81 mph FFE

Sandy Koufax (Dodgers) 93.20 mph, or 97.70 mph FFE

Ryne Duren (Yankees) 91.16 mph, or 95.66 mph FFE

Herb Score (White Sox) 91.08 mph, or 95.58 mph FFE

Bob Turley (Yankees) 90.75 mph, or 95.25 mph FFE

1958 Speed test  Steve Dalkowski  11th Fastest (tied)  102.5 mph FFE Steve Dalkowski

5'11" 170 lbs. In June 1958 the Orioles sent Dalkowski to the U.S. Army's Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland .. was clocked at 93.5 mph



(Assuming he was pitching from 60.5 feet away) this pitch was equivalent to a speed measurement taken at the plate. So we should add the 9 mph average speed reduction from the 50ft mark to the plate to get today's equivalent speed, his speed would range from 101.5 to 104.5 and was likely 102.5 mph.





Steve Dalkowski

1963 Rookie Card Dalkowski is alleged to have served as the inspiration for the wild fastball pitcher Nuke LaLoosh in the 1988 film "Bull Durham".



In Spring Training 1963, Dalkowski was set to finally enter the Big Leagues, when he fielded a Jim Bouton bunt on a fastball, and his arm 'went dead'.



More on White Lightning Dalkowski: "The Wildest Pitcher", Time Magazine, 7/18/1960

The Wildest Fastball Ever 10/12/1970 Sports Illustrated by Pat Jordan

Jeff Hause, "Steve "White Lightning" Dalkowski, Sports Hollywood, 8/31/2001

Peter Handrinos Interview with Dalkowski, 10/3/2005

In June 1958 the Orioles sent Dalkowski to the U.S. Army's Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland .. was clocked at 93.5 mph s7 where he threw through a metal box the width of home plate through which a laser was beamed (or lumiline?). s8 We understand he pitched into an opening that was used to test bullet/ artillery speeds. He also did not pitch from a mound.(Assuming he was pitching from 60.5 feet away) this pitch was equivalent to a speed measurement taken at the plate. So we should add the 9 mph average speed reduction from the 50ft mark to the plate to get today's equivalent speed, his speed would range from 101.5 to 104.5 and was likely 102.5 mph.Dalkowski is alleged to have served as the inspiration for the wild fastball pitcher Nuke LaLoosh in the 1988 film "Bull Durham".In Spring Training 1963, Dalkowski was set to finally enter the Big Leagues, when he fielded a Jim Bouton bunt on a fastball, and his arm 'went dead'.More on White Lightning Dalkowski:

1954 Speed Test  Baltimore  Dumont Oscillographs14

Bob Turley

Milwaukee Sentinal 6/12/1954

"A Du Mont cathode-ray oscillograph test, arranged recently by Collier's, proved that Turley throws a ball from the mound through two light screens six inches apart in .00362 seconds." "photo-electric eye, all passed through triangular opening, breaking beams from two photoelectric circuits set six inches apart."

Colliers 6/25/54

Colliers 6/25/54

triangular opening

Colliers 6/25/54

oscillograph

Dumont 329A  similars28

Dumont 329A  insides28

Bob Turley (Orioles) .00362/6in, 138.12fps/94.17 mph, from 60.5 ft = 103.2 mph FFE

Bob Turley

LIFE mag 6/7/1954

Look magazine wanted to time his fastball for a story. They borrowed a bullet timer from Aberdeen Proving Grounds and set it on home plate. Turley fired his fastball through the bullet timer at just over 98.

1953 Speed Test  Brooklyn Ebbets Field cathode-ray oscillographs17

9/20/1953 Speed Test Ebbets Field

Two 'Screens' (L), Oscillograph (R)

Yonkers Herald Statesman

9/21/1953

Rome News Tribune

9/22/1953

News Article

Jan 54

Joe Black (Brooklyn reliever) 93.2 mph, or 102.2 mph FFE

Johnny Podres (Brooklyn) 88.5 mph, or 97.5 mph FFE

Bob Milliken (Brooklyn) 83.5 mph, or 92.5 mph FFE

Billy Loes ??

Ben Wade ??

