1 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:12,074 2 00:00:21,400 --> 00:00:23,040 I started playing the game at a young age. 3 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:25,123 And fell in love with it and... 4 00:00:25,320 --> 00:00:27,040 You know, Nolan Ryan was my idol growing up. 5 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:29,407 So obviously I wanted to be a power pitcher. 6 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:31,480 You know, I go to college and I grow into myself 7 00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:34,091 and I hit a 100 for the first time my junior year. 8 00:00:34,280 --> 00:00:38,649 You know, I guess that's kinda when I started thinking, 9 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:41,286 you know, how would I compare to these guys back in the day? 10 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:42,567 They didn't really have radar guns. 11 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:44,046 You know, i remember Bob feller 12 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:45,400 throwing against a motorcycle. 13 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:52,721 Um, you know, you've got Walter Johnson, Sandy koufax... 14 00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:54,046 You know, you always just wanna know 15 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:55,441 how you'd stack up 16 00:00:55,640 --> 00:00:58,007 against the greats of a different era. 17 00:00:58,240 --> 00:00:59,400 If I can get in a time machine 18 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:00,771 and just step into the past, 19 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:02,320 you know that would be the best way 20 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:03,720 to compare yourself to those guys. 21 00:01:03,880 --> 00:01:06,486 To stand next to them and throw with them. 22 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:07,966 This gentleman in blue 23 00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:10,049 claims that he can clock anything on wheels. 24 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:12,481 Well, a baseball doesn't travel on wheels, officer. 25 00:01:12,680 --> 00:01:16,048 But if you want a race, it's your motorcycle. 26 00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:17,890 I guess we're all set. 27 00:01:18,080 --> 00:01:20,606 Here's the test which shows which is the faster. 28 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:22,006 The racing motorcycle, 29 00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:23,611 or the pitched ball. 30 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:26,531 Coming down the highway at a speed of 86 miles per hour, 31 00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:27,960 the policeman crosses the pitching line 32 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:29,207 and there they go... 33 00:01:29,440 --> 00:01:32,125 Bingo, and look, 34 00:01:32,360 --> 00:01:35,887 Bob feller gives him a head start of 10 feet before he throws the ball. 35 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:39,926 Watch the ball now. Bob's pitch is gaining all the way. 36 00:01:40,160 --> 00:01:42,481 It breaks the target right through the bull's-eye 37 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:45,160 a few feet in front of the motorcycle. 38 00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:46,840 Well, where are you, mister policeman? 39 00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:48,723 Oh, there you are. 40 00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:51,611 I don't know what your speedometer reads now, 41 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:55,447 but that ball was traveling better than 100 miles an hour, 42 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:57,324 and that's plenty fast. 43 00:02:10,800 --> 00:02:14,441 Baseball m the 21st century. 44 00:02:14,640 --> 00:02:17,610 It is a game of specialists. 45 00:02:17,800 --> 00:02:20,690 A game molded by technology 46 00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:22,530 driven by data, 47 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:25,200 and statistics. 48 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:26,765 It's a game managers try to win 49 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:30,846 by predicting what can only be guessed at, 50 00:02:31,080 --> 00:02:33,890 by controlling what can only be hoped for. 51 00:02:36,760 --> 00:02:39,969 For every time the umpire says, "play ball," 52 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:44,768 it is still a game of infinite possibility. 53 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:46,962 And at its core, 54 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:49,208 an ancient contest 55 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:53,564 between two people alone on a field. 56 00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:56,331 A primal battle 57 00:02:56,520 --> 00:02:59,888 between a man with a stick... 58 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:01,764 And a man with a rock. 59 00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:07,681 I don't think there's more excitement anywhere 60 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:10,281 than a power pitcher out on the mound 61 00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:12,323 and then you've got a power hitter up there. 62 00:03:12,520 --> 00:03:15,000 Something's gonna give. 63 00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:16,884 You're getting it all here. 64 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:19,048 The kid against the veteran. 65 00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:22,210 The fastballer against the fastball hitter. 66 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:23,400 There they go. 67 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:24,641 Struck him out! 68 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:26,251 Ballgame is over! 69 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:28,807 Who was the hardest throwing pitcher I ever faced? 70 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:30,331 The fastest fastball... 71 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:31,891 The nastiest I ever faced 72 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:33,525 was the hardest thrower who ever threw a baseball. 73 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:34,881 The fastest I ever saw was... 74 00:03:35,080 --> 00:03:36,650 He was the hardest thrower that I ever saw... 75 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:38,330 He had one of those special arms. 76 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:42,047 He threw it harder than any man i ever saw in my life. 77 00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:44,851 There is this powerful desire 78 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:46,485 for every baseball fan 79 00:03:46,680 --> 00:03:49,923 to know, okay, what... Who threw the fastest pitch? 80 00:03:50,160 --> 00:03:52,561 It's one of the great mysteries of baseball. 81 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:54,250 He struck him out swinging. 82 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:55,680 You just can't change the game. 83 00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:58,127 You know, no matter how much time goes by, 84 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:01,767 everything in essence remains the same. 85 00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:03,246 He knows I'm throwing a fastball. 86 00:04:03,440 --> 00:04:05,249 I know I'm throwing a fastball. 87 00:04:05,440 --> 00:04:07,966 This is it. Let's see what happens. 88 00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:12,210 Just don't get scared when you look at the miles per hour and it says "98" up there. 89 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:14,607 You'd be like, "oh, man." Some pecple get scared. They start shaking. 90 00:04:14,800 --> 00:04:17,007 You can tell. They don't want to hold a bat. 91 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:19,043 You can see it in some of the batters' eyes, you can tell. 92 00:04:19,240 --> 00:04:21,481 If you got anywhere close to plate, 93 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:23,330 and you threw that hard... 94 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:24,806 High and tight... 95 00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:27,401 There was a lot of fear involved. 96 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:34,043 Oh, you can definitely hear a fastball. 97 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:36,049 You can hear it whizzing by you. 98 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:39,289 It sounds like trouble, is what it sounds like. 99 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:43,007 But if you're facing someone with some control problems... 100 00:04:43,200 --> 00:04:46,443 It can be a very, very troubling experience. 101 00:04:46,680 --> 00:04:49,081 Even the best batters, i kinda feel bad for them. 102 00:04:49,280 --> 00:04:51,567 You know, they're in a situation 103 00:04:51,760 --> 00:04:53,569 that is really pushing the limits 104 00:04:53,760 --> 00:04:56,570 of what a brain can do. 105 00:04:56,760 --> 00:04:58,364 People go, "what, were you scared?" 106 00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:00,085 No, you can't have fear when you walk to the plate. 107 00:05:00,320 --> 00:05:02,209 Because that... That defeats you. 108 00:05:02,440 --> 00:05:04,442 As predator-prey. 109 00:05:04,640 --> 00:05:07,166 And that's why I never look at the pitcher's eyes. 110 00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:08,691 He's the predator, and you're the prey. 111 00:05:08,880 --> 00:05:10,803 If you look into his eyes. 112 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:12,126 They wouldn't look at me. 113 00:05:12,320 --> 00:05:14,084 Most hitters would not look at me. 114 00:05:14,280 --> 00:05:16,965 And I looked at them 115 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:20,289 I'd follow them up, you know and I'd look at them and I'd size them up. 116 00:05:20,480 --> 00:05:22,084 And they just look away. 117 00:05:22,280 --> 00:05:24,601 They... you know, they didn't want any part of me. 118 00:05:24,840 --> 00:05:28,481 You know, I had a license to kill out there on the mound. 119 00:05:28,720 --> 00:05:30,051 Oh! 120 00:05:30,240 --> 00:05:31,480 He thought he was hit. 121 00:05:31,720 --> 00:05:33,609 Holy cow. 122 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:35,760 People would meet me, even players, and they said, 123 00:05:35,880 --> 00:05:38,042 "man, you're not at all like you are on the mound, 124 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:39,240 are you?" 125 00:05:39,320 --> 00:05:41,243 I said, "no, I... you know, 126 00:05:41,480 --> 00:05:44,404 I couldn't possibly carry that persona around with me every... 127 00:05:44,600 --> 00:05:45,600 I'd be thrown in jail." 128 00:05:51,040 --> 00:05:52,166 Goose gossage. 129 00:05:54,520 --> 00:05:56,170 I would have to say he has the nastiest... 130 00:05:56,360 --> 00:05:58,044 He had the nastiest... All of it. 131 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:00,163 He had the windup and everything. 132 00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:02,840 And he was very scary. He was big. 133 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:04,121 Threw hard. 134 00:06:04,320 --> 00:06:06,129 Very mean. 135 00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:10,405 I would say he was probably the nastiest I ever faced. 136 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:16,371 The arm is everywhere, 137 00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:20,002 head could be violently shaking as he threw it. 138 00:06:20,200 --> 00:06:24,683 And you just hope he had home plate zeroed in there. 139 00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:27,360 Threw the fastball in on the hands and got him... 140 00:06:27,560 --> 00:06:29,688 It was one of my biggest tools 141 00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:30,880 that I had out there 142 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:33,241 was the intimidation factor. 143 00:06:33,440 --> 00:06:35,807 There were times that I would look at a hitter in the box 144 00:06:36,040 --> 00:06:37,530 and I would just look at him and go, 145 00:06:37,720 --> 00:06:40,724 "man, I would not want to be this guy right now." 146 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:44,683 Roy ls gone. 147 00:06:44,920 --> 00:06:46,365 It's the law of the jungle, you either eat 148 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:47,560 or you get eaten. 149 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:50,366 And I was not gonna get eaten. 150 00:06:52,320 --> 00:06:54,368 Gossage ls throwing bullets. 151 00:06:54,600 --> 00:06:57,331 He is throwing hard. 152 00:06:57,560 --> 00:06:58,891 Struck him out. 153 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:00,923 You are either the hero or the goat, 154 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:02,690 being a relief pitcher. 155 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:04,848 Closer is the word they use today. 156 00:07:05,040 --> 00:07:06,929 "Closer" wasn't even a coined phrase, 157 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:09,600 we were "relief pitchers." 