Why Is Nolan Ryan Considered the fastest pitcher ever?

Question

His top speed was clocked at 100.9 miles per hour. There have been plenty of pitchers who have recorded higher. Why is he known as the fastest pitcher ever?

Answer 1

The 100.9 is recognized as the fastest ever because it was certified at the time by the people at the Guinness Book.

In the past couple of decades, there have been a lot of questions about the validity of certain radar gun readings. Some consider many to be "fast guns," and the numbers they post are questionable. That's why guys like Zumaya and Verlander will hit 100 without the announcers even making too big a deal of it - the shaky pitch measurements have kind of eroded what it means. I've seen cases of two guns reading the same pitch at 97 and 102, which shows how little they can be trusted.

Others may have beaten Ryan since his 100.9, but that also probably wasn't his fastest pitch - it's just the one they happened to record on the night he set the record.

Answer 2

He is not the fastest pitcher. Lee Smith, Tom Henke, AJ Burnett, BJ Ryan were clocked faster up to 105 but....

Nolan did it all the time and through the whole game there was little drop off. He had excellent pitching mechanics. Ryan also did it for over a decade into his forties with excellent velocity.

He didn't have a long list of pitches. Like Tom Seaver who also stayed a long time in the Big Leagues. Ryan threw fastball, curve ball, and a change up.

Worse for hitters, Ryan could locate the ball at those high velocities. A lot of pitchers can bring heat but their location couldn't be predicted. Ryan could go in go outside up and down with every pitch.

But he had variants of these pitches by applying pressure points on this release points. So a fastball could be a cut or sweeping up or down.

Also he could accurately vary his speeds and all for location. He would average 95 mph on the fastballs but his curve was 88. There are pitchers in the big leagues who don't throw their fastballs that hard.

His curveballs were tight and bent. More importantly Ryan did all this using the very same arm action. Ryan never tipped pitches.

He only rarely threw the slider a popular pitch now it is deadly on the arm of a hard thrower such as Steve Rogers or Dave Stieb. I recall him or someone saying he had a quota for the slider no more than three a game.

Ryan could have gone another year or two. In the last year his speed was not overly different than his first years.

They didn't have a radar gun at the time but I'd swear Sandy Koufax threw faster longer into a game. But Koufax's arm gave out only a few years before the Tommy John surgery evolution.

Answer 3

well because he has won and been in the majors for years. plus all the no hitters and strike outs. he is what a fast ball pitcher is all about. as opposed to when you think of control then you think of greg maddux. ryan was dependant on his fastball for years so people think of him as being the fastest. i believe joel zumaya of the tigers threw over 102 in a game and he was the fastest ever clocked in a mlb game. but look at him now, he is already on the DL. ryan threw fast and had a long career which for a flame thrower is a rarity. the thing about ryan his fastball had alot of movement. to me ryan and sandy koufax had the best fastballs ever.

Answer 4

Never heard Ryan called that, but he threw in the high 90's for more then 25 years, and is the strike out king, and had 7 no hitters.

Answer 5

DEAR SIR

BECAUSE HE ALWAYS DONE HIS PITCHING RIGHT

WITH OUT SHOOTING UP WORKED OUT EVERY DAY

DID NOT COMPLAIN ABOUT ANY THING EVEN WHEN HE

HURT ARE HAD ACHES AND PAINS IN HIS BODY ARE

THE COACH WANTED HIM TO TAKE A DAY OFF HE

ALWAYS SAID NO THIS IS WAY HE IS THE GREATEST

PITCHER TO ME THAT IS WHY I ASKED ABOUT HIM RE

PITCHING SO SORRY NOLAN I DID NOT KNOW ABOUT

YOUR HEART BUDDY OK

TAKE CARE

Answer 6

because of all the strikeout records and win records he has

Answer 7

because he constantly threw in that high range.

Answer 8

he is also pre-mature ejaculator....
thats why