Meet The Forgotten Joe Black s17 Joe Black (L)

with roommate Jackie Robinson Joe Black, who was the teammate and roommate of Jackie Robinson, became the first African-American pitcher to win a World Series game while pitching for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1952 and captured the National League Rookie of the Year Award at age 28 with 15 victories, 15 saves and a 2.15 ERA during that same season. Joe was also a college graduate, unusual for baseball players for the time.



There's the recent book



Baseball Almanac stats page



Joe Black, as a rookie, started the 1952 World Series for the Brooklyn Dodgers in



You can listen to



Joe Black's 102.2 mph pitch ranked him, at the time, as the 2nd faster pitcher of all time behind Bob Feller (98.6 mph plate speed in 1946), yet his record of 93.2 mph (at the plate) was never mentioned on any list of fastest pitches that I can find.



Of course, Atley Donald's 1939 speed of 94.77 mph (from 20 feet away) would have also been considered faster than Black's at the time.



Bob Turley (94.2 mph plate speed) would top his speed in 1954. Steve Dalkowski (93.5 mph plate speed) would also top his speed in 1958.





Joe Black, who was the teammate and roommate of Jackie Robinson, became the first African-American pitcher to win a World Series game while pitching for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1952 and captured the National League Rookie of the Year Award at age 28 with 15 victories, 15 saves and a 2.15 ERA during that same season. Joe was also a college graduate, unusual for baseball players for the time.There's the recent book Meet the Real Joe Black: An Inspiring Life Baseball, Teaching, Business, Giving written by Steven Michael Selzer, who was a student of Joe Black's when he taught at Hubbard Junior High School after his Major League baseball career ended.Joe Black, as a rookie, started the 1952 World Series for the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game 1 Game 4 , and Game 7 , giving up only 2, 1, and 3 runs, respectively.You can listen to Joe Black talking about the 1952 World Series Joe Black's 102.2 mph pitch ranked him, at the time, as the 2nd faster pitcher of all time behind Bob Feller (98.6 mph plate speed in 1946), yet his record of 93.2 mph (at the plate) was never mentioned on any list of fastest pitches that I can find.Of course, Atley Donald's 1939 speed of 94.77 mph (from 20 feet away) would have also been considered faster than Black's at the time.Bob Turley (94.2 mph plate speed) would top his speed in 1954. Steve Dalkowski (93.5 mph plate speed) would also top his speed in 1958.

1946 Speed Test  Feller chronograph

1940 Speed Test  Feller motorcycle

1939 Speed Tests in Cleveland

Sep 1939 Popular Science article

showing pitching tests in Cleveland

Sep 1939 Popular Mechanics

John A. Crawford of the Cleveland Plain Dealer thought the idea would be useful in selection of pitching and other talents. President Alvin Bradley of the Cleveland Indians agreed and Rex D. McDill, Cleveland electronics engineer, built the machine. The new meter, which gives an immediate reading which engineers said compared with standard laboratory meter accuracy, is built in a trailer. You throw into a hole two feet square. Just inside is a set of photo-electric tubes, and five feet back is another set. The device measures the ball's speed between the two points and flashes it on a scale facing the pitcher.

6/7/1939 AP article

Three Boston Red Sox threw a baseball 122 feet a second into a new photo-electric pitching meter yesterday. Three Cleveland Indians could do only 119 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. The best mark he recorded was 119 feet. His less-touted teammate, pitcher Johnny Humphreys, recorded 127 feet. There will be a contest for pitchers later. Jimmy Foxx, Jim Tabor, and Roger Cramer made it a clean Boston sweep with a first-place tie in yesterday's fielders contest. The best the Indians could do was a tie at 119 feet by Ben Chapman, Julius Solters and Jim Shilling.