158 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:11,609 Live from Fenway park, 159 00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:15,009 the second playoff game ever in the American league. 160 00:07:15,240 --> 00:07:18,130 My goodness, if there isn't something about a moment like this 161 00:07:18,320 --> 00:07:20,402 that arouses the competitive juices in a man, 162 00:07:20,600 --> 00:07:23,046 you've got no business being involved in sports. 163 00:07:23,240 --> 00:07:26,050 The 191s playoff game 164 00:07:26,240 --> 00:07:30,370 was the biggest game that I ever played in. 165 00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:33,928 I remember going to bed the night before the game 166 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:37,567 thinking that I'll probably be facing yaz for the final out. 167 00:07:37,760 --> 00:07:40,889 And you know, you're gonna get some heat right here. 168 00:07:41,080 --> 00:07:43,606 And Mr. "goose" gossage coming on. 169 00:07:43,800 --> 00:07:48,203 I have never been so nervous in a game in my life. 170 00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:49,965 I remember coming out of the bullpen 171 00:07:50,160 --> 00:07:51,286 and it was hard for me 172 00:07:51,480 --> 00:07:53,164 to put one foot in front of the other. 173 00:07:53,360 --> 00:07:56,125 I was shaking so hard. 174 00:07:56,320 --> 00:07:58,322 So the big youngster from Colorado 175 00:07:58,520 --> 00:07:59,760 comes on in relief. 176 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:01,889 I came into the game in the seventh inning. 177 00:08:02,120 --> 00:08:04,930 With one out a couple of runners on, I believe. 178 00:08:05,120 --> 00:08:06,929 And I got out of that jam 179 00:08:07,120 --> 00:08:08,929 and then the ninth came around 180 00:08:09,120 --> 00:08:10,929 and who comes to the plate? 181 00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:13,407 The batter ls Carl yastrzemski. 182 00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:16,444 This ballgame going right down to the wire. 183 00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:20,082 (Two guys on, twc) Outs in the ninth, in Fenway. 184 00:08:20,280 --> 00:08:21,850 And yaz is coming up to the plate. 185 00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:24,850 Well, I had a moment to think about... 186 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:27,566 You know, because yaz was getting a standing ovation. 187 00:08:27,760 --> 00:08:31,810 For about... Seemed like five minutes. 188 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:34,367 And I had a conversation with myself. 189 00:08:34,560 --> 00:08:37,769 I said, "gosh, why are you so nervous? 190 00:08:37,960 --> 00:08:39,769 What's the worst thing that can happen?" 191 00:08:39,960 --> 00:08:43,487 I said, "I'll be back in Colorado tomorrow, elk hunting." 192 00:08:43,680 --> 00:08:45,603 It's just a game. 193 00:08:45,800 --> 00:08:47,211 It felt like the weight of the world 194 00:08:47,400 --> 00:08:49,243 was lifted off my shoulders. 195 00:08:49,440 --> 00:08:52,683 It was the first time all day that I had relaxed. 196 00:08:52,920 --> 00:08:55,241 And I knew because when yaz stepped in the box, 197 00:08:55,440 --> 00:08:56,480 the first pitch i threw him 198 00:08:56,560 --> 00:09:01,600 was the hardest pitch i had thrown all day. 199 00:09:01,800 --> 00:09:03,245 Popped up, that might be it. 200 00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:05,881 Nettles over at third base. 201 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:08,731 He'll squeeze it and it's over. 202 00:09:08,920 --> 00:09:12,049 And look at those Yankees. 203 00:09:12,280 --> 00:09:14,567 And I remember in all the chaos in the clubhouse, 204 00:09:14,760 --> 00:09:16,728 I went in the training room to get away from, 205 00:09:16,920 --> 00:09:17,967 kin da everybody, 206 00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:19,804 and just gather my thoughts a little bit 207 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:22,241 and thurman followed me in the there, munson. 208 00:09:22,440 --> 00:09:25,330 And he goes, "that had another foot 209 00:09:25,520 --> 00:09:27,807 on anything else you've thrown all day." 210 00:09:28,040 --> 00:09:29,246 I said, "i relaxed." 211 00:09:29,440 --> 00:09:31,408 He said, "what the hell took you so damn long?" 212 00:09:31,600 --> 00:09:32,600 Where's he at? 213 00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:33,846 Right down in the middle. 214 00:09:34,040 --> 00:09:37,408 There he is right there, rich gossage. 215 00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:38,647 That guy could throw. 216 00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:40,490 - Tony, you faced him. - Yeah. 217 00:09:40,720 --> 00:09:41,960 If you're a right-handed hitter, 218 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:43,206 you had no chance. 219 00:09:43,400 --> 00:09:44,640 Wasn't that the pine tar deal? 220 00:09:44,840 --> 00:09:46,285 He was the pine tar guy. 221 00:09:46,520 --> 00:09:47,851 All right, here's the challenge, 222 00:09:48,040 --> 00:09:51,647 Brett with the bat, and gossage with the ball. 223 00:09:51,840 --> 00:09:52,966 You know, i was generating 224 00:09:53,160 --> 00:09:55,242 some kind of power with that fastball 225 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:57,761 and George, was swinging the bat 226 00:09:57,960 --> 00:09:59,928 as hard as he could swing it. 227 00:10:00,160 --> 00:10:01,685 And wow. 228 00:10:01,880 --> 00:10:02,961 Uh-oh. 229 00:10:03,200 --> 00:10:04,850 Uh-oh. 230 00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:06,605 That's gone. 231 00:10:06,800 --> 00:10:08,211 And then when he finally hit 'em, 232 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:11,244 they threw the bat away and called you out. 233 00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:13,124 That was the worst part of all. 234 00:10:13,320 --> 00:10:14,560 Well, what they're talking about 235 00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:16,768 is that he's got too much pine tar. 236 00:10:16,960 --> 00:10:18,041 George Brett looking around, 237 00:10:18,240 --> 00:10:19,844 wanting to know what's going on. 238 00:10:20,040 --> 00:10:21,201 There's pine tar all over this bat. 239 00:10:21,400 --> 00:10:23,209 Tim mcclelland, the home plate umpire 240 00:10:23,400 --> 00:10:25,971 lays it across home plate, which is 18 inches wide. 241 00:10:26,160 --> 00:10:28,128 They might be gonna call George Brett out. 242 00:10:28,320 --> 00:10:29,765 Well, the Yankees win. He is out. 243 00:10:29,960 --> 00:10:31,291 Yes, sir. Brett is out. 244 00:10:31,520 --> 00:10:33,602 Look at this. Brett is out. 245 00:10:33,800 --> 00:10:35,290 And he is steaming mad. 246 00:10:35,480 --> 00:10:37,687 That was maddest human being I've ever seen 247 00:10:37,880 --> 00:10:39,689 anywhere in my life. 248 00:10:39,880 --> 00:10:41,370 We're walking off the field. 249 00:10:41,560 --> 00:10:44,325 And we're all laughing. 250 00:10:44,520 --> 00:10:46,568 I loved being a power pitcher. 251 00:10:46,760 --> 00:10:49,969 If I could change one thing in my career, 252 00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:51,400 iwouldn't change a single thing. 253 00:10:51,560 --> 00:10:52,800 You know, I said, 254 00:10:53,040 --> 00:10:55,805 even the home runs I gave up were great. 255 00:11:04,760 --> 00:11:06,808 My name's Clifford blankenship. 256 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:08,604 I'm a big league catcher by trade. 257 00:11:08,800 --> 00:11:11,201 For the Washington senators. 258 00:11:11,440 --> 00:11:14,842 I was a backup, batting .219, until I broke my finger. 259 00:11:15,040 --> 00:11:18,840 Now I'm in weiser, Idaho, on a wild-goose chase. 260 00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:20,724 Here to look over some palooka 261 00:11:20,920 --> 00:11:24,811 who was burning up the snake river valley semi-pro league. 262 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:27,287 Someone sent the senators a telegram, 263 00:11:27,480 --> 00:11:29,403 said there was a kid, Johnson, 264 00:11:29,600 --> 00:11:31,523 threw so fast you couldn't see 'em. 265 00:11:31,720 --> 00:11:33,563 And that he knew where he was throwing it too, 266 00:11:33,760 --> 00:11:35,728 'cause if he didn't, 267 00:11:35,960 --> 00:11:39,931 there'd be dead bodies buried at home plates all over Idaho. 268 00:11:40,120 --> 00:11:42,043 I get to the field just in time 269 00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:44,368 to see him shamble out to the mound. 270 00:11:44,560 --> 00:11:46,244 All arms and legs. 271 00:11:46,440 --> 00:11:49,091 Eyes down like he don't even wanna be there. 272 00:11:49,280 --> 00:11:51,886 Then... holy smoke. 273 00:11:52,080 --> 00:11:54,970 19 years old and no one in big league ball 274 00:11:55,160 --> 00:11:57,811 ever had a fast one like this. 275 00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:01,971 So I offer the kid $500 to join the senators. 276 00:12:02,200 --> 00:12:04,168 You know what that hayseed says? 277 00:12:04,360 --> 00:12:06,044 If I promise him train fare home 278 00:12:06,280 --> 00:12:07,645 in case he don't make it, 279 00:12:07,840 --> 00:12:09,046 he'll come. 280 00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:10,651 I say, "kid... 281 00:12:10,840 --> 00:12:13,605 A one way ticket's all you're gonna need." 282 00:12:21,640 --> 00:12:23,847 When the greatest hitter of the time, Ty Cobb, 283 00:12:24,040 --> 00:12:26,122 first faced Walter Johnson, 284 00:12:26,320 --> 00:12:28,926 he said that the ball traveled so fast 285 00:12:29,120 --> 00:12:32,408 that it hissed like a train as it went by. 286 00:12:32,640 --> 00:12:34,961 The legend of "the big train" was born. 287 00:12:38,600 --> 00:12:39,880 [Posnanskh i think Walter Johnson 288 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:41,604 very specifically changed the game, 289 00:12:41,800 --> 00:12:44,406 in that he made the fastball 290 00:12:44,600 --> 00:12:45,806 something large. 291 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:49,447 Something larger than life. 292 00:12:49,640 --> 00:12:51,802 Especially in that era, of course that's dead ball, 293 00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:53,360 nobody's really hitting home runs. 294 00:12:53,440 --> 00:12:55,249 The way that the game is played 295 00:12:55,440 --> 00:12:57,283 is Ty Cobb slashing through, 296 00:12:57,480 --> 00:13:00,324 and stealing bases and it was a very rough game. 297 00:13:00,520 --> 00:13:02,682 And here was this little bit of magic. 298 00:13:02,920 --> 00:13:06,242 This one guy who was a very modest individual, 299 00:13:06,440 --> 00:13:09,603 but he had this just amazing fastball. 300 00:13:09,800 --> 00:13:11,000 And they'd come from all around 301 00:13:11,080 --> 00:13:12,570 to see him throw. 302 00:13:12,760 --> 00:13:14,364 And it was exciting to people 303 00:13:14,600 --> 00:13:15,601 in away that I don't think 304 00:13:15,800 --> 00:13:17,609 anything really had been before. 305 00:13:17,800 --> 00:13:20,963 If you have an exceptionally good curve... 306 00:13:21,160 --> 00:13:22,286 Better curve ball than a fast one, 307 00:13:22,480 --> 00:13:23,480 or when you get out there 308 00:13:23,600 --> 00:13:24,761 and a base hit might hurt you, 309 00:13:24,960 --> 00:13:26,610 in a ball game when a good batter up 310 00:13:26,800 --> 00:13:28,006 or something like that, 311 00:13:28,240 --> 00:13:29,241 well then you want to throw him a curve 312 00:13:29,440 --> 00:13:30,407 if you have a real good curve. 313 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:31,487 If you have a better fast one, 314 00:13:31,680 --> 00:13:32,727 than you have a curve, 315 00:13:32,920 --> 00:13:34,160 if you have a real good fastball 316 00:13:34,200 --> 00:13:35,361 and not a very good curve, 317 00:13:35,560 --> 00:13:38,040 why I'd throw him the fastball. 318 00:13:38,240 --> 00:13:39,127 [Posnanskh now people are starting to say, 319 00:13:39,320 --> 00:13:41,561 "well, how fast is lt?" 320 00:13:41,800 --> 00:13:44,087 And as time goes on, that becomes 321 00:13:44,280 --> 00:13:47,409 a really important part of the game. 322 00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:49,887 The earliest known measurements of pitching speed 323 00:13:50,080 --> 00:13:52,765 were actually made back in 1912. 324 00:13:52,960 --> 00:13:54,371 Who knows how to do that right 325 00:13:54,600 --> 00:13:55,600 is the military, 326 00:13:55,720 --> 00:13:57,051 because they have a century 327 00:13:57,240 --> 00:13:59,891 of measuring things like musket balls. 328 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:01,570 So the first measurements were made 329 00:14:01,760 --> 00:14:06,163 at the Remington armory on their ballistics range. 330 00:14:06,400 --> 00:14:07,561 At the age of 24, 331 00:14:07,760 --> 00:14:09,683 dressed in his church clothes, 332 00:14:09,880 --> 00:14:12,360 Walter Johnson walked into the Remington rifle range 333 00:14:12,560 --> 00:14:13,891 and became the first pitcher 334 00:14:14,120 --> 00:14:17,283 to ever have his fastball measured scientifically. 335 00:14:17,480 --> 00:14:20,370 So Walter Johnson walks into a large room. 336 00:14:20,560 --> 00:14:24,201 He sees a 2-foot by 2-foot wooden frame. 337 00:14:24,400 --> 00:14:25,561 And within that wooden frame 338 00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:28,121 are a series of thin copper wires. 