Being able to pitch a baseball 100-plus miles per hour is an insane gift. To create that much velocity and sheer torque out of a small object is something only a few people can do. If you’re an MLB pitcher with such a talent, you’ll bring an element almost everyone will gawk at when they get the chance.
To likely try and have everyone appreciate the 100 mile-per-hour pitch, even more, the Yankees’ broadcast had an excellent idea: They isolated a 100 mph pitch under a slo-mo cam.
The visual effects and results on the receiving catcher’s mitt aren’t surprising but certainly no less striking. In essence, it’s pitching gold:
Catching 100 mph in super slow-mo 🤯 pic.twitter.com/twFR2wVyPU
— MLB (@MLB) May 21, 2022
I could watch that ball positively level the glove’s leather over and over. It’s mesmerizing.
With this baseball leather destruction in mind, it’s worth noting who’s been dealing out the most heat. As pitching arms get faster and faster, the above glove won’t be alone:
In 2002 the average fastball in MLB was 88.5mph.
The average fastball is trending to be over 95mph in 2022.
(It was 94.9 this season) pic.twitter.com/eXBoR5PFxP— Jeff Leach (@CoachJeffLeach) November 30, 2021
If I’m doing my math right, with 95 set to be the average fastball by the end of the year, then 100 could be the norm near 2030 or so. That is just bonkers to consider.
The next triple-digit wave might already be here, too. Earlier this season, the Reds’ Hunter Greene broke an MLB record for 100+ mile-per-hour pitches in a game with 39 (!). Thanks to his rocket arm, he lived up to every bit of the hype. Meanwhile, the Twins’ Jhoan Duran is the current owner of this year’s fastest pitch when he tossed 103.3 mile-per-hour rocket in mid-May.
Either catchers are about to get denser gloves, or a rise of 100 mile-per-hour pitches will create a lot more equipment damage in the coming years.