Johnny Humphries of Cleveland, 127 fps (86.6 mph) at 20 ft away, or 90.6 mph FFE

Jimmy Foxx of Boston, 122 fps (83.2 mph) at 20 ft away, or 87.2 mph FFE

Jim Tabor of Boston, 122 fps (83.2 mph) at 20 ft away, or 87.2 mph FFE

Roger Cramer of Boston, 122 fps (83.2 mph) at 20 ft away, or 87.2 mph FFE

Bob Feller of Cleveland, 119 fps (81.1 mph) at 20 ft away, or 85.1 mph FFE

Ben Chapman of Cleveland, 119 fps (81.1 mph) at 20 ft away, or 85.1 mph FFE

Julius Solters of Cleveland, 119 fps (81.1 mph) at 20 ft away, or 85.1 mph FFE

Jim Shilling of Cleveland, 119 fps (81.1 mph) at 20 ft away, or 85.1 mph FFE

Atley Donald (Yankees) 139 fps/ 94.77 mph, or 99.3 mph FFE

Rudy York (Tigers) 139 fps/ 94.77 mph, or 99.3 mph FFE

Ralph Kress (Tigers) 139 fps/ 94.77 mph, or 99.3 mph FFE

Roy Cullenbine (Tigers) 139 fps/ 94.77 mph, or 99.3 mph FFE

Dee Miles (Athletics) 136 fps/ 92.7 mph, or 96.7 mph FFE

Steve Sundra (Yankees) 131 fps/ 89.3 mph, or 93.3 mph FFE

Wally Moses (Athletics) 131 fps/ 89.3 mph, or 93.3 mph FFE

1933 Speed Test at West Points19

Van Mungo (Dodgers), 113 fps (77.0 mph) at 60 ft plate, or 86 mph FFE

Lefty Gomez (Yankees), 111 fps (75.7 mph) at 60 ft plate, or 84.7 mph FFE

1930 Speed Test at West Point s16

Lou McEvoy (Yankee pitcher) 150 fps/ 102.27 mph.

Mark Koenig (Yankee shortstop) ??

1917 Speed Test Remington, Bridgeport, CTs29

Walter Johnson pitching 14fps?

Christy Mathewson pitching 14fps?

Sponsors recalled that back in 1917, in Bridgeport (Conn.) arms laboratory [likely Remington Arms], Walter Johnson recorded 134 feet per second, Christy Mathewson 127 and "Smoky Joe" Wood 124. They used a gravity drop interval recorder."

Walter Johnson, 134 fps (91.4 mph) at 20 ft away, or 95.4 mph FFE

Christy Mathewson, 127 fps (86.6 mph) at 20 ft away, or 90.6 mph FFE

Smokey Joe Wood, 124 fps (84.5 mph) at 20 ft away, or 88.5 mph FFE

Remington Arms Bridgeport CT

1913 Speed Test  NY Giants  Gilbreth Hand-cranked Cameras18

Gilbreth 1913 Study of NY Giants

watch 1913 footage Archive.org

The average speed made by the Giants pitchers was .403172, approximately two-fifths of a second, or at the rate of 170.075 feet a second, while that of the Brown pitchers was approximately .5 of a second, or a tenth of a second slower.

100.8 mph, avg speed 96.3 (14 frames, 0.400 secs, 141 fps) + 4.5 ffe  (9:29 mark  28/40 to 44/40)

90.1 mph, avg speed 85.6 (10 frames, 0.450 secs, 125 fps) + 4.5 ffe  (9:32 mark  31/40 to 49/40 camera blur)

100.8 mph, avg speed 96.3 (11 frames, 0.400 secs, 141 fps) + 4.5 ffe  (9:35 mark  30/40 to 46/40 clear)

95.1 mph, avg speed 90.6 (10 frames, 0.425 secs, 133 fps) + 4.5 ffe  (9:39 mark  26/40 to 43/40)

Gilbreth Test 5/31/1913 Giants

White (R) and Mullaney

Popular Science Monthly

Aug 1917

1912  Remington, Bridgeport, CT  World's First Pitching Speed Test by Baseball Magazine s6

Baseball Magazine

Dec 1912 Cover

Warning  Some of this 1912 information is wrong  working on it today 10/10/2014

The frame was three feet square (no mention of the opening size/shape), each pitcher threw 3 times and the best time was their last with Johnson at 122 fps and Rucker at 113 fps.

Walter Johnson, 122 fps (83.2 mph), or 84.6 mph plate speed, or 95.4 mph FFE

Nap Rucker, 113 fps (77.0 mph), or 78.4 mph plate speed, or 89.2 mph FFE

Walter Johnson, 122 fps (83.2 mph) at 25 ft, or 78.7 mph plate speed, or 87.7 mph FFE

Nap Rucker, 113 fps (77.0 mph) at 25 ft plate, or 72.5 mph plate speed, or 81.5 mph FFE