339 00:14:30,440 --> 00:14:32,522 15 feet further down 340 00:14:32,760 --> 00:14:35,969 there's a plate on a stand 341 00:14:36,160 --> 00:14:38,891 so Walter Johnson's job is to pitch the ball 342 00:14:39,080 --> 00:14:41,048 so it passes through the copper wires 343 00:14:41,240 --> 00:14:44,244 which break a wire, sends a signal to the clock. 344 00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:45,970 And starts the timing. 345 00:14:46,160 --> 00:14:49,528 The ball then hits the plate 15 feet further back. 346 00:14:49,720 --> 00:14:52,405 That gives us a start time and a stop time. 347 00:14:52,600 --> 00:14:54,602 We know the distance is 15 feet. 348 00:14:54,800 --> 00:14:57,644 So one can compute the speed of the baseball. 349 00:15:01,400 --> 00:15:03,687 They do the throw, they make the measurement 350 00:15:03,920 --> 00:15:06,287 and it comes up with a very famous, 351 00:15:06,480 --> 00:15:09,484 122 feet per second. 352 00:15:12,120 --> 00:15:15,283 Johnson's speed was met with astonishment. 353 00:15:15,480 --> 00:15:16,600 And from that point forward, 354 00:15:16,680 --> 00:15:18,125 the big train was crowned 355 00:15:18,320 --> 00:15:22,120 the fastest pitcher of all time. 356 00:15:22,320 --> 00:15:24,004 [Posnanskh nobody had ever seen anything like him. 357 00:15:24,200 --> 00:15:26,487 And the game had this new kind of hero. 358 00:15:26,680 --> 00:15:28,523 This new kind of mythology. 359 00:15:28,720 --> 00:15:30,563 That they could build and he... 360 00:15:30,760 --> 00:15:34,242 I think he's the one that really started it. 361 00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:37,205 122 feet per second was a magic number 362 00:15:37,400 --> 00:15:38,765 in aworld where human beings 363 00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:42,368 weren't yet measured in miles per hour. 364 00:15:42,560 --> 00:15:44,244 A century later 365 00:15:44,440 --> 00:15:47,808 we'd represent that measurement like this... 366 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:48,762 That comes out to be 367 00:15:48,960 --> 00:15:53,488 83.2 miles per hour. 368 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:07,049 The fastball is probably the easiest thing to see 369 00:16:07,240 --> 00:16:09,083 because we have a radar gun. 370 00:16:09,320 --> 00:16:11,322 But it's probably the hardest thing to scout. 371 00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:18,526 You know, you're looking at what the number says now 372 00:16:18,720 --> 00:16:20,131 and you're trying to figure out 373 00:16:20,320 --> 00:16:22,368 what the number's gonna say in the future. 374 00:16:22,560 --> 00:16:23,800 And these guys that you'll see sitting behind home plate, 375 00:16:24,040 --> 00:16:26,805 that's what they're so good at. 376 00:16:27,040 --> 00:16:29,168 It could be a high school guy throwing 86. 377 00:16:29,360 --> 00:16:31,203 But you see a fluid arm. 378 00:16:31,400 --> 00:16:32,731 You see looseness. 379 00:16:32,920 --> 00:16:33,762 And you know that there's gonna be 380 00:16:33,960 --> 00:16:36,201 more there in the future. 381 00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:38,926 Every scout ls on the hunt for the fastball. 382 00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:40,201 With that elusive quality 383 00:16:40,400 --> 00:16:43,165 they call, "electricity." 384 00:16:43,360 --> 00:16:45,044 I don't know if you see "electricity." 385 00:16:45,240 --> 00:16:47,242 I think it's something that you feel. 386 00:16:47,480 --> 00:16:48,891 Those are the guys, the hitters all know, 387 00:16:49,080 --> 00:16:51,401 the dugout lights up, everything stops. 388 00:16:51,600 --> 00:16:54,126 Everybody makes sure they're looking to see that guy. 389 00:16:54,360 --> 00:16:56,283 It almost looks like 390 00:16:56,480 --> 00:16:58,209 they're throwing a different ball than everybody else. 391 00:16:58,400 --> 00:17:02,405 Hannellh electric stuff explodes at the plate. 392 00:17:02,600 --> 00:17:04,489 When the guys are warming up in the bullpen 393 00:17:04,680 --> 00:17:06,489 it sounds like a shotgun was just fired. 394 00:17:06,680 --> 00:17:08,011 When they... when it hits the catcher's mitt. 395 00:17:08,200 --> 00:17:09,280 You know it before the game. 396 00:17:09,360 --> 00:17:10,805 Now you start getting excited. 397 00:17:12,400 --> 00:17:13,367 We're all searching for that guy 398 00:17:13,560 --> 00:17:15,085 with the big power fastball 399 00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:17,123 that could walk out and say, "it's game over." 400 00:17:17,320 --> 00:17:19,641 And basically do it with one pitch. 401 00:17:19,840 --> 00:17:22,207 That's what we're all chasing after. 402 00:17:22,400 --> 00:17:24,528 That's what we're spending eight nights in a row 403 00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:25,960 out searching. 404 00:17:26,160 --> 00:17:28,288 Watching one game, driving five hours, 405 00:17:28,520 --> 00:17:30,090 waking up the next day driving five hours. We'll find... 406 00:17:30,280 --> 00:17:33,489 We're looking for that guy. 407 00:17:33,680 --> 00:17:36,604 That premium, elite, electric fastball's a holy grail. 408 00:17:40,360 --> 00:17:42,488 M the early years of the 21 st century, 409 00:17:42,680 --> 00:17:45,047 Cuba was the only place on earth off limits 410 00:17:45,240 --> 00:17:47,766 to American baseball scouts. 411 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:50,082 But it was from a town in eastern Cuba 412 00:17:50,280 --> 00:17:52,044 just about the size of weiser, Idaho, 413 00:17:53,080 --> 00:17:54,080 that word began to spread 414 00:17:54,240 --> 00:17:56,527 of a kid named aroldis Chapman. 415 00:17:56,760 --> 00:17:57,886 Who might some day lay claim 416 00:17:58,080 --> 00:17:59,809 to the title held by Walter Johnson 417 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:02,048 100 years earlier. 418 00:18:02,240 --> 00:18:04,049 The fastest to ever throw a ball. 419 00:18:07,480 --> 00:18:10,563 There's a certain amount of myth around him. 420 00:18:10,760 --> 00:18:12,842 The hardest thrower, you know, on the planet. 421 00:18:16,160 --> 00:18:17,920 When he showed up, i remember the first game, 422 00:18:17,960 --> 00:18:20,201 we were bringing him in, 423 00:18:20,400 --> 00:18:21,811 and he came in throwing... 424 00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:23,490 It was just hard to fathom, 425 00:18:23,680 --> 00:18:27,082 it was 102, 103, 104 mile an hour fastball. 426 00:18:28,120 --> 00:18:32,444 I'd never seen that. 427 00:18:32,640 --> 00:18:34,165 That was the “wow” moment. 428 00:18:36,680 --> 00:18:38,330 No chance. 429 00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:45,046 Ballgame! Ph ew! 430 00:18:45,240 --> 00:18:46,730 Sometimes you go up there and take one pitch, 431 00:18:46,920 --> 00:18:48,251 you can hear the ball go past you. 432 00:18:52,040 --> 00:18:53,883 - Oh yeah, you can hear that... - Boom! 433 00:18:54,080 --> 00:18:55,764 "Gosh, I gotta get the heck out there. 434 00:18:55,960 --> 00:18:58,566 I ain't ready for this." 435 00:18:58,760 --> 00:19:01,081 That's good 0l.' Country hardball right there. 436 00:19:01,320 --> 00:19:02,606 See ya later. 437 00:19:02,800 --> 00:19:04,290 The number one thing going through my head is, 438 00:19:04,480 --> 00:19:06,084 I don't wanna die, you know what I mean? 439 00:19:06,280 --> 00:19:07,805 Him throwing a pitch that hard 440 00:19:08,040 --> 00:19:10,327 and you know, sometimes he gets a little wild. 441 00:19:30,840 --> 00:19:33,571 Put it m, aroldis Chapman! 442 00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:36,161 The forward roll! 443 00:19:36,400 --> 00:19:38,971 Just three weeks after comme-to the major leagues, 444 00:19:39,160 --> 00:19:40,924 Chapman wrote a number on the radar gun 445 00:19:41,120 --> 00:19:43,009 that had never been seen before. 446 00:19:47,560 --> 00:19:49,801 When he hit 105, 447 00:19:50,040 --> 00:19:52,850 I looked at that and I said, at this moment, 448 00:19:53,080 --> 00:19:54,525 I think I've seen something I'll never see again. 449 00:19:54,720 --> 00:19:56,006 And if I do see it again, 450 00:19:56,200 --> 00:19:58,009 it'll only be from this pitcher here. 451 00:20:08,400 --> 00:20:11,802 Swing and a miss! 452 00:20:39,720 --> 00:20:41,440 We had a great hall of famer just pass away, 453 00:20:41,560 --> 00:20:42,721 Bob feller. 454 00:20:42,920 --> 00:20:44,400 I mean... and they talked about him... 455 00:20:44,560 --> 00:20:46,562 They timed it with a motorcycle. 456 00:20:46,800 --> 00:20:49,007 Or he says that at 104. 457 00:20:49,200 --> 00:20:50,645 I mean, 458 00:20:50,840 --> 00:20:52,800 I mean, did you know people that talked about him? 459 00:20:52,880 --> 00:20:54,291 Oh yeah, i played with guys 460 00:20:54,520 --> 00:20:56,727 that faced feller when he was in his prime. 461 00:20:56,920 --> 00:20:57,960 And said he was unhittable. 462 00:20:58,080 --> 00:20:58,842 - Yeah. - Yeah. 463 00:20:59,040 --> 00:21:00,326 Ted Williams always said 464 00:21:00,520 --> 00:21:02,329 he was the toughest pitcher he ever seen. 465 00:21:02,520 --> 00:21:03,931 Well, that's enough right there. 466 00:21:04,120 --> 00:21:05,400 Yes, that's exactly what he said. 467 00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:12,769 This husky teenager is Robert William Andrew feller 468 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:14,525 of Van meter, Iowa. 469 00:21:14,720 --> 00:21:16,688 That fastball was famous all over the state 470 00:21:16,920 --> 00:21:18,445 when he was a schoolboy. 471 00:21:18,640 --> 00:21:22,008 He struck out 23 in a sandlot game at the age of 16. 472 00:21:22,200 --> 00:21:23,486 And at 17 he was signed 473 00:21:23,680 --> 00:21:26,331 by the Cleveland Indians in 1936. 474 00:21:26,520 --> 00:21:27,760 In his first major league start, 475 00:21:27,960 --> 00:21:30,327 he struck out 15 St. Louis browns, 476 00:21:30,520 --> 00:21:31,931 and two years later set a record 477 00:21:32,120 --> 00:21:34,691 by striking out 18 Detroit tigers. 478 00:21:34,880 --> 00:21:37,486 [Posnanskh Bob feller, when he comes m as a 17 year old, 479 00:21:37,680 --> 00:21:41,366 in the 1930s, he's just a high school kid 480 00:21:41,560 --> 00:21:43,005 coming out and just... and just 481 00:21:43,200 --> 00:21:44,850 throwing these incredible fastballs 482 00:21:45,040 --> 00:21:48,283 that are frightening major leaguers. 483 00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:51,643 In every one of feller's first seven full seasons, 484 00:21:51,840 --> 00:21:54,491 he led the American league in strikeouts. 485 00:21:54,680 --> 00:21:57,365 And caused people to reconsider the very limit 486 00:21:57,560 --> 00:22:00,245 of what a human arm could do. 487 00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:02,363 [Posnanskh he's a unique character m this story. 488 00:22:02,560 --> 00:22:05,848 Bob feller was the first guy to really try 489 00:22:06,040 --> 00:22:09,123 to find out how fast the fastball went. 490 00:22:09,320 --> 00:22:11,607 People, you know, had a reference point already 491 00:22:11,800 --> 00:22:14,929 and so the question was, faster than Walter Johnson, 492 00:22:15,120 --> 00:22:17,043 that was... That was the point. 493 00:22:17,240 --> 00:22:19,925 And he does all of these different things. 494 00:22:20,120 --> 00:22:22,441 He races a motorcycle with a fastball. 495 00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:25,405 He tries to throw it through some army contraption. 496 00:22:25,600 --> 00:22:27,967 Bob feller, pitcher for the Cleveland Indians 497 00:22:28,200 --> 00:22:29,247 takes time off in the nation's capital 498 00:22:29,440 --> 00:22:31,886 to demonstrate his cannonball delivery. 499 00:22:32,120 --> 00:22:34,726 In 1946, Bob feller's speed was measured 500 00:22:34,920 --> 00:22:37,491 in an experiment done on a baseball diamond, 501 00:22:37,680 --> 00:22:40,604 by bringing in a fairly modern device, 502 00:22:40,800 --> 00:22:45,010 that used light beams as a start timer and the stop timer. 503 00:22:45,200 --> 00:22:47,328 It is recorded by the army ordinance department 504 00:22:47,520 --> 00:22:49,363 lumiline chronograph. 505 00:22:49,560 --> 00:22:52,211 He threw from the pitcher's mound, 506 00:22:52,400 --> 00:22:53,367 through the opening in this box 507 00:22:53,600 --> 00:22:54,806 at home plate. 508 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:57,162 And the device measured his speed at this point 509 00:22:57,360 --> 00:23:01,888 with a speed of 98.6... 510 00:23:02,080 --> 00:23:03,286 Miles per hour. 511 00:23:03,520 --> 00:23:04,806 While Walter Johnson 512 00:23:05,000 --> 00:23:06,047 has traditionally been considered 513 00:23:06,280 --> 00:23:07,770 the fastest pitcher who ever lived, 514 00:23:07,960 --> 00:23:10,247 bullet Bob left a scientifically timed record 515 00:23:10,440 --> 00:23:12,283 for future generations to shoot at. 516 00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:14,960 98 and 6/10 miles per hour. 517 00:23:15,200 --> 00:23:17,806 Feller pitched in the 19308 and the 19408. 518 00:23:18,040 --> 00:23:20,042 I mean, Bob feller started, 519 00:23:20,240 --> 00:23:23,210 basically when Jesse Owens won gold medals in Germany. 520 00:23:23,400 --> 00:23:25,801 And at the time there was no question 521 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:28,970 that Jesse Owens was a quantum leap forward 522 00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:30,366 in track. 523 00:23:30,560 --> 00:23:32,130 They looked at Jesse Owens and said, 524 00:23:32,320 --> 00:23:35,210 you're not gonna get any faster, any stronger, 525 00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:36,890 you're not gonna jump any further, 526 00:23:37,080 --> 00:23:40,243 this is the limit of what human beings can do. 527 00:23:40,480 --> 00:23:41,766 And of course it wasn't. 528 00:23:41,960 --> 00:23:44,964 The times that Jesse Owens ran in 1936 529 00:23:45,160 --> 00:23:46,571 are high school times now. 530 00:23:46,760 --> 00:23:48,489 And that's the way it is across the board. 531 00:23:48,680 --> 00:23:50,762 Every record has been smashed. 532 00:23:50,960 --> 00:23:53,566 So if you brought that along in baseball, 533 00:23:53,760 --> 00:23:54,966 if you looked at it that way, 534 00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:58,363 and Bob feller was throwing 98.6, 535 00:23:58,560 --> 00:24:02,849 if you brought that timing with us for 70 years, 536 00:24:03,080 --> 00:24:05,970 people would be throwing 120 miles an hour. 537 00:24:06,160 --> 00:24:08,288 How come nobody has been able to find 538 00:24:08,480 --> 00:24:09,288 a new way to throw a fastball 539 00:24:09,480 --> 00:24:14,327 that's 20 miles an hour faster than anybody else? 540 00:24:14,520 --> 00:24:15,521 It doesn't exist. 541 00:24:26,520 --> 00:24:28,045 Baseball starts an d stops 542 00:24:28,240 --> 00:24:31,528 with the starting pitcher. 543 00:24:31,720 --> 00:24:32,720 I love my fastball. 544 00:24:33,480 --> 00:24:36,609 I love it. 545 00:24:36,800 --> 00:24:39,406 Lot of 95s, 96s. 546 00:24:39,600 --> 00:24:42,206 Some 97s. 547 00:24:42,400 --> 00:24:45,370 For the most part, I'll probably sit around 94, 95. 548 00:24:48,160 --> 00:24:50,288 If I need a big pitch, 549 00:24:50,480 --> 00:24:52,209 more often times than not, 550 00:24:52,400 --> 00:24:53,890 I'm gonna throw a fastball. 551 00:24:58,040 --> 00:24:59,166 There's no better feeling 552 00:24:59,360 --> 00:25:01,601 than throwing a fastball by somebody. 553 00:25:04,080 --> 00:25:05,570 Especially for strike three. 554 00:25:09,760 --> 00:25:11,330 You know what the fastest pitch you ever threw 555 00:25:11,520 --> 00:25:12,851 in the major leagues is? 556 00:25:13,040 --> 00:25:16,965 I think it was in 2010 in Detroit. 557 00:25:17,200 --> 00:25:19,328 I faced jhonny peralta. 558 00:25:19,520 --> 00:25:21,443 It was in the fifth inning. 559 00:25:21,640 --> 00:25:24,849 I was over 100 pitches so I knew this was gonna be my last inning. 560 00:25:25,080 --> 00:25:26,081 And the 0-2. 561 00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:27,725 Swing and a miss. 562 00:25:27,960 --> 00:25:30,645 He just threw it right by him at 100 miles an hour. 563 00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:32,041 I definitely looked up there 564 00:25:32,240 --> 00:25:34,481 and it said 100. 565 00:25:34,720 --> 00:25:36,245 Aw, I mean, 566 00:25:36,440 --> 00:25:38,681 I never envisioned myself throwing 100 mile an hour. 567 00:25:38,880 --> 00:25:40,530 I mean, that's... 568 00:25:40,760 --> 00:25:42,967 That's crazy. And everybody was like, 569 00:25:43,160 --> 00:25:47,370 "aw, you know, that gun's juiced." Guys razzed me a little bit but... 570 00:25:47,600 --> 00:25:49,204 No, if that radar gun reads a hundo, 571 00:25:49,440 --> 00:25:51,522 that's... That's what I threw. 572 00:25:53,360 --> 00:25:54,930 Gibson th rew hard, 573 00:25:55,120 --> 00:25:57,566 but he threw the hardest low fastball 574 00:25:57,760 --> 00:25:58,966 of anybody I'd ever seen. 575 00:25:59,200 --> 00:26:00,486 You know, koufax and those guys you know, 576 00:26:00,680 --> 00:26:01,681 are up here, around there. 577 00:26:01,880 --> 00:26:03,211 But Gibson could get it down here, 578 00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:04,840 I guarantee you it's still around 100 579 00:26:05,040 --> 00:26:07,281 when he got it right around in the knees. 580 00:26:07,480 --> 00:26:08,970 I couldn't believe it, that's when i first got to the big leagues. 581 00:26:09,160 --> 00:26:11,083 I'd never seen that before, you know? 582 00:26:11,280 --> 00:26:12,725 I mean, never. And then I swung at it, I couldn't handle it. 583 00:26:12,960 --> 00:26:14,689 Joe, let me ask you a question, 584 00:26:14,920 --> 00:26:17,161 - were you ever fearful that he'd hit you? - No no no. 585 00:26:17,360 --> 00:26:18,964 - Didn't he have the reputation of just hitting people? - Oh, heck yeah. 586 00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:21,003 But he was never wll_n. 587 00:26:21,200 --> 00:26:23,248 It was one of those things if you hit a home run off of him... 588 00:26:23,440 --> 00:26:25,010 Well, he walked up, he would walk up to the cage before the game, 589 00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:27,328 - and say, "I'm gonna get you today." - Yeah. 590 00:26:27,560 --> 00:26:31,201 He told hitters "I'm gonna get you today, and he hit 'em. 591 00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:45,731 I hear all of these wild stories 592 00:26:45,920 --> 00:26:48,571 about the way people saw me. 593 00:26:48,760 --> 00:26:51,206 And that the things that I did... 594 00:26:51,400 --> 00:26:54,165 I heard that i threw at people. 595 00:26:54,360 --> 00:26:56,044 “Yeah, you're always throwing at people.” 596 00:26:56,240 --> 00:26:58,766 no, the people i threw at, I hit. 597 00:26:58,960 --> 00:27:00,724 I'd never threw at a guy and not hit him. 598 00:27:04,640 --> 00:27:06,324 If you're actually trying to hit a guy, 599 00:27:06,560 --> 00:27:07,925 I would say that you would probably 600 00:27:08,120 --> 00:27:09,485 aim at his ribs. 601 00:27:09,680 --> 00:27:12,001 He can move his head, he can move his legs, 602 00:27:12,200 --> 00:27:13,770 but the middle part of his body 603 00:27:13,960 --> 00:27:15,450 is very difficult to move. 604 00:27:19,400 --> 00:27:20,481 That was Bob Gibson. 605 00:27:20,680 --> 00:27:24,207 He believe in having part of the plate 606 00:27:24,400 --> 00:27:26,050 and you had to give it to him. 607 00:27:26,240 --> 00:27:28,481 You know, I mean, and he threw very hard. 608 00:27:28,680 --> 00:27:32,366 I always thought about it. 609 00:27:32,560 --> 00:27:35,245 It always was in the back of my mind that one day 610 00:27:35,440 --> 00:27:36,441 he's gonna turn loose one 611 00:27:36,640 --> 00:27:39,041 and come upside my head with it. 612 00:27:39,240 --> 00:27:40,321 You know, I felt... 613 00:27:43,840 --> 00:27:45,490 Bob Gibson told me 614 00:27:45,720 --> 00:27:48,121 one of the greatest quotes that I've ever heard. 615 00:27:48,320 --> 00:27:50,243 He said, "half of that plate's mine." 616 00:27:50,480 --> 00:27:52,084 And he said, "now you gotta figure out 617 00:27:52,280 --> 00:27:54,851 which half I'm coming after." 618 00:27:55,040 --> 00:27:57,168 He was just a great competitor. 619 00:27:57,400 --> 00:27:59,050 His whole disposition, you know 620 00:27:59,280 --> 00:28:03,285 that he wanted it more than the hitter wanted to hit him. 621 00:28:03,480 --> 00:28:04,766 And he got tougher 622 00:28:04,960 --> 00:28:06,291 he could reach back inside 623 00:28:06,480 --> 00:28:09,211 and get a little bit more when he needed to. 624 00:28:09,400 --> 00:28:10,765 I hit a squibber. 625 00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:14,288 The cue shot it up the middle for an rbi single, 626 00:28:14,480 --> 00:28:16,608 and the next at bat, he drove me in the arm. 627 00:28:16,840 --> 00:28:19,081 Boom. Right there. 628 00:28:19,280 --> 00:28:21,123 I still have a mark. 629 00:28:23,240 --> 00:28:25,288 He tells me now, because I've said it a lot of times 630 00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:26,600 on the air, you hear about... 631 00:28:26,760 --> 00:28:29,206 He says, "i didn't hit nearly as many guys as you guys think. Look it up." 632 00:28:29,400 --> 00:28:31,368 - Gibson would look in like this. - Yeah. 633 00:28:31,600 --> 00:28:33,728 - He couldn't see though. - He couldn't see. And that's what... 634 00:28:33,920 --> 00:28:36,082 All of a sudden the catcher's putting a sign down in the shadows, 635 00:28:36,280 --> 00:28:38,044 he couldn't see. And Bobby going like that. 636 00:28:38,240 --> 00:28:39,765 And the hitters the next day say, 637 00:28:39,960 --> 00:28:42,008 "why in the hell are you looking at me like that?" 638 00:28:42,240 --> 00:28:45,005 And Bob said, "man, maybe I'll just do it every time. 639 00:28:45,240 --> 00:28:46,651 Whether I can see or not." 640 00:28:50,440 --> 00:28:53,011 Since the day i turned 19 years 0l_l:>, 641 00:28:53,200 --> 00:28:55,646 I haven't had really good eyesight. 642 00:28:55,840 --> 00:28:57,604 And I wore glasses. 643 00:28:57,840 --> 00:29:00,161 Never on the field. But I wore glasses. 644 00:29:00,360 --> 00:29:03,011 And I would look in... 645 00:29:03,200 --> 00:29:05,965 And try to see the sign. 646 00:29:06,160 --> 00:29:09,243 So the intimidating factor, 647 00:29:09,440 --> 00:29:12,250 um, I think it's the way I look. Period. 648 00:29:17,600 --> 00:29:18,840 I think one of the reasons 649 00:29:19,040 --> 00:29:22,123 that they viewed me as this ogre, 650 00:29:22,360 --> 00:29:24,362 is because I was a black kid. 651 00:29:24,560 --> 00:29:25,766 White kids did the same thing 652 00:29:25,960 --> 00:29:27,928 and nobody even thought about it. 653 00:29:28,160 --> 00:29:30,160 But I did it and... "Ooh, we're around this guy..." 654 00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:32,402 You know, "this monster." 655 00:29:32,600 --> 00:29:34,841 And that wasn't gonna hold me back. 656 00:29:35,080 --> 00:29:38,721 And I don't imagine I did anything to dispel any of that, you know. 657 00:29:38,960 --> 00:29:41,247 But I don't know where that image came from. 658 00:29:41,440 --> 00:29:45,286 I guess it was because I was who I was. 659 00:29:45,480 --> 00:29:47,289 You're not an angry guy, you're not a... 660 00:29:47,480 --> 00:29:48,970 I'm not angry now, i was then. 661 00:29:49,160 --> 00:29:50,924 We never got any runs. 662 00:29:54,560 --> 00:29:58,281 Well, anger came from racism. 663 00:29:58,520 --> 00:29:59,931 Of course it did. 664 00:30:00,120 --> 00:30:03,442 But racism was a way of life that... 665 00:30:03,640 --> 00:30:05,130 It was stuff that I had to deal with 666 00:30:05,360 --> 00:30:07,124 on a day-to-day basis. 667 00:30:07,360 --> 00:30:09,080 I didn't every once and a while go somewhere 668 00:30:09,280 --> 00:30:11,362 and then all of a sudden there it was. 669 00:30:11,560 --> 00:30:13,289 No. It was there and it followed me 670 00:30:13,480 --> 00:30:14,845 all the way through my childhood. 671 00:30:15,080 --> 00:30:17,128 And not just through the childhood, 672 00:30:17,320 --> 00:30:20,085 through the first part of my major league career. 673 00:30:20,280 --> 00:30:22,647 It was there. 674 00:30:22,880 --> 00:30:27,010 That fueled a lot of the anger 675 00:30:27,200 --> 00:30:29,521 that I suppose i projected. 676 00:30:29,760 --> 00:30:31,603 I don't know. 677 00:30:31,800 --> 00:30:33,165 I'd have to be on the outside looking in. 678 00:30:33,360 --> 00:30:35,522 All I knew was the way I felt. 679 00:30:35,720 --> 00:30:38,485 And I felt that I had to be better 680 00:30:38,680 --> 00:30:40,887 in order to get just as far 681 00:30:41,080 --> 00:30:42,844 and I was determined to do that. 682 00:30:45,760 --> 00:30:47,569 M 196s, 683 00:30:47,760 --> 00:30:50,206 Bob Gibson delivered what by many measures 684 00:30:50,400 --> 00:30:52,971 was the greatest season any pitcher ever had 685 00:30:53,200 --> 00:30:54,804 in major league baseball. 686 00:30:56,840 --> 00:31:01,880 M 196a, I was m a zone that entire year. 687 00:31:02,080 --> 00:31:04,651 At the age of 32 i was probably 688 00:31:04,880 --> 00:31:07,406 as bright 689 00:31:07,600 --> 00:31:09,364 as I ever was gonna be. 690 00:31:09,560 --> 00:31:12,689 I was strong as I ever was. 691 00:31:12,880 --> 00:31:15,326 I had complete control 692 00:31:15,560 --> 00:31:17,767 over the game. 693 00:31:17,960 --> 00:31:22,010 I felt like I could throw the ball anywhere I wanted to throw it. 694 00:31:22,200 --> 00:31:24,123 That's the zone that I was in. 695 00:31:24,360 --> 00:31:26,647 And I was in the zone for a complete year. 696 00:31:26,840 --> 00:31:28,888 Which is kinda unusual. 697 00:31:29,080 --> 00:31:32,004 You might be that way for a game or two, 698 00:31:32,240 --> 00:31:33,810 but not for a full year. 699 00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:35,490 Hoot wow 22 games. 700 00:31:35,680 --> 00:31:39,207 Including a record 13 complete game shutouts. 701 00:31:39,400 --> 00:31:42,609 His earned run average became one of baseball fans' magic numbers. 702 00:31:42,800 --> 00:31:45,849 Like Hank Aaron's 755 home runs. 703 00:31:46,040 --> 00:31:49,283 Or DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak. 704 00:31:49,480 --> 00:31:51,289 1.12. 705 00:31:51,480 --> 00:31:53,482 A staggering 35% lower 706 00:31:53,720 --> 00:31:55,529 than the next best figure ever recorded 707 00:31:55,760 --> 00:31:57,330 in the live ball era. 708 00:31:57,560 --> 00:31:59,801 You know, you talk about angry, that look... 709 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:02,970 I lost nine games that year. 710 00:32:03,160 --> 00:32:06,004 Because if it wasn't a one to nothing game, 711 00:32:06,200 --> 00:32:07,804 I didn't win. 712 00:32:08,000 --> 00:32:10,890 And I would sit by myself on the bench 713 00:32:11,080 --> 00:32:12,200 and nobody would come near me 714 00:32:12,280 --> 00:32:14,009 because I was pissed off. 715 00:32:14,240 --> 00:32:17,289 You know, just get me a run. 716 00:32:17,480 --> 00:32:19,323 And my roommate, curt flood, 717 00:32:19,520 --> 00:32:20,851 we'd get one run, and he'd say, 718 00:32:21,080 --> 00:32:22,730 "okay, roomie, we got it, hold 'em." 719 00:32:22,960 --> 00:32:24,325 He thought that was funny 720 00:32:24,520 --> 00:32:27,205 but that was not funny at all. 721 00:32:27,400 --> 00:32:30,404 M game one 0f the 196s world series, 722 00:32:30,600 --> 00:32:33,171 hoot capped it off with the most dominating performance 723 00:32:33,360 --> 00:32:34,885 in series history. 