Waterloo (IA) Evening Courier 11/8/1912

with same article

Ballistic engineers had skillfully adapted the chronograph, an instrument employed in accurately testing Remington-UMC [Union Metallic Cartridge] ammunition, to measure in seconds the flight of a baseball, and at the suggestion of F.C. Lane, editor of the Baseball Magazine, the rather elaborate test had been arranged. When the speed of the rifle bullet is to be determined on the chronograph, the arm is placed in a fixed position at a known distance from a large 5-16th-inch steel plate at the end of an enclosed range, something like an elongated shooting gallery of the common type. Over the muzzle of the gun a thin copper wire is stretched. The speeding bullet cuts the wire and electrically releases an upright rod on the recording instrument at the rear of the weapon. The impact of the bullet on the steel plate, in the same manner, releases a knife which nicks the bar as it falls past a given point and from the distance recorded on the bar, the length of time required for the missile to travel from wire to plate is computed in feet per second. One of the changes necessary to meet the requirements of the 'pitching arm' was to arrange a network of copper wires over a frame about three feet square, through which the ball was thrown. This frame was mounted on an upright standard and was raised or lowered to correspond with the heights of the pitchers or the styles of ball to be delivered.

Controversy over the date of the speed tests6

Press

San Francisco Call 7/6/1913

probably not an accurate depiction of the device

Walter Johnson, Wonderful Hurler, Who Can Snap the Ball 122 Feet a Second�Prevents the Mightiest Batsmen of the American League From Making a Run for 56 Consecutive Innings�Throws a Baseball Faster than the best Speed of the Twentieth Century Limited. SO sang a minor poet of the major leagues. The hero of this baseball epic was Walter Johnson, the marvellous pitcher of the Washington Club, who has just beaten all records by hurling the ball for fifty-six consecutive innings with such skill and cunning that not a batsman of an opposing club has been able to score a run. Speed, was the great factor in the achievement� dazzling, sizzling speed! The big Idahoan's delivery is like the flight if a shell. The mightiest hitters of the American League are as helpless as town lot players when Johnson turns loose his fastest ball; "Tv" Cobb, "Home Run" Baker and Jackson alike are babes in his hands. Johnson's amazing swiftness in pitching is no mere fancy. It has been scientifically measured. In the testing room of the Remington Arms Company at Bridgeport. Conn., Johnson showed that his right arm could hurl the baseball at the rate of 122 feet a second! It was acknowledged that he could do even better, because in athletic parlance he was not warmed up. It is well known that a hurler gathers speed as a game progresses. Johnson hung the sphere through an aperture in a frame of wood about two feet square. Running from top to bottom there were ten very delicate and filmy? copper wires. These were broken by the ball, and by an electrical device the moment of passage was accurately timed. Five yards away was a steel plate and the impact of the ball on this barrier again caused the electric clock to register. Thus the exact time of the ball's flight was mathematically determined. The velocity obtained by Johnson is all the more extraordinary when it is known that a bullet from the new Government .45 automatic pistol travels 800 feet per second. A high power hunting rifle, .35 calibre, auto-loading, travels 2,000 feet per second. 'The Twentieth' Century Limited, the fastest long-distance train in the world, makes the 978.7 miles from New York to Chicago in just twenty hours, or an average speed of 48.9 miles every hour. This means a velocity of nearly seventy-two feet a second. Suppose Johnson's speedball kept on travelling at 122 feet a second right on toward the Windy City at its own hurricane speed. It would eat up the 5,163,840 feet to Chicago in Just 11 hours, and 48 minutes. The ball would beat the train to Chicago by 8 hours and 12 minutes. In other words, the catcher who received the ball could go to bed, have a full night's rest, get up and into his uniform again, and be on hand in the morning to meet the Twentieth Century as she rolled into Chicago. Putting it another way�the train leaves New York at 2.45 P. M. daily. Time is set back at Buffalo by just an hour, so that the onrushing train gains sixty minutes on her Westward journey. Eleven hours and forty-eight minutes after the start Johnson's bender has reached Chicago, or at 1.33 A. M. Chicago time, the roaring locomotive has just plunged through Cleveland with stopping, more than 350 miles away. The striking energy of Johnson's missile was shown to be 160 foot pounds. That means that it possessed approximately half the force in impact of a bullet fired ; from a .45 automatic pistol! According to these figures, it takes less than half a second for a ball thrown by Johnson at his high speed to travel from his fingers to catcher's glove! That is why he bewilders even the quickest witted batsman. He isn't able to guess whether it is a straight ball, or an in or an out curve, a drop, or whether the sphere is going to jump up into the air in defiance of the law lof gravity. "Any time you get a hit off Johnson," declared Napoleon Lajoje, himself one of the most formidable wielders of the bat that the game ever knew, "you must not think that you're smart. Just figure that you're lucky �lucky that you were able to make that blind swing at just the right spot. There never was, and I doubt if there if ever will be, a pitcher as great as Johnson. If he turned loose his very hardest throw with his best curve on it no catcher could get down in time to receive the ball. "Every ball he throws has stuff on it that can't be solved. Some of the hops that his swiftest ones take are bigger curves than a man ever threw before. I've seen him slam balls up to the plate that didn't look larger than a pinhead." Not surprising, is it, that Johnson is such a terror? The quiet, modest young Idaho youth -he is only twenty-five years old  also fooled his opponents into giving him another record. Last year he struck out 303 men in 386 innings. None of the other wizards could touch that mark. Before he became a big leaguer striking out batsmen was merely a pastime for him. Out in Weiser, when only nineteen, he was playing in the Idaho State League, and among the performances credited to him was the striking out of the first eight men who faced him in an important game, and he later struck out eleven other men during the nine innings.