724 00:32:35,080 --> 00:32:36,650 A 1-2 pitch to cash. 725 00:32:36,840 --> 00:32:39,684 Struck him out on a blazing fastball. 726 00:32:39,880 --> 00:32:41,644 A 2-2 pitch to mcauliffe. 727 00:32:41,840 --> 00:32:45,003 Struck him out. 728 00:32:45,200 --> 00:32:48,761 Got him! 729 00:32:48,960 --> 00:32:50,200 Struck him out! 730 00:32:50,440 --> 00:32:51,771 The 11th strike out. 731 00:32:53,520 --> 00:32:57,047 He struck him out swinging. 732 00:33:00,560 --> 00:33:03,040 Once again a standing ovation. 733 00:33:03,240 --> 00:33:05,720 A new world series record. 734 00:33:05,960 --> 00:33:07,405 Certainly, you know, 735 00:33:07,600 --> 00:33:10,171 17 strikeouts was... 736 00:33:12,080 --> 00:33:13,809 I guess it's still a record. 737 00:33:14,000 --> 00:33:15,490 In the world series. 738 00:33:15,720 --> 00:33:17,449 And he can end it all now 739 00:33:17,680 --> 00:33:20,763 with the most dramatic of flourishes. 740 00:33:20,960 --> 00:33:23,804 He got it, struck him out! 741 00:33:24,000 --> 00:33:27,686 Look at the scene on the field. Mccarver's the first one. 742 00:33:27,880 --> 00:33:29,405 A new world record 743 00:33:29,600 --> 00:33:33,127 of 17 strikeouts in one game. 744 00:33:33,360 --> 00:33:34,805 Doing what you no, 745 00:33:35,000 --> 00:33:37,685 and knowing that you're good at it. 746 00:33:37,880 --> 00:33:39,291 That's the great feeling. 747 00:33:39,480 --> 00:33:40,811 Not just playing ball, 748 00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:43,207 but I knew that I was good at it. 749 00:33:43,400 --> 00:33:44,526 And I could do 750 00:33:44,720 --> 00:33:45,846 pretty much what I wanted to 751 00:33:46,080 --> 00:33:48,003 at a certain point in my career. 752 00:33:48,200 --> 00:33:49,964 And that's a wonderful feeling. 753 00:34:01,760 --> 00:34:03,524 Nobody's gonna give me anything. 754 00:34:05,720 --> 00:34:07,643 I need to work for it. 755 00:34:11,480 --> 00:34:13,289 The fans here in Atlanta 756 00:34:13,480 --> 00:34:15,244 treat the last three outs of the game 757 00:34:15,440 --> 00:34:17,886 unbelievably. 758 00:34:18,080 --> 00:34:19,366 To say i don't hear them, 759 00:34:19,560 --> 00:34:22,928 I'd be lying, 'cause I do. 760 00:34:23,160 --> 00:34:27,449 It pumps me up, makes me excited. 761 00:34:27,640 --> 00:34:30,644 When the fans are behind you, 762 00:34:30,880 --> 00:34:32,484 your body takes over. 763 00:34:37,240 --> 00:34:38,571 It's hard to explain. 764 00:34:38,800 --> 00:34:40,450 But seems like it happens every time. 765 00:34:42,520 --> 00:34:44,568 You have complete trust in yourself 766 00:34:44,760 --> 00:34:45,841 that if I throw this pitch, 767 00:34:46,040 --> 00:34:48,850 I'm gonna get the guy out. 768 00:34:49,040 --> 00:34:51,884 You need to believe that you're gonna throw a pitch for a strike 769 00:34:52,080 --> 00:34:54,321 or maybe throw it by a guy. 770 00:34:56,840 --> 00:34:58,080 That's just the way of thinking 771 00:34:58,320 --> 00:34:59,526 that you have to have. 772 00:35:02,360 --> 00:35:04,601 There's no way i can't strike this guy out. 773 00:35:16,080 --> 00:35:17,160 They played their hearts out 774 00:35:17,280 --> 00:35:19,123 for nine innings for us to win. 775 00:35:19,320 --> 00:35:21,163 And for me to come in and blow a save 776 00:35:21,360 --> 00:35:23,249 and lose the game because of that, 777 00:35:23,440 --> 00:35:25,329 you know, in my mind, that's unacceptable. 778 00:35:26,880 --> 00:35:29,281 Got mm! 779 00:35:29,520 --> 00:35:31,045 Swing and a miss, it's all over. 780 00:35:31,240 --> 00:35:32,685 No one wants to hit off Craig. 781 00:35:32,880 --> 00:35:34,530 No one's gonna say, "man, give me a bat, 782 00:35:34,720 --> 00:35:36,927 I wanna go up there and hit off of this guy." 783 00:35:37,120 --> 00:35:38,849 So when the ninth inning comes around, 784 00:35:39,040 --> 00:35:40,201 you hope your spot's not up. 785 00:35:42,840 --> 00:35:44,410 You know, he has that little stare that he does 786 00:35:44,600 --> 00:35:46,602 when he's getting ready to pitch. 787 00:35:46,800 --> 00:35:49,087 Definitely has a really hard fastball. 788 00:35:49,280 --> 00:35:50,327 It comes at you, 789 00:35:50,520 --> 00:35:51,851 it can pound the strike zone. 790 00:35:52,080 --> 00:35:53,764 Nine times out of ten, it's a fastball. 791 00:35:57,720 --> 00:35:59,609 He is the best closer in the game by far. 792 00:35:59,840 --> 00:36:01,524 Comes in and closes the door. 793 00:36:01,760 --> 00:36:03,922 Washington, soon night. 794 00:36:04,120 --> 00:36:05,326 He wants to shove it down your throat 795 00:36:05,520 --> 00:36:06,760 every single night he faces you. 796 00:36:06,960 --> 00:36:09,281 His fastball is electric. 797 00:36:09,520 --> 00:36:11,807 M l-lls first four seasons as a closer, 798 00:36:12,000 --> 00:36:14,924 Craig kimbrel led the league in saves every year. 799 00:36:15,120 --> 00:36:17,202 A feat unequalled in baseball history. 800 00:36:21,040 --> 00:36:23,281 But even at 99 miles an hour, 801 00:36:23,480 --> 00:36:24,480 no pitcher in baseball 802 00:36:24,640 --> 00:36:26,324 has a smaller margin for error 803 00:36:26,520 --> 00:36:29,524 than the closer. 804 00:36:29,720 --> 00:36:31,609 You never know what's gonna happen. 805 00:36:31,800 --> 00:36:34,246 It could change in one pitch. 806 00:36:34,440 --> 00:36:35,726 4-4 game. 807 00:36:35,960 --> 00:36:37,928 Two outs here, in the bottom of the ninth inning. 808 00:36:38,120 --> 00:36:39,451 And now lt'll be choo. 809 00:36:39,640 --> 00:36:41,051 The thing in baseball is being a reliever, 810 00:36:41,240 --> 00:36:42,605 they say, "have a short memory." 811 00:36:42,840 --> 00:36:44,729 But how iapproach it is 812 00:36:44,920 --> 00:36:46,285 you wanna have a short memory, 813 00:36:46,480 --> 00:36:47,606 but you don't wanna forget. 814 00:36:47,800 --> 00:36:49,370 Two and one to choo. 815 00:36:49,600 --> 00:36:51,125 In the air, left center. 816 00:36:51,320 --> 00:36:54,927 Oh, choo to win it. 817 00:36:55,120 --> 00:36:57,088 What an unbelievable finish. 818 00:37:02,920 --> 00:37:04,922 I threw him a fastball middle-away, 819 00:37:05,160 --> 00:37:07,447 shin-soc choo hit it out of the ballpark. 820 00:37:07,640 --> 00:37:09,005 I tip my cap to him, 821 00:37:09,240 --> 00:37:11,720 and I just had to move on for your next outing, 822 00:37:11,920 --> 00:37:13,524 and the outing after that. 823 00:37:30,000 --> 00:37:31,490 What's the difference 824 00:37:31,720 --> 00:37:34,530 between a 92-mile an hour fastball 825 00:37:34,720 --> 00:37:36,245 and a 100-mile an hour fastball? 826 00:37:36,480 --> 00:37:37,481 Home runs. 827 00:37:38,680 --> 00:37:41,490 Probably about 92... 828 00:37:43,120 --> 00:37:44,690 Probably about that much. 829 00:37:46,840 --> 00:37:47,921 And that much can make 830 00:37:48,160 --> 00:37:50,083 so much of a difference. 831 00:37:50,280 --> 00:37:51,566 You bet. 832 00:38:03,040 --> 00:38:05,771 If the two pitches were thrown together, 833 00:38:05,960 --> 00:38:07,405 when the 100 mile an hour pitch 834 00:38:07,600 --> 00:38:09,204 reaches home plate, 835 00:38:09,400 --> 00:38:11,368 the 92 mile an hour pitch 836 00:38:11,600 --> 00:38:14,285 would still have four and a half feet left to travel. 837 00:38:18,640 --> 00:38:20,404 When you throw a 92, 838 00:38:20,600 --> 00:38:22,762 you can read the major league logo on the ball, 839 00:38:22,960 --> 00:38:24,086 you can see the seams, you can see all that. 840 00:38:24,320 --> 00:38:27,005 But when a guy throwing a 100... 841 00:38:27,240 --> 00:38:29,049 It look like a golf ball. 842 00:38:29,280 --> 00:38:30,280 Good luck. 843 00:38:33,280 --> 00:38:35,089 It's kind 0f funny to say it, 844 00:38:35,280 --> 00:38:36,327 but it's night and day. 845 00:38:36,520 --> 00:38:37,965 92 and 100. 846 00:38:38,160 --> 00:38:40,083 You feel as though you have a lot longer to hit, 847 00:38:40,280 --> 00:38:42,123 when actually, you don't. 848 00:38:42,320 --> 00:38:43,560 The difference between say 849 00:38:43,800 --> 00:38:45,882 a 90-mile an hour ball 850 00:38:46,080 --> 00:38:48,321 takes about 450 milliseconds to get to plate, 851 00:38:48,520 --> 00:38:51,444 and a 100 mile an hour ball takes 396 milliseconds. 852 00:38:51,680 --> 00:38:54,365 That 50 some odd milliseconds 853 00:38:54,600 --> 00:38:56,841 is crucial brain time. 854 00:38:57,040 --> 00:39:01,523 50 milliseconds is an eternity in this kind of a process. 855 00:39:01,720 --> 00:39:03,802 If you as a rough estimate assume 856 00:39:04,000 --> 00:39:05,411 that every synaptic connection 857 00:39:05,600 --> 00:39:07,443 takes about two milliseconds, 858 00:39:07,640 --> 00:39:10,007 an extra 50 milliseconds or so 859 00:39:10,240 --> 00:39:14,962 gives you about 25 times the number of computations. 860 00:39:15,200 --> 00:39:18,682 So you get about 25 times the information. 861 00:39:18,880 --> 00:39:21,724 Just because you have that extra 50 milliseconds. 862 00:39:21,960 --> 00:39:24,406 But at 100 miles an hour, 863 00:39:24,600 --> 00:39:27,285 you're given almost no time to make a decision. 864 00:39:27,480 --> 00:39:29,448 And it's getting close to that range, 865 00:39:29,640 --> 00:39:31,802 of where its physiologically impossible 866 00:39:32,000 --> 00:39:34,321 to actually plan the voluntary action 867 00:39:34,520 --> 00:39:36,124 based off the information of the ball. 868 00:39:42,880 --> 00:39:44,211 When the pitcher's mound was set 869 00:39:44,440 --> 00:39:46,442 at precisely 60 feet, 6 inches 870 00:39:46,640 --> 00:39:48,005 from home plate, 871 00:39:48,200 --> 00:39:51,522 the game of baseball was set in perfect balance. 872 00:39:51,720 --> 00:39:55,964 A showdown between the fastest it's humanly possible to throw a ball. 873 00:39:56,200 --> 00:39:59,841 And the fastest it's humanly possible to react to it. 874 00:40:03,320 --> 00:40:04,003 You're not gonna have 875 00:40:04,200 --> 00:40:05,531 that many moments in your life 876 00:40:05,720 --> 00:40:06,960 where you're going to see 877 00:40:07,160 --> 00:40:09,242 the edge of human performance, 878 00:40:09,440 --> 00:40:11,807 meeting the edge of human performance. 879 00:40:12,000 --> 00:40:14,162 And so when they actually do meet, 880 00:40:14,360 --> 00:40:16,044 it's a beautiful thing. 881 00:40:20,920 --> 00:40:23,048 The pitcher is pushing the limits 882 00:40:23,240 --> 00:40:26,244 of how fast a ball can go. 883 00:40:26,480 --> 00:40:28,244 And that limit is coming close 884 00:40:28,480 --> 00:40:30,482 to the limit of how fast 885 00:40:30,680 --> 00:40:33,411 a hitter can make a decision. 886 00:40:33,600 --> 00:40:36,649 And so you have these two extremes of human performance 887 00:40:36,840 --> 00:40:37,921 doing this kind of dance 888 00:40:38,160 --> 00:40:38,888 right at the edge 889 00:40:39,120 --> 00:40:41,009 of where their biology 890 00:40:41,200 --> 00:40:43,931 is constraining them. 891 00:40:44,120 --> 00:40:47,203 We have these very basic events that are some on. 892 00:40:47,400 --> 00:40:49,926 Throwing a rock and hitting it with a stick. 893 00:40:50,120 --> 00:40:52,361 And it's only when we realize 894 00:40:52,560 --> 00:40:53,925 how hard these things are, 895 00:40:54,120 --> 00:40:58,170 how precisely balanced batters and pitchers are, 896 00:40:58,360 --> 00:41:01,807 that we really come to appreciate 897 00:41:02,000 --> 00:41:03,240 the beauty in this 898 00:41:03,480 --> 00:41:05,608 and the marvelous way that the game is set up 899 00:41:05,800 --> 00:41:09,566 to make this balance fair. 900 00:41:09,760 --> 00:41:12,843 The pitcher wmns up, 901 00:41:13,040 --> 00:41:15,520 as the pitcher's arm swings around, 902 00:41:15,720 --> 00:41:18,564 the hitter's brain can make a little prediction 903 00:41:18,760 --> 00:41:21,206 as to roughly the trajectory of the ball 904 00:41:21,400 --> 00:41:25,041 before it's even left the pitcher's hand. 905 00:41:25,240 --> 00:41:27,049 And then the pitch is released. 906 00:41:29,560 --> 00:41:32,245 A 100-mile an hour fastball reaches the plate 907 00:41:32,440 --> 00:41:35,011 in 396 milliseconds. 908 00:41:35,200 --> 00:41:38,204 Faster than the blink of an eye. 909 00:41:38,400 --> 00:41:41,051 Any time that you blink, it's by you. 910 00:41:41,240 --> 00:41:43,000 That's how hard the fastball is coming to you 911 00:41:43,080 --> 00:41:44,923 if it's 100 miles an hour. 912 00:41:45,120 --> 00:41:46,565 If you blink... 913 00:41:46,760 --> 00:41:49,286 By you. 914 00:41:49,520 --> 00:41:51,170 Unlike any other sport, 915 00:41:51,400 --> 00:41:53,209 the game comes down to what a person can do 916 00:41:53,440 --> 00:41:54,566 in less time that it takes 917 00:41:54,760 --> 00:41:57,650 to say the word, "fastball." 918 00:41:57,840 --> 00:41:59,604 Imagine we start a clock 919 00:41:59,800 --> 00:42:04,203 as the pitcher releases the ball. 920 00:42:04,400 --> 00:42:07,802 That starts this propagation of computations that happen in the brain. 921 00:42:08,040 --> 00:42:11,442 That trying to localize where the ball is in space and where it's going. 922 00:42:11,640 --> 00:42:13,802 It tries to predict the ball's trajectory. 923 00:42:14,000 --> 00:42:15,360 The ball is moving too fast for you 924 00:42:15,480 --> 00:42:16,680 to even track it with your eyes 925 00:42:16,840 --> 00:42:18,205 moment to moment. 926 00:42:18,400 --> 00:42:19,765 Your eye is rushing ahead, 927 00:42:19,960 --> 00:42:22,247 to the point where you expect to see the ball. 928 00:42:22,440 --> 00:42:23,680 You don't know exactly where it's gonna be, 929 00:42:23,880 --> 00:42:26,360 but you're making your best guess. 930 00:42:26,600 --> 00:42:29,331 And you have a couple hundred milliseconds at best 931 00:42:29,560 --> 00:42:32,609 to pick the next position where you're gonna put your eyes. 932 00:42:32,800 --> 00:42:35,610 So right at midway ycu get one glance at the ball. 933 00:42:35,800 --> 00:42:37,370 That's your decision point. 934 00:42:37,560 --> 00:42:39,244 You better be planning your swing now 935 00:42:39,440 --> 00:42:41,647 if you're gonna hope to hit the ball 936 00:42:41,840 --> 00:42:45,242 if you're used to seeing a ball moving at a certain speed, 937 00:42:45,440 --> 00:42:46,601 let's say 90 miles an hour 938 00:42:46,800 --> 00:42:48,962 is your average experience of seeing balls. 939 00:42:49,160 --> 00:42:50,605 That prediction is gonna put you 940 00:42:50,800 --> 00:42:52,245 where the ball would be 941 00:42:52,440 --> 00:42:54,727 if it's traveling at that assumed speed. 942 00:42:54,960 --> 00:42:56,962 You move your eyes to right where the position of the ball should be 943 00:42:57,160 --> 00:42:58,764 for 90-mile an hour fastball. 944 00:42:58,960 --> 00:43:01,008 But lo and behold, this pitcher has some extra gas 945 00:43:01,200 --> 00:43:04,204 and they pitched it at 103 miles an hour. 946 00:43:04,400 --> 00:43:05,890 It left the pitcher's hand, 947 00:43:06,080 --> 00:43:07,047 you look where it should be it isn't there 948 00:43:07,240 --> 00:43:08,480 and from your perspective 949 00:43:08,680 --> 00:43:10,284 it's almost as if it disappeared. 950 00:43:10,520 --> 00:43:13,569 Poof. It's gone. 951 00:43:13,760 --> 00:43:16,445 When the ball got to 5o feet, it disappeared. 952 00:43:16,640 --> 00:43:18,608 It was almost like a jet taking off. 953 00:43:18,800 --> 00:43:20,484 All of a sudden... Woo! 954 00:43:20,680 --> 00:43:22,170 You could lose a baseball 955 00:43:22,360 --> 00:43:26,524 between the pitcher's hand and it getting on you. 956 00:43:26,720 --> 00:43:29,007 Your brain tells you to swmcs. 957 00:43:29,200 --> 00:43:31,009 You knew you were gonna make contact 958 00:43:31,200 --> 00:43:32,770 and then you swing and miss 959 00:43:33,000 --> 00:43:35,480 and your brain goes, "why'd you miss?" 960 00:43:38,000 --> 00:43:40,526 If you think about the process 0f visual perception 961 00:43:40,760 --> 00:43:43,491 what you're really doing is looking at the positions of the ball 962 00:43:43,720 --> 00:43:45,165 and making a best guess all the time 963 00:43:45,360 --> 00:43:47,203 about where it's likely to be. 964 00:43:47,400 --> 00:43:49,767 So if things happen that you didn't anticipate, 965 00:43:49,960 --> 00:43:52,645 all sorts of optical illusions, essentially can happen. 966 00:43:52,840 --> 00:43:54,251 So one of the ones that can happen for the batter 967 00:43:54,480 --> 00:43:56,369 is that the ball can completely disappear. 968 00:43:56,560 --> 00:43:57,800 And the 2-2. 969 00:43:58,000 --> 00:44:00,082 Swing and a miss. It's all over. 970 00:44:00,320 --> 00:44:03,722 Our brain does a really good job of filling in gaps 971 00:44:03,920 --> 00:44:06,002 between the things that we see 972 00:44:06,240 --> 00:44:07,890 and sort of allows us to tell a story 973 00:44:08,120 --> 00:44:10,521 that makes sense about what happened. 974 00:44:10,720 --> 00:44:13,485 In that case where the ball is faster than your eye movements, 975 00:44:13,680 --> 00:44:16,001 the batter fails to reacquire 976 00:44:16,200 --> 00:44:18,009 the visual image of the ball. 977 00:44:18,200 --> 00:44:20,726 And the ball is now sort of beyond the point where he thought it was. 978 00:44:20,920 --> 00:44:22,331 He's gonna look to a particular spot 979 00:44:22,520 --> 00:44:24,329 and expect the ball to be there 980 00:44:24,520 --> 00:44:26,124 and the ball's not there. 981 00:44:26,320 --> 00:44:28,971 Now there's almost an error message that occurs 982 00:44:29,160 --> 00:44:32,209 and there has to be a new telling of the story. 983 00:44:32,440 --> 00:44:34,522 One story that batter's brains create 984 00:44:34,720 --> 00:44:35,801 is that the fastest pitchers 985 00:44:36,000 --> 00:44:38,207 can actually make their fastball rise 986 00:44:38,440 --> 00:44:40,602 as it approaches home plate. 987 00:44:40,800 --> 00:44:42,484 Koufax, he threw a fastball 988 00:44:42,680 --> 00:44:45,081 and that ball would start here 989 00:44:45,320 --> 00:44:46,560 and by the time you swing at it, 990 00:44:46,640 --> 00:44:49,291 it would hop a little bit up here. 991 00:44:49,480 --> 00:44:52,723 You watch the ball leave l-lls hand, 992 00:44:52,960 --> 00:44:57,443 and then when you get ready to swing at it, it rises. 993 00:44:57,640 --> 00:45:00,325 2-2 pitch to Parrish, got him swmeuue. 994 00:45:00,520 --> 00:45:01,601 Dwight gooden, 995 00:45:01,840 --> 00:45:02,921 he had a lot of jump and movement 996 00:45:03,120 --> 00:45:04,326 on the ball upward. 997 00:45:04,520 --> 00:45:05,920 There's very few guys that get that. 998 00:45:06,080 --> 00:45:07,969 You can know a fastball's coming, 999 00:45:08,160 --> 00:45:10,527 but it had that upward rising to it. 1000 00:45:10,720 --> 00:45:13,246 And I could almost feel the sting hit my mustache. 1001 00:45:13,480 --> 00:45:14,686 That ball really scared me. 1002 00:45:14,880 --> 00:45:18,248 You know, because you lost it. 1003 00:45:18,480 --> 00:45:20,448 Scientists say it can't happen. 1004 00:45:20,640 --> 00:45:22,369 The ball can't rise. 1005 00:45:22,560 --> 00:45:24,085 I don't know, I don't think they ever played baseball. 1006 00:45:24,320 --> 00:45:25,606 I don't think they did. 1007 00:45:27,240 --> 00:45:31,723 It may not sound logical, but it rises. 1008 00:45:31,920 --> 00:45:33,410 And... 1009 00:45:33,600 --> 00:45:35,125 I don't want to get into an argument 1010 00:45:35,320 --> 00:45:37,049 with a scientist about that. 1011 00:45:37,240 --> 00:45:40,210 I have to say that in some cases they make a mistake. 1012 00:45:40,400 --> 00:45:43,449 It wasn't impossible for it to happen, because it did. 1013 00:45:43,640 --> 00:45:45,404 You come over the top 1014 00:45:45,600 --> 00:45:48,251 and you hold a four-seamer this way. 1015 00:45:48,440 --> 00:45:51,125 You got one, two, three, four. 1016 00:45:51,320 --> 00:45:52,685 Across the seams. 1017 00:45:52,880 --> 00:45:54,211 It did go up a little bit. 1018 00:45:54,400 --> 00:45:56,687 You have to throw pretty hard. 1019 00:45:56,880 --> 00:46:01,090 Those guys that throw 80s and 89, 90, 1020 00:46:01,320 --> 00:46:03,209 that ball's not gonna go up. 1021 00:46:03,440 --> 00:46:06,649 Chapman, I guarantee you his ball goes up a little bit. 1022 00:46:06,840 --> 00:46:09,605 Devastating fastball, that has that late life. 1023 00:46:09,800 --> 00:46:11,882 It's impossible. 1024 00:46:12,120 --> 00:46:14,122 You believe that the rising fastball's impossible? 1025 00:46:14,320 --> 00:46:16,527 Yeah, I believe it's impossible. 1026 00:46:16,720 --> 00:46:19,720 But I think... you know, I don't think it's possible for a fastball to rise. 1027 00:46:19,800 --> 00:46:22,531 But I think it's possible for a ride. 1028 00:46:22,720 --> 00:46:24,165 You know, something that's different. 1029 00:46:24,360 --> 00:46:27,967 Well, I tried to get the ball to ride. 1030 00:46:28,160 --> 00:46:29,810 You know, if you talk to a physicist, 1031 00:46:30,000 --> 00:46:32,128 he says a ball does not rise, 1032 00:46:32,320 --> 00:46:35,483 but it does not drop as fast as others. 1033 00:46:35,680 --> 00:46:36,886 You hear guys that say 1034 00:46:37,080 --> 00:46:39,731 they have "good ride through the zone." 1035 00:46:39,920 --> 00:46:41,570 You know, it's just a natural spin. 1036 00:46:41,760 --> 00:46:44,161 You know, 12 to 6, just like this. 1037 00:46:44,400 --> 00:46:45,970 Once the ball leaves the pitcher's hand, 1038 00:46:46,160 --> 00:46:47,600 the dominant force acting on the ball 1039 00:46:47,760 --> 00:46:49,120 is the one we're all familiar with, 1040 00:46:49,200 --> 00:46:50,440 it's the force of gravity. 1041 00:46:50,640 --> 00:46:52,642 So the ball drops. 1042 00:46:52,840 --> 00:46:55,411 Something like that. 1043 00:46:55,600 --> 00:46:58,001 For a 90-mile per hour fastball, 1044 00:46:58,200 --> 00:47:00,202 it's going to drop about three feet 1045 00:47:00,400 --> 00:47:01,811 if the only force on the ball 1046 00:47:02,040 --> 00:47:03,883 was the force of gravity. 1047 00:47:04,080 --> 00:47:07,004 But a four-seam fastball has a strong backspin on it. 1048 00:47:07,200 --> 00:47:10,090 That creates a Magnus force that's pushing upwards 1049 00:47:10,280 --> 00:47:11,884 so the ball still drops, 1050 00:47:12,080 --> 00:47:14,924 but it drops slower than it would. 1051 00:47:15,120 --> 00:47:16,645 And the trajectory the ball takes 1052 00:47:16,840 --> 00:47:18,365 is something like that. 1053 00:47:18,600 --> 00:47:20,204 It actually crosses home plate 1054 00:47:20,440 --> 00:47:23,364 about 10 inches higher. 1055 00:47:23,560 --> 00:47:26,962 If this is what a qo-mile per hour fastball looks like, 1056 00:47:27,160 --> 00:47:29,766 think about a 100-mile per hour fastball, 1057 00:47:29,960 --> 00:47:31,200 perhaps with a stronger backspin 1058 00:47:31,400 --> 00:47:32,765 and more Magnus force, 1059 00:47:32,960 --> 00:47:35,691 it will have a higher trajectory 1060 00:47:37,920 --> 00:47:39,206 and cross home plate 1061 00:47:39,400 --> 00:47:41,482 inches above 1062 00:47:41,680 --> 00:47:43,045 th e Stan dard four-seam fastball. 1063 00:47:43,240 --> 00:47:46,926 The visual was that it would kind of ride, 1064 00:47:47,120 --> 00:47:48,804 it would kind of like ride up and away from you. 1065 00:47:49,000 --> 00:47:50,331 You swing at that fastball... 1066 00:47:50,520 --> 00:47:51,851 How could I not hit that pitch? 1067 00:47:52,040 --> 00:47:54,042 Every... it always gets on top of my bat. 1068 00:47:54,240 --> 00:47:57,687 Now that's a fastball that's hard to hit. 1069 00:47:57,880 --> 00:47:59,041 Physics tells us 1070 00:47:59,240 --> 00:48:00,844 the ball is really moving in a smooth arc 1071 00:48:01,040 --> 00:48:02,166 throughout it's trajectory. 1072 00:48:02,400 --> 00:48:03,731 The problem is, if we go back 1073 00:48:03,920 --> 00:48:06,241 to the first half of the pitch, 1074 00:48:06,480 --> 00:48:09,086 there's very little difference in the trajectories 1075 00:48:09,320 --> 00:48:11,800 between a-100 mile per hour fastball, 1076 00:48:12,000 --> 00:48:14,890 and a 90-mile per hour fastball. 1077 00:48:15,120 --> 00:48:16,480 And it's the beginning of the pitch 1078 00:48:16,600 --> 00:48:18,409 the batter has to use 1079 00:48:18,600 --> 00:48:22,047 to estimate where the ball's gonna cross home plate. 1080 00:48:22,240 --> 00:48:24,561 It's not until the ball gets very close 1081 00:48:24,760 --> 00:48:25,841 that he realizes 1082 00:48:26,040 --> 00:48:27,610 that the ball is actually up here, 1083 00:48:27,840 --> 00:48:29,330 and this will give the illusion 1084 00:48:29,520 --> 00:48:33,002 that the ball pops upwards at the very end. 1085 00:48:33,200 --> 00:48:34,645 It's not because it actually does, 1086 00:48:34,840 --> 00:48:36,330 it's the difference between where his brain 1087 00:48:36,520 --> 00:48:38,204 is telling him the ball is gonna be 1088 00:48:38,400 --> 00:48:39,400 and where it actually is 1089 00:48:39,600 --> 00:48:43,127 when it approaches home plate. 1090 00:48:43,320 --> 00:48:45,288 I think scientists are crazy if they think that. 1091 00:48:45,520 --> 00:48:47,443 I mean... Craig kimbrel. 1092 00:48:47,640 --> 00:48:50,484 It looks like his fastball rises every time he throws it. 1093 00:48:50,680 --> 00:48:53,445 They need to grab a helmet, grab a bat and get in the box, 1094 00:48:53,640 --> 00:48:55,760 'cause they don't understand what's going on up there. 1095 00:49:05,600 --> 00:49:08,171 I wanna see if you recognize them, 1096 00:49:08,360 --> 00:49:10,283 even know the name. 1097 00:49:10,480 --> 00:49:12,289 Any name on there familiar to you? 1098 00:49:12,480 --> 00:49:14,403 Um... 1099 00:49:14,600 --> 00:49:17,410 Jack Smith. 1100 00:49:17,640 --> 00:49:19,449 - That's not the one we're talking about. - Well, I didn't know. 1101 00:49:19,680 --> 00:49:21,091 I just said that. I had 25% chance. 1102 00:49:21,280 --> 00:49:22,486 I didn't wanna say, "no." 1103 00:49:24,640 --> 00:49:26,244 No. I mean, I don't... 1104 00:49:26,480 --> 00:49:28,960 Steve dalkowski. 1105 00:49:29,160 --> 00:49:30,650 Steve dalkowski? 1106 00:49:30,840 --> 00:49:32,729 No, don't know it. 1107 00:49:32,920 --> 00:49:34,524 How would I know it? 1108 00:49:57,360 --> 00:49:59,044 I'll show you something. 1109 00:49:59,240 --> 00:50:02,449 And ask you to tell me 1110 00:50:02,680 --> 00:50:03,806 who you see on that card 1111 00:50:04,000 --> 00:50:06,685 and tell me about him. 1112 00:50:10,840 --> 00:50:12,649 Well, the guy that kinda sticks out 1113 00:50:12,840 --> 00:50:15,684 is Steve dalkowski. 1114 00:50:15,880 --> 00:50:17,041 What is it? 1115 00:50:17,280 --> 00:50:18,725 That guy right there, can you... 1116 00:50:18,920 --> 00:50:21,764 Steve dalkowski... 1117 00:50:21,960 --> 00:50:25,487 1963 rookie stars. 1118 00:50:25,680 --> 00:50:27,808 Oh, my god. 1119 00:50:28,040 --> 00:50:29,690 I want you to take a look at this card 1120 00:50:29,920 --> 00:50:33,322 and see if there's anybody there you've heard of. 1121 00:50:33,520 --> 00:50:35,329 Speaking of the fastball... 1122 00:50:35,520 --> 00:50:38,683 0l-| yeah, yeah. This dalkowski... 1123 00:50:38,880 --> 00:50:40,803 He's legendary. 1124 00:50:41,000 --> 00:50:43,207 There's no man on earth 1125 00:50:43,400 --> 00:50:47,530 that ever had more talent. No man. 1126 00:50:47,720 --> 00:50:50,451 There's a man that if he could've gotten it over, 1127 00:50:50,640 --> 00:50:53,644 I really believe he could've just made his living 1128 00:50:53,840 --> 00:50:55,842 just th rowing fastballs. 