Sporting Life 11/16/1912

The speed of pitched balls has been of intense interest since the earliest days of baseball. Team owners and newsmen have long known that the public has a thirst for fastball speeds. The world's first speed test in 1912 of Walter Johnson and Nap Rucker became a sensation and made headlines all over the country.Baseball pitches were measured using a variety of methods by the US Army ballistics/artillery labs, West Point, time and motion engineers, and engineering firms:The military, arms companies, archery firms, engineering firms, and sports enthusiasts use ballistic test devices to measure speeds of fast moving objects like bullets, missiles, and arrows.These devices are generally comprised of two 'screens', and a chronograph.The chronograph, or its cousin the oscilloscope/oscillograph, is like a stopwatch/timer used to measure the start and stop times. But it needs two or more 'screens' to tell it when to start and stop as the object passes through the screens.The screens are the start and end points and are usually called 'sky screens', 'lumiline screens', or 'make or break' screens and look like the triangle-shaped devices seen in pictures on this page. Some early screen devices used small copper wires in the opening and a steel plate for the end point.Screens usually work using a photoelectric beam, just like your home burglar alarm sensors, your garage door sensor, or an elevator door sensor. When something crosses the light beam, it triggers some action.When the ball (or bullet) passes through the starting point, it begins the timer, then the object passes through or hits the end point, which stops the timer. The distance between the start and end points are known, so its easy to calculate the speed in terms of feet per second (fps) of the moving object/ball/bullet/missile.Here is a link to an interesting 1982 document from US Army Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD that "describes methods for measuring projectile velocity, including time of flight distance measurements, and equipment.". Sec 2.2 Instrumentation List includes: "Sky screens and chronographs, lumiline screens and chronographs, make or break screens and chronographs, can test velocity to 3000 m/s with +-0.1%" maximum error. So, these devices are very accurate.I am amused when I read articles and forum comments about how these pre-radar devices are 'primitive' or 'not accurate'. Of course, the low speed camera test in 1913 and the motorcycle test in 1940 were indeed primitive and not very accurate. But in many cases, chronograph/ballistic devices are more accurate than radar.Radar and chronograph devices work mostly the same way in that a timer starts, then something causes the timer to end, and you know the distance between the start/end points (radar uses different wave lengths, and chronographs use the sky screen openings - ex. the triangle shaped box).However, with radar (even with the best Stalker/JUGS gun), you don't knowwhere, along the path taken from pitchers hand to the plate, the reading was taken - was it measured out of the hand? 10 feet away? 12 feet away? There is no way to know. With the chronograph device, you know the precise location of the measurement since it's based on the physical location of the device itself.The reason that radar overtook chronographs in measuring pitch speeds is not because radar is more accurate, but because radar is more practical, in that a ball no longer had to be thrown through a device. Radar allowed a game to be played, and measurements to be taken, during a live game, which means that every pitch could be measured, not just a few warmup pitches before the game started.But, this practicality led to continued confusion during the 30 years of the radar era, from 1975 through 2006, because of 'fast guns' (with readings taken near the pitchers hand) , 'slow guns' (readings averaged, or taken near the plate) , and other radar guns/devices where you had no idea where the ball was along the path when the measurement was taken.I have calculated the 50 foot equivalent (FFE) speed for each pitcher, based on how far they were from the device, and what type of device, so they can be compared to each other, and to today's speeds.See Ryan bio section for more details of the two games, the