1129 00:51:00,280 --> 00:51:02,886 Well, I didn't know Steve dalkowski. 1130 00:51:03,120 --> 00:51:05,361 I knew of him. 1131 00:51:05,560 --> 00:51:07,369 And obviously i came up in that era 1132 00:51:07,560 --> 00:51:09,085 that everybody knew him 1133 00:51:09,280 --> 00:51:10,964 and they said he was the hardest throwing... thrower 1134 00:51:11,160 --> 00:51:13,970 that everybody that had ever saw him, 1135 00:51:14,160 --> 00:51:16,003 said that. 1136 00:51:16,200 --> 00:51:17,725 And I never saw him. 1137 00:51:17,920 --> 00:51:19,160 But people did talk about him. 1138 00:51:19,360 --> 00:51:22,284 Oh, he was a legend. 1139 00:51:24,200 --> 00:51:25,884 And you hear all these stories about him. 1140 00:51:35,680 --> 00:51:37,284 Like "bull durham's" nuke laloosh. 1141 00:51:37,480 --> 00:51:40,245 Who was based in part on dalkowski, 1142 00:51:40,440 --> 00:51:43,250 or sidd Finch, George plimpton's imaginary pitcher 1143 00:51:43,440 --> 00:51:46,205 who threw 168 miles per hour. 1144 00:51:46,400 --> 00:51:49,085 The story of Steve dalkowski sounds like pure myth. 1145 00:51:50,120 --> 00:51:52,930 But it was real. 1146 00:51:53,120 --> 00:51:55,487 Tell us what we're looking at, what did that arm do? 1147 00:51:55,680 --> 00:51:59,446 Threw a ball faster than anybody that ever lived. 1148 00:51:59,640 --> 00:52:01,847 Anybody. 1149 00:52:02,040 --> 00:52:03,246 The nastiest I ever faced 1150 00:52:03,440 --> 00:52:04,930 was the hardest thrower who threw a baseball 1151 00:52:05,120 --> 00:52:06,406 was Steve dalkowski. 1152 00:52:06,640 --> 00:52:07,960 You know, you get into discussions 1153 00:52:08,080 --> 00:52:10,401 about who threw the ball the hardest. 1154 00:52:10,640 --> 00:52:13,530 Well, this guy will come up in every conversation 1155 00:52:13,720 --> 00:52:16,246 that the guys played back in the day 1156 00:52:16,480 --> 00:52:18,448 saw this guy throw. 1157 00:52:18,640 --> 00:52:21,928 They 8nd that he... he was the hardest thrower that they ever saw. 1158 00:52:22,120 --> 00:52:23,406 And this is hard to believe 1159 00:52:23,600 --> 00:52:25,489 and as you get older, the stories get bigger, 1160 00:52:25,680 --> 00:52:27,648 but I was there. 1161 00:52:27,840 --> 00:52:28,966 Steve and I played together 1162 00:52:29,200 --> 00:52:31,202 for two years in the minor leagues. 1163 00:52:31,400 --> 00:52:33,402 He's sort of a cult figure in a way, 1164 00:52:33,600 --> 00:52:36,683 because he never played in the major leagues. 1165 00:52:36,920 --> 00:52:39,161 We were teammates in elmira aa. 1166 00:52:39,360 --> 00:52:40,920 And he was running the outfield one time 1167 00:52:41,000 --> 00:52:42,968 and I said, "Steve, can you throw that ball 1168 00:52:43,160 --> 00:52:44,571 through this fence?" 1169 00:52:44,800 --> 00:52:47,326 And it was 1x6s. 1170 00:52:47,560 --> 00:52:49,085 He said, "i don't know." He hadn't even warmed up. 1171 00:52:49,280 --> 00:52:52,204 He grabbed a ball and just fired it at the wall, 1172 00:52:52,400 --> 00:52:53,447 and threw it right through the wall. 1173 00:52:53,640 --> 00:52:55,563 I said, "i guess you can." 1174 00:52:55,760 --> 00:52:58,411 One game, he broke my shin guard. 1175 00:52:58,600 --> 00:53:01,490 Split my shin guard. 1176 00:53:01,680 --> 00:53:03,091 Another game, 1177 00:53:03,320 --> 00:53:05,891 he broke the mask, 1178 00:53:06,120 --> 00:53:08,691 the bar mask that I had. 1179 00:53:08,880 --> 00:53:11,281 So after that i got a wire mask. 1180 00:53:11,480 --> 00:53:14,563 I said, "man, I'm not taking any chances." 1181 00:53:14,760 --> 00:53:17,127 But he threw harder than... 1182 00:53:17,320 --> 00:53:21,211 This day than any man i ever saw in my life. 1183 00:53:21,400 --> 00:53:23,482 Who taught you to throw fast? 1184 00:53:23,720 --> 00:53:27,042 You don't teach people how to throw fast. 1185 00:53:27,240 --> 00:53:29,811 It just comes natural. 1186 00:53:30,000 --> 00:53:33,004 I would love to have seen him throw at his prime. 1187 00:53:33,200 --> 00:53:34,645 Um... 1188 00:53:34,840 --> 00:53:37,161 Because what people said about him, 1189 00:53:37,400 --> 00:53:40,165 obviously he had one of those special arms. 1190 00:53:42,720 --> 00:53:45,530 Befitting the legend of Steve dalkowski, 1191 00:53:45,720 --> 00:53:49,042 no one has ever found any footage of him pitching. 1192 00:53:49,280 --> 00:53:51,169 Tell me about that guy. 1193 00:53:51,360 --> 00:53:53,727 He's a good guy. 1194 00:53:53,920 --> 00:53:56,048 Couldn't throw strikes. 1195 00:53:56,240 --> 00:53:57,571 Yeah... 1196 00:53:57,760 --> 00:53:59,091 He was very wild. 1197 00:53:59,280 --> 00:54:00,645 Sometimes when he threw BP, 1198 00:54:00,880 --> 00:54:01,961 you know it was questionable 1199 00:54:02,160 --> 00:54:03,889 if he could throw it in the cage. 1200 00:54:04,080 --> 00:54:07,846 I was do this and the ball would go like that. 1201 00:54:08,040 --> 00:54:09,929 Out of control they say. 1202 00:54:10,120 --> 00:54:11,770 His problem was more up and down 1203 00:54:11,960 --> 00:54:13,325 than it was in and out. 1204 00:54:13,560 --> 00:54:15,483 You could tell Steve to throw the ball, 1205 00:54:15,680 --> 00:54:17,720 "and I want you to hit a foot in front of the plate. 1206 00:54:17,800 --> 00:54:19,086 I want you to throw the ball 59 feet." 1207 00:54:19,280 --> 00:54:22,727 And the ball would be over the catcher's head 1208 00:54:22,920 --> 00:54:24,126 by the time it got to the plate 1209 00:54:24,360 --> 00:54:25,691 because his ball had so much... 1210 00:54:25,880 --> 00:54:28,247 He had so much backspin on his ball. 1211 00:54:28,440 --> 00:54:31,125 That the ball rose that quickly. 1212 00:54:31,320 --> 00:54:35,405 Everywhere he pitched, he set strikeout records. 1213 00:54:35,600 --> 00:54:37,728 But for every new mark for strikeouts, 1214 00:54:37,960 --> 00:54:41,009 there was another new record f or walks. 1215 00:54:41,200 --> 00:54:44,204 He pitched 697 innings, 1216 00:54:44,400 --> 00:54:47,609 and had 1,099 strikeouts. 1217 00:54:47,840 --> 00:54:50,491 And he had more walks than he had strikeouts. 1218 00:54:50,720 --> 00:54:52,006 By 100. 1219 00:54:52,200 --> 00:54:54,009 Pretty amazing. 1220 00:54:54,200 --> 00:54:57,249 You still have to throw the ball over the plate. 1221 00:54:57,480 --> 00:54:59,323 Could not throw a strike. 1222 00:54:59,560 --> 00:55:01,289 Tried everything. 1223 00:55:01,520 --> 00:55:03,966 I mean, everything. 1224 00:55:04,160 --> 00:55:08,609 All he wanted to do was get the fastball over and he could not do it. 1225 00:55:08,800 --> 00:55:11,371 What a shame. 1226 00:55:11,560 --> 00:55:14,609 Over the years, it almost became an obsession with him 1227 00:55:14,800 --> 00:55:16,643 to try to conquer his control. 1228 00:55:16,840 --> 00:55:19,002 And he was getting better. 1229 00:55:19,200 --> 00:55:22,761 He wasn't perfect, but he was getting better. 1230 00:55:23,000 --> 00:55:24,968 M 1962 at elmira, 1231 00:55:25,160 --> 00:55:28,403 under a new manager, the future hall of famer, Earl Weaver. 1232 00:55:28,600 --> 00:55:31,171 Dalkowski finally found the plate. 1233 00:55:31,360 --> 00:55:34,125 Over his final 52 innings that summer, 1234 00:55:34,320 --> 00:55:38,609 he struck out 104 while walking only 11. 1235 00:55:38,800 --> 00:55:40,370 After all them years of my life, 1236 00:55:40,600 --> 00:55:44,446 I finally got word 1237 00:55:44,640 --> 00:55:47,644 that I'm gonna have the chance to make it. 1238 00:55:47,840 --> 00:55:50,002 That felt real good. 1239 00:55:50,240 --> 00:55:52,402 M spring training 1963, 1240 00:55:52,600 --> 00:55:54,011 dalkowski pitched in two games 1241 00:55:54,240 --> 00:55:55,890 against the Dodgers and the Yankees. 1242 00:55:56,120 --> 00:55:59,567 Allowing no runs and no hits. 1243 00:55:59,760 --> 00:56:02,206 Topps printed his baseball card. 1244 00:56:02,400 --> 00:56:03,920 In the morning of his final appearance, 1245 00:56:03,960 --> 00:56:05,769 he was told he had made the team. 1246 00:56:06,000 --> 00:56:07,650 And was fitted for a big league uniform 1247 00:56:07,880 --> 00:56:10,565 for the very first time. 1248 00:56:10,800 --> 00:56:12,609 Then with two outs in the third inning, 1249 00:56:12,840 --> 00:56:15,411 Steve came off the mound to field a bunt, 1250 00:56:15,640 --> 00:56:17,085 as he threw to first 1251 00:56:17,280 --> 00:56:19,647 he felt a pop in his elbow. 1252 00:56:19,840 --> 00:56:21,808 Tell me about walking off the field 1253 00:56:22,000 --> 00:56:24,367 and knowing that you are hurt. 1254 00:56:25,400 --> 00:56:26,481 I said, "why me?" 1255 00:56:26,680 --> 00:56:28,887 And I start crying. 1256 00:56:29,080 --> 00:56:31,287 Yep. 1257 00:56:31,480 --> 00:56:34,484 Steve went back to the minor leagues. 1258 00:56:34,680 --> 00:56:37,809 He would never throw a pitch in the majors. 1259 00:56:38,040 --> 00:56:41,681 I felt so bad about him because... 1260 00:56:41,880 --> 00:56:45,043 When he was trying to get it back, 1261 00:56:45,240 --> 00:56:47,242 you could walk downtown at 1:00 in the morning 1262 00:56:47,440 --> 00:56:49,124 and you'd find Steve sitting down there 1263 00:56:49,320 --> 00:56:50,845 with a bottle of wine. 1264 00:56:51,040 --> 00:56:55,045 I mean, he... it really, really tore at his heart. 1265 00:56:57,160 --> 00:56:59,208 It's a shame that... 1266 00:56:59,400 --> 00:57:02,006 That a talent like that never got there. 1267 00:57:04,080 --> 00:57:05,570 It's a fragile deal. 1268 00:57:05,760 --> 00:57:09,685 And if... you know, if the wrong thing happens, 1269 00:57:09,880 --> 00:57:10,881 you never know. 1270 00:57:12,440 --> 00:57:14,522 He was just somebody 1271 00:57:14,720 --> 00:57:17,564 that was unable to conquer his control. 1272 00:57:17,760 --> 00:57:18,841 And it's just unfortunate 1273 00:57:19,080 --> 00:57:21,731 that he never made the big show. 1274 00:57:21,920 --> 00:57:23,649 If he'd had harnessed his control 1275 00:57:23,840 --> 00:57:24,920 and gone to the big leagues, 1276 00:57:25,000 --> 00:57:26,161 I think he would have been 1277 00:57:26,360 --> 00:57:27,840 one of the premiere fastball pitchers, 1278 00:57:27,920 --> 00:57:29,649 you know, ever in baseball. 1279 00:57:37,120 --> 00:57:39,009 During the years that dalkowski was struggling 1280 00:57:39,200 --> 00:57:41,771 to just find the plate in the minor leagues, 1281 00:57:41,960 --> 00:57:43,610 another lefty was working to control 1282 00:57:43,800 --> 00:57:46,485 the lightning in his own arm in the majors. 1283 00:57:46,680 --> 00:57:47,886 This pitcher, it was said, 1284 00:57:48,080 --> 00:57:51,084 had been born with the left arm of god. 1285 00:57:51,320 --> 00:57:54,051 And when Sandy koufax harnessed his gift, 1286 00:57:54,280 --> 00:57:56,521 he became a legend. 1287 00:57:56,720 --> 00:57:58,768 Untouchable. 1288 00:57:58,960 --> 00:58:02,646 Boy, I mean, it came in and it went... 1289 00:58:02,840 --> 00:58:05,411 You could hear it go... 1290 00:58:05,600 --> 00:58:07,728 Wow. 1291 00:58:07,960 --> 00:58:09,485 One time he threw a pitch in there 1292 00:58:09,680 --> 00:58:11,808 and I said, "ball." 1293 00:58:12,000 --> 00:58:13,411 He got the ball back like this. 1294 00:58:13,600 --> 00:58:14,726 And looked in at me 1295 00:58:14,920 --> 00:58:16,922 and he went like this with his hand. 1296 00:58:17,120 --> 00:58:21,125 As if to ask, "was it too high?" 1297 00:58:21,320 --> 00:58:22,970 And you know, i just nodded. 1298 00:58:23,160 --> 00:58:24,844 That's right. 1299 00:58:25,040 --> 00:58:27,771 Next pitch, he brought it down six inches, 1300 00:58:27,960 --> 00:58:30,611 same thing. Zoom, zoom, wham. Strike three. 1301 00:58:35,080 --> 00:58:36,491 What a grand, grand thing 1302 00:58:36,680 --> 00:58:38,682 to sit back there and see this. 1303 00:58:45,480 --> 00:58:49,280 In 1965 on a late summer night in Los Angeles, 1304 00:58:49,480 --> 00:58:52,450 koufax took the mound for the Dodgers. 1305 00:58:52,640 --> 00:58:54,290 The game wasn't on TV. 1306 00:58:54,480 --> 00:58:55,925 But the Dodgers trainer, bill buhler, 1307 00:58:56,120 --> 00:58:57,246 was an amateur film buff 1308 00:58:57,440 --> 00:58:59,522 and brought his camera to the game. 1309 00:58:59,760 --> 00:59:02,127 He found an empty seat behind home plate 1310 00:59:02,320 --> 00:59:04,527 and began to roll. 1311 00:59:04,720 --> 00:59:07,371 For decades the film sat forgotten in a closet. 1312 00:59:07,600 --> 00:59:11,127 Now recently uncovered and restored. 1313 00:59:11,360 --> 00:59:12,930 A glimpse of Sandy koufax 1314 00:59:13,120 --> 00:59:15,930 on a night that maybe god himself created especially 1315 00:59:16,120 --> 00:59:18,009 for his own left arm. 1316 00:59:31,880 --> 00:59:33,530 Batter after batter, 1317 00:59:33,720 --> 00:59:36,166 koufax was pitching with mastery. 1318 00:59:36,360 --> 00:59:37,850 Precision. 1319 00:59:38,040 --> 00:59:39,451 Concentration. 1320 00:59:39,680 --> 00:59:41,569 And a fastball that split the night. 1321 00:59:44,680 --> 00:59:46,170 With his handheld camera, 1322 00:59:46,360 --> 00:59:49,250 the Dodgers' trainer was capturing history. 1323 00:59:49,480 --> 00:59:51,847 Till there were two out in the third. 1324 00:59:52,040 --> 00:59:54,805 And bill buhler ran out of film. 1325 00:59:57,920 --> 01:00:00,764 Only the 29,000 at dodger stadium that night 1326 01:00:00,960 --> 01:00:03,691 actually witnessed what happened next. 1327 01:00:03,880 --> 01:00:05,450 Threw 82i3rds, 1328 01:00:05,640 --> 01:00:08,849 26 up and 26 down. 1329 01:00:09,080 --> 01:00:10,445 And to capture the final moments, 1330 01:00:10,640 --> 01:00:12,642 there was nothing but the hall of fame voice, 1331 01:00:12,840 --> 01:00:14,569 of vin Scully on the radio. 1332 01:00:14,760 --> 01:00:16,649 Making imagination real, 1333 01:00:16,880 --> 01:00:18,928 and baseball that night... 