promotion of the contest, and the testing.On 8/20/1974 both Ryan and Lolich (Tigers) pitched complete games over 11 innings. Ryan struck out 19 batters, with no run support to lose 1-0.Earlier, on 6/14/1974, he had struck out 19 Red Sox batters in 13 innings using 235 pitches, resulting in a no decision.On 9/7/1974, Ryan threw 159 pitches, striking out 9 batters, and faced Jack Kucek the White Sox rookie.Terry Forster (White Sox LH reliever) pitched the final 1.2 innings (7th/8th), there is no mention of his speed in the same articles, but he was reported months later to have thrown 94.9 in 'September 1974', so I am going to assume it was on 9/7. Forster led the AL that year with 24 saves, then he injured his arm in 1975.(However, I am not including Forster's speed on the 102+ list until I get more verification of the reading) s21 Assuming they were 10 feet away  add 7.2 mph (9mph/50*40) to get to the 50ft FFE  and deduct 1.8 mph (9/50*10) to get plate speed:Other Nolan Ryan pitches reported on 9/7/1974:, which was a nationwide newspaper insert, did some testing during spring training 1960 and published an article June 19, 1960 Who's the Fastest Pitcher By LESLIE LIEBER, which described the test:50 frames per second is sufficient to get a good speed reading (even today). You could have as much as 3-4 mph error on a single reading, but 5 readings should reduce the error significantly.Since they were 60.5 feet away, and the speed had essentially been averaged  add 4.5 mph (50% of 9 mph speed reduction to the plate) to get to the 50ft FFE:Reports say this film was taken in Miami. The Orioles held their Spring training in Miami Stadium in 1960, maybe it was there? The Dodgers played in Vero Beach, the Yankees in St Petersburg, and the White Sox in Sarasota.The Orioles were hyping their move to Baltimore in 1953/54, so Collier's magazine wanted to test the speed of the Orioles rookie sensation "Bullet" Bob Turley's fastball for a story.So "Bullet" Bob Turley (Career: 101-85, 3.64 ERA, 1265 SO, 1958 ML Cy, 3xAllStar, Yankees/Orioles) was tested in Baltimore Stadium on 5/12/1954. Collier's described it this way:They described the result as 94.2 mph (it was rounded up from 94.17 mph).Note that "Bullet" Bob earned his nickname before the 'bullet' test in 1954, likely late 1953 after he returned a 'war hero' to the Browns/Orioles in Aug 1953.Since he was 60.5 feet away from the device, you must add 9 mph to get to the 50ft FFEHere are some interesting articles about Turley:There is some incorrect information about this test floating around as below  Look was not involved, that I know of, and the device did not come from the Army's Aberdeen facility.:The NY TV station WABD promoted a one game test before a Sunday double header on 9/20/1953 at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, NY.DuMont Laboratories, Inc. using their "cathode-ray oscillograph" (basically a stopwatch), plus two v-shaped photoelectric 'screens' to start and stop it, tested the pitching speed of at least three Brooklyn Dodger pitchers. They pitched from the mound through the device at home plate.They were clocked as follows  Joe Black 93.2 mph, Johnny Podres 88.5 mph, and Bob Milliken 83.5 mph. Billy Loes and Ben Wade were reported to have been tested, but no record has been found of the results.Since they were 60.5 feet away from the device, you must add 9 mph to get to the 50ft FFE:See Feller bio sectionSee Feller bio sectionPer the Richmond (VA) Times Dispatch, June 6, 1939 AP article "Meter to Record Feller's Speed" s12 The results were reported the following day in the Richmond (VA) Times Dispatch, June 7, 1939 AP article, "Humphreys' 'Hard' Un' Faster Than Feller's, Meter Shows" s12 Assuming they were 20 feet away  add 4 mph (20/50*9mph) to get to the 50ft FFE s12 Thousands of major and minor league players, and some 'sandlotters', (reportedly 27,000 in all!) were tested with this machine afterwards during the summer of 1939. s9 First was Dee Miles, an outfielder for the Philadelphia Athletics, who became the record holder for a while at 136 fps/ 92.7 mph, or 96.7 mph FFE.Then, on August 30, 1939 Atley Donald, the Yankees' sensational rookie who went 13-3 that year, was tested in Cleveland and became the worlds' fastest throwing 139 fps/ 94.77 mph (or 99.3 mph FFE)Presumably between then and Nov 25, 1939 Rudy York [infielder], Ralph [Red] Kress [infielder] and Roy Cullenbine [outfielder] of the Detroit Tigers also threw 139 fps to tie Atley Donald's record.Steve "Sandy" Sundra (Yankees pitcher) and Wally Moses (Philadelphia Athletics LH outfielder) tied for 2nd throwing 131 fps/ 89.3 mph, or 93.3 mph FFE.To summarize and rank these later tested later from June 7 through the end of the 1939 season:Assuming they were 20 feet away  add 4 mph (20/50*9mph) to get to the 50ft FFE:It's interesting to note that 4 unidentified 'sandlotters' also tied for 2nd at 131 fps.In June 1933, the Dodger's Van Lingle Mungo and the Yankee's Lefty Gomez, two of the fastest pitchers of the time, went to West Point's ballistics lab. We don't know how far the device was from the pitchers.We will assume 60 ft for this purpose, so add 9 mph to get to 50 FFE.Mark Koenig (Yankees shortstop) and Lou McEvoy (Yankees pitcher) went to West Point Military Academy on 5/23/1930 to be tested by Capt HA Hinsley and some cadets. Lou McEvoy was measured at 150 fps. Koenig was measured and 'almost equalled' McEvoy but it was not reported. Later reports have falsely attributed the 150 fps reading to Koenig.We have no details on how the test was performed, so we can't determine if/how to adjust to FFE.Note: I am not including this 102.27 mph pitch in my 102+ list until I can confirm much more about the equipment used, and it's reliability, and how far away they were from the device.The earliest 'evidence' of this test appears in 1939 articles during the Cleveland speed tests, based on 20 year old recollections. Mathewson stopped pitching in 1916, when he only pitched 4 games. Joe Wood was operated on for appendicitis preseason 1914, and displayed visible shoulder pain in October 1915, and his speed dropped visibly. He would not accept a cut in pay, so he rehabbed at home during 1916. In Feb 1917, he was sold to Cleveland where his debut May 25th was a disaster. He became an outfielder after that.AP reported in 1939Assuming they were 20 feet away  add 4 mph (20/50*9mph) to get to the 50ft FFE:In April 1913, Frank Gilbreth performed a time and motion study of the Brown University baseball team, and it was reported in the Sunday Providence paper.George H. Daley, sports editor of the New York Tribune read this and organized a similar study of the New York Giants team.On May 31, 1913 �in the presence of some 20,000 fans, and the �tearing� music of a 70 member Cuban marine band whose battleship was docked offshore� Gilbreth recorded the Giants� pitching and batting speeds and motions, as well as the time needed to steal second base.Time and motion measurements were reported in the New York Tribune newspaper, among others that picked up the story (for example: Sporting Life, 1913)".You can watch the film of the parts of the study at Archive.org where the Giants are about to play the Phillies at the Polo Grounds.Gilbreth used a 16mm video camera, and since it was cranked by hand, produced a variable frame rate. This is the reason black and white 'talkie' films look 'jerky'. So he devised a special clock, which appears in every frame, that makes one revolution per second (based on looking at the video), and is divided into what looks like 40 sections  4 groups of 10. (Note that he used different clocks with various speeds for other experiments). The custom clock enabled him to determine the 'length' of time between each frame with tremendous accuracy.White (minors?) was hitting, Mullaney (minors?) was catching, Fred Snodgrass was at 2B. Art Fromme was the pitcher. He surmised that the best speed/time for Fromme from release to the catcher's mitt was 0.351 seconds. Fromme was on the mound 60.5 feet away, and the catcher appears to be standing about 5 feet behind home plate, but his glove is about 3 feet closer.Apparently several pitchers were tested, but not reported anywhere.So, Fromme's time was tested at .351 seconds. The reported speed is 185.185 fps  which converts to 126.26 mph.Let's examine the many problems with the calculation:65 feet distance  185.185 fps is obviously based on 65 feet distance over .351 seconds. However, the pitcher's stride is probably 6 feet, and the catcher's mitt was only 2 feet behind the plate. So, the real distance for the calculation is 56.5 feet (60.5-6+2). So, the real fps using 56.5 feet at .351 seconds is 160.97 fps (56.5/.351)  or 102.93 mph  or 107.43 mph FFE (+4.5 mph since frame rates are average speeds).The basic problem with Gilbreth's method is the limitations of a low frame rate camera. Based on my review of the 4 pitching clips in the film, his frame rate ranged from 22 to 35 fps. The margin of error between each frame when looking at pitch speeds, when using low frame rates like this, is 6-9 mph between each frame. Based on my experience reviewing hitting and pitching clips, even a 30 fps camera is not very good for this purpose. A 50/60+ fps camera is much, much better to determine pitch speeds.Sometimes the clock appears to have two second/minor hands instead of one because of camera blur (rolling stutter).It's hard to tell which frame starts, and which frame ends the process. You can't determine if the catcher has the ball or if it's still in the air. You can't tell if the pitcher still has the ball or if he has released it.Misjudging the starting or ending frame by a single frame can introduce an extra 6-9 mph error possibility.I reviewed the four pitching clips. Here is what I saw  assume 56.5 feet (60.5-6+2) + frame counts result in average speed  so add 4.5 mph (50% of 9 mph):So, Fromme's speed could have been 100.8 mph  plus or minus up to 6-9 mph. I'm giving him a 98-102 mph range.Also, according to the 1915 Spalding Base Ball Guide, there is a reference to an additional time study of some sort performed on a team(s) in June 1906.Baseball Magazine editor F.C. Lane organized a speed test on 10/6/1912 (although this date is in dispute  see below), between Washington's Walter Johnson and Brooklyn's Nap Rucker, two of baseball's fastest pitchers, at the Remington Arms Co. bullet testing range in Bridgeport, CT.According to the book 'Walter Johnson, Baseball's Big Train' s6 , the device was a tunnel of fine wires with a 2ftx2ft opening ending at a steel plate. The ball would trip the wires and register the time and then measure the arrival time at the steel plate. The device was about 60 feet away and was shoulder height, so Johnson had a hard time getting his sidearm pitches through. So, the speed was actually measured at 75 feet. Johnson's best was 122 fps, Rucker's at 113, both on their 3rd and final tries.However there is contradictory info in the Sporting Life 11/16/1912 article, Walter Johnson's Speed Excels That of All Pitchers s6 , the device had a round opening with some charged electric wires, and 5 feet behind that was a charged steel plate (not sure if the housing for this device is 5 feet or 15 feet?). The pitchers stood 25 feet away. Results were 125 fps for Johnson and 115 fps for Rucker. Johnson took 4 attempts, Rucker hit it on the first try.And further contradictory info in 10/25/1912 The Hardware Reporter article, First Test of Speed of Pitched Ball in World's History s6 Device 5ft vs. 15 ft  there were some contradictory reports over the length of the device itself  some say 5 yards, some 5 feet, and one says 15 feet.122 fps vs. 125 fps  since the Dec 1912 Baseball Magazine article is actually titled 'One Hundred and Twenty-two Feet a Second', and the editor F.C. Lane actually attended the test, plus the Hardware Reporter article listed the 3 test pitches for each pitcher 120,121, then 122 fps for Johnson and 106, 109, then 113 fps for Rucker, I am going to assume that 122 fps is the reliable speed number (vs. 125 fps mentioned in the 1912 Sporting Life).Assuming they were 60.5 feet away from the opening, plus half of the 15ft tunnel averaged at 7.5 ft  add 12.2 mph (68/50*9mph) to get to the 50ft FFE  and1.4 mph (7.5/50*9mph) to get plate speed:Assuming they were 25 feet away  add 4.5 mph (25/50*9mph) to get to 50ft FFE, and deduct 4.5 mph (25/50*9mph) to get to plate speed:Here is how the 10/25/1912 Hardware Reporter article described the chronograph device:A national article from October 1912 said that Johnson and Rucker left on Saturday the morning before their last regular season game on Oct 5, 1912 (not the next day) and made the 55 mile round trip to Bridgeport in 2 hours, traveling in a big Franklin car with the Baseball Magazine editor, some NY World writers and AP Lane, a champion pistol shooter.