1334 01:00:19,120 --> 01:00:20,610 Perfect. 1335 01:00:23,560 --> 01:00:27,406 He is one out away from the promised land. 1336 01:00:27,640 --> 01:00:30,928 And Harvey kuenn is coming up. 1337 01:00:31,120 --> 01:00:33,168 And koufax takes a hitch at his belt 1338 01:00:33,400 --> 01:00:35,880 and walks behind the mound. 1339 01:00:36,080 --> 01:00:37,650 I would think that the mound 1340 01:00:37,840 --> 01:00:39,126 at dodger stadium right now 1341 01:00:39,360 --> 01:00:43,251 is the loneliest place in the world. 1342 01:00:43,440 --> 01:00:45,329 Sandy into his windup. And the pitch. 1343 01:00:45,520 --> 01:00:49,127 A fastball for a strike. 1344 01:00:49,320 --> 01:00:52,403 And you can almost taste the pressure now. 1345 01:00:52,600 --> 01:00:53,761 Koufax lifted his cap, 1346 01:00:54,000 --> 01:00:55,570 ran his fingers through his black hair, 1347 01:00:55,760 --> 01:00:59,048 then pulled the cap back down, fussing at the bill. 1348 01:00:59,240 --> 01:01:01,766 And there's 29,000 people in the ball park 1349 01:01:01,960 --> 01:01:05,282 and a million butterflies. 1350 01:01:05,480 --> 01:01:07,926 Sandy readying a strike one pitch. 1351 01:01:08,120 --> 01:01:10,088 Very high and he lost his hat, 1352 01:01:10,280 --> 01:01:12,203 he really forced that one. 1353 01:01:12,400 --> 01:01:15,688 Trying to get that little extra. 1354 01:01:15,880 --> 01:01:17,530 You can't blame a man 1355 01:01:17,720 --> 01:01:21,441 for pushing just a little bit now. 1356 01:01:21,640 --> 01:01:23,404 Now Sandy looks in. 1357 01:01:23,600 --> 01:01:26,251 Into his windup and the 2-1 pitch to kuenn. 1358 01:01:26,440 --> 01:01:27,885 Swung on and missed. Strike two. 1359 01:01:30,200 --> 01:01:32,282 Two and two to Harvey kuenn. 1360 01:01:32,480 --> 01:01:34,448 One strike away. 1361 01:01:34,640 --> 01:01:36,085 Sandy into his windup. 1362 01:01:36,280 --> 01:01:37,520 Here's the pitch. 1363 01:01:37,720 --> 01:01:39,961 Swung on and missed! A perfect game! 1364 01:01:47,960 --> 01:01:49,849 A warm summer night. 1365 01:01:50,040 --> 01:01:52,850 A golden voice crackling over the airwaves. 1366 01:01:53,040 --> 01:01:57,090 And a fastball no one could hit. 1367 01:01:57,280 --> 01:01:58,770 Baseball fans didn't have to see it 1368 01:01:58,960 --> 01:02:01,486 to know how it felt. 1369 01:02:01,680 --> 01:02:05,480 Because in our minds, it was the thing we always see. 1370 01:02:05,680 --> 01:02:07,842 The phenom made good. 1371 01:02:08,040 --> 01:02:11,249 The dream made real before our eyes. 1372 01:02:11,440 --> 01:02:13,761 The pitcher with the gift of the fastball. 1373 01:02:14,000 --> 01:02:16,401 Commanding the magic in his arm. 1374 01:02:19,240 --> 01:02:20,924 For me it's... I don't know, 1375 01:02:21,120 --> 01:02:22,929 I think koufax was the most consistent 1376 01:02:23,120 --> 01:02:24,804 of any fastball that I had to face. 1377 01:02:25,000 --> 01:02:26,445 You know, day in, day out. 1378 01:02:26,680 --> 01:02:28,444 I say that to all the guys, 1379 01:02:28,680 --> 01:02:30,444 I said, I don't think anybody threw harder than koufax. 1380 01:02:30,680 --> 01:02:32,967 I have to tell you a story, i grew up in San Francisco 1381 01:02:33,160 --> 01:02:35,128 watching koufax against the giants 1382 01:02:35,320 --> 01:02:36,810 and those guys all the time. 1383 01:02:37,000 --> 01:02:38,331 You know, as a kid or something, I just would... 1384 01:02:38,560 --> 01:02:40,050 I just wanna face Sandy koufax. 1385 01:02:40,240 --> 01:02:41,730 You know, you get in your mind, you wanna face him, right? 1386 01:02:41,920 --> 01:02:44,764 So my rookie year, we're going to dodger stadium 1387 01:02:44,960 --> 01:02:47,440 - and koufax was gonna pitch the next day. - It was validation. 1388 01:02:47,560 --> 01:02:49,369 And I'm like, "man, I can't wait." 1389 01:02:49,560 --> 01:02:51,483 And the guys on the bus are looking at me like I'm crazy. 1390 01:02:51,680 --> 01:02:53,320 "Are you stupid or what are you wanna do?" 1391 01:02:53,480 --> 01:02:54,845 Right, so... 1392 01:02:55,080 --> 01:02:56,650 And I find out the next day i was stupid, right? 1393 01:02:56,840 --> 01:02:59,491 I mean, honest, it took me two at-bats 1394 01:02:59,680 --> 01:03:01,364 before I even fouled a ball, right? 1395 01:03:01,560 --> 01:03:02,561 He just blew me away 1396 01:03:02,760 --> 01:03:03,920 the first time, the next time, 1397 01:03:04,000 --> 01:03:05,525 then I fouled a ball, right? 1398 01:03:05,760 --> 01:03:07,330 I came back and I told one of the guys, 1399 01:03:07,520 --> 01:03:08,806 I said, "i got him now." 1400 01:03:09,000 --> 01:03:09,922 He struck me out, see? Right? 1401 01:03:10,120 --> 01:03:11,480 So I go back up and I hit a pop up. 1402 01:03:11,600 --> 01:03:12,800 I said, "i told you I got him." 1403 01:03:19,520 --> 01:03:21,170 Who's the fastest you ever saw? 1404 01:03:21,400 --> 01:03:22,731 Uh, Juan berenguer. 1405 01:03:22,920 --> 01:03:27,448 With 101.5 in AAA. 1406 01:03:27,640 --> 01:03:29,768 And he was still throwing about 100 for Minnesota 1407 01:03:29,960 --> 01:03:32,850 when I faced him. 1408 01:03:33,040 --> 01:03:36,328 He is just pumping some major league gas. 1409 01:03:36,520 --> 01:03:39,524 Oh, mercy. 1410 01:03:39,720 --> 01:03:42,200 Of all the people I've watched over the last 4o years 1411 01:03:42,400 --> 01:03:45,643 I think Billy Wagner was probably as hard a thrower 1412 01:03:45,880 --> 01:03:47,609 as I'd seen. 1413 01:03:47,840 --> 01:03:49,205 Here's the pitch. Swme and a miss 1414 01:03:49,400 --> 01:03:51,767 at a high fastball at 100 miles an hour. 1415 01:03:51,960 --> 01:03:53,883 You're not gonna catch up to that one. 1416 01:03:54,080 --> 01:03:55,684 I'd probably say it's Kevin brown. 1417 01:03:55,880 --> 01:03:57,320 I really didn't like facing that guy. 1418 01:03:57,360 --> 01:03:59,203 He threw hard. 1419 01:03:59,400 --> 01:04:01,641 He just has so many different windups. 1420 01:04:01,840 --> 01:04:03,720 And he used to always come high and tight on me, 1421 01:04:03,760 --> 01:04:05,410 I used to be... And I was young then, 1422 01:04:05,600 --> 01:04:06,647 I was scared to be in there 1423 01:04:06,840 --> 01:04:08,410 in the batter's box with Kevin brown. 1424 01:04:08,600 --> 01:04:10,680 I mean, plus everybody knew he was kind of crazy too. 1425 01:04:11,400 --> 01:04:13,402 Robin Roberts. 1426 01:04:13,600 --> 01:04:15,523 And when you got men on base, 1427 01:04:15,720 --> 01:04:17,688 he could throw a little bit harder. 1428 01:04:17,880 --> 01:04:20,451 He just reached back and threw more. 1429 01:04:20,640 --> 01:04:22,563 I said, "wow. 1430 01:04:22,760 --> 01:04:25,286 Boy, this guy can throw the ball." 1431 01:04:25,480 --> 01:04:26,845 Herb score. 1432 01:04:27,040 --> 01:04:29,805 I saw score when I was just a kid. 1433 01:04:30,000 --> 01:04:32,480 My grandfather took me to an exhibition game 1434 01:04:32,720 --> 01:04:34,449 and I never saw anybody 1435 01:04:34,680 --> 01:04:36,648 who could throw the ball that hard. 1436 01:04:36,840 --> 01:04:39,446 It's one of those things you remember in life. 1437 01:04:39,680 --> 01:04:41,603 The ball literally just jumped. 1438 01:04:41,800 --> 01:04:43,131 I couldn't see the ball. 1439 01:04:43,320 --> 01:04:45,687 And I told my grandfather, i said, you know, 1440 01:04:45,880 --> 01:04:48,281 I've never seen anybody, grandpa, thrcw a ball this hard." 1441 01:04:48,480 --> 01:04:52,644 And the young hard thrower, Joel zumaya. 1442 01:04:52,840 --> 01:04:54,968 The rookie into the game. 1443 01:04:57,080 --> 01:04:58,809 Joel zumaya. 1444 01:04:59,040 --> 01:05:03,125 It just exploded out of l-lls hand. 1445 01:05:03,320 --> 01:05:05,891 After the pitch was thrown it was like by me, 1446 01:05:06,080 --> 01:05:07,525 and I'm like, "wow, this... That was kinda hard. 1447 01:05:07,720 --> 01:05:10,291 Let me look up and see what the radar says." 1448 01:05:10,480 --> 01:05:14,804 And the gun said 103. And now I'm like, "oh, my god, 1449 01:05:15,000 --> 01:05:19,324 I gotta use all my mechanics, I gotta get it ready early and just swing. 1450 01:05:19,560 --> 01:05:22,370 So I got my foot down and I'm ready to go. 1451 01:05:22,600 --> 01:05:25,046 My eyes got a little bigger. 1452 01:05:25,240 --> 01:05:27,040 Swme and a miss, he went after the curve ball. 1453 01:05:27,080 --> 01:05:28,241 He struck him out. 1454 01:05:28,480 --> 01:05:29,447 And then he threw me a curve ball 1455 01:05:29,640 --> 01:05:31,881 and I look like bugs bunny spinning in the ground, 1456 01:05:32,080 --> 01:05:33,080 it was terrible. 1457 01:05:34,560 --> 01:05:36,403 I remember my first year. 1458 01:05:36,600 --> 01:05:38,204 And I was 20 years old. 1459 01:05:38,400 --> 01:05:41,609 You know, I was wide-eyed and overwhelmed. 1460 01:05:41,800 --> 01:05:44,121 I'm in yankee stadium for the first time playing. 1461 01:05:44,320 --> 01:05:46,129 I remember getting in the box 1462 01:05:46,320 --> 01:05:47,685 and got to a 3-2 count. 1463 01:05:47,920 --> 01:05:49,684 And the catcher says to me, 1464 01:05:49,920 --> 01:05:52,571 well there's no mystery what he's gonna throw right here. 1465 01:05:52,800 --> 01:05:56,486 And he struck me out on the fastball. 1466 01:05:56,720 --> 01:05:59,644 Percival strikes out jeter to end the ball game. 1467 01:05:59,840 --> 01:06:01,205 I got sent down right after that. 1468 01:06:01,400 --> 01:06:03,607 But just wanted to come back 1469 01:06:03,800 --> 01:06:06,121 and get a chance to redeem myself. 1470 01:06:06,320 --> 01:06:07,810 All right, who was the hardest thrower? Just pick one. 1471 01:06:08,000 --> 01:06:08,967 I would say Nolan Ryan. Nolan Ryan. 1472 01:06:09,160 --> 01:06:10,810 Nolan Ryan. 1473 01:06:11,000 --> 01:06:13,651 I would say Randy Johnson and Nolan Ryan. Each side. 1474 01:06:13,840 --> 01:06:16,127 I would say Nolan. I mean, it was high heat. 1475 01:06:16,360 --> 01:06:18,522 And you were... from the time you just left the dugout 1476 01:06:18,720 --> 01:06:20,131 you were starting to swing. 1477 01:06:20,320 --> 01:06:21,880 I mean, it was just one of those things. 1478 01:06:27,440 --> 01:06:29,204 You know when I threw a fastball right 1479 01:06:29,400 --> 01:06:31,129 and I stayed with it, 1480 01:06:31,320 --> 01:06:32,970 I knew as soon as it left my hand, 1481 01:06:33,160 --> 01:06:35,128 whether it was the right pitch or not, 1482 01:06:35,320 --> 01:06:38,529 it was thrown correctly. 1483 01:06:38,760 --> 01:06:40,410 That was a gift. 1484 01:06:46,040 --> 01:06:48,202 Right past him, Nolan. Right past him. 1485 01:06:50,800 --> 01:06:53,690 There's certain guys that are electric what I called. 1486 01:06:53,880 --> 01:06:55,928 You don't know whether they're gonna strike out 15 1487 01:06:56,120 --> 01:06:59,169 or you don't know whether they're gonna pitch a no-hitter. 1488 01:06:59,360 --> 01:07:00,600 And Nolan, 1489 01:07:00,800 --> 01:07:03,565 when he got to the big leagues at 19 years old, 1490 01:07:03,760 --> 01:07:05,762 that's the kind of guy he was. 1491 01:07:06,000 --> 01:07:07,764 When he threw that fastball above the waist, 1492 01:07:08,000 --> 01:07:10,526 it just exploded. 1493 01:07:10,720 --> 01:07:11,926 Pitching for the miracle mets 1494 01:07:12,120 --> 01:07:14,885 in the 1969 national league playoffs, 1495 01:07:15,080 --> 01:07:19,051 21 year old Nolan Ryan faced home run king, Hank Aaron. 1496 01:07:19,240 --> 01:07:21,368 I had a good series against the mets. 1497 01:07:21,560 --> 01:07:25,770 I hit one off seaver, I hit one off koosman, and I hit one off gentry. 1498 01:07:25,960 --> 01:07:29,760 Hank Aaron now has homered m each game 0f this series. 1499 01:07:29,960 --> 01:07:31,450 And... 1500 01:07:31,640 --> 01:07:35,201 And Nolan Ryan was the one that almost hit me, 1501 01:07:35,440 --> 01:07:37,807 he cooled my pepper down right here. 1502 01:07:40,000 --> 01:07:42,606 I grew up in the era that was understood 1503 01:07:42,800 --> 01:07:45,087 that 0-2, you knocked the hitter down. 1504 01:07:45,280 --> 01:07:49,330 And that you established that you would pitch in. 1505 01:07:49,520 --> 01:07:52,171 And that's the way i was taught. 1506 01:07:52,360 --> 01:07:56,365 That intimidation is a tool that you can use. 1507 01:07:56,560 --> 01:07:58,130 Men and tight. 1508 01:07:58,320 --> 01:08:02,450 And I tell people that that's a lost art nowadays. 1509 01:08:02,680 --> 01:08:05,126 He's outta there on strikes. 1510 01:08:05,320 --> 01:08:08,051 Nolan had this edge about him. 1511 01:08:08,240 --> 01:08:10,641 And he was not afraid to throw one under your chin. 1512 01:08:13,200 --> 01:08:16,522 I'd get goosebumps. 1513 01:08:16,720 --> 01:08:19,530 It's ridiculous to say, but you... I could've got hit in the head 1514 01:08:19,720 --> 01:08:22,246 and died at home plate against him, you know? 1515 01:08:22,440 --> 01:08:25,091 There's a lot on the line there. 1516 01:08:25,280 --> 01:08:27,726 It's a damn scary at bat. 1517 01:08:27,920 --> 01:08:29,684 Nolan Ryan was my last year. 1518 01:08:29,880 --> 01:08:31,200 And I says, "Nolan, don't hit me." 1519 01:08:31,240 --> 01:08:34,289 - "I'm retiring next year, please don't hit me." Wpleaset 1520 01:08:34,480 --> 01:08:35,686 I want to be able to play golf 1521 01:08:35,920 --> 01:08:36,920 when I'm retired. 1522 01:08:41,760 --> 01:08:43,728 With the mets, Ryan struggled to control 1523 01:08:43,920 --> 01:08:45,809 the lightning in his arm. 1524 01:08:46,000 --> 01:08:50,369 I just threw as hard as i coul_l:> For as long as I could. 1525 01:08:50,600 --> 01:08:53,729 There were times, you know, that when I released the ball, 1526 01:08:53,920 --> 01:08:55,763 I didn't know where it was going. 1527 01:08:55,960 --> 01:08:58,531 It's kinda like what Oscar gamble said, 1528 01:08:58,720 --> 01:09:00,643 he said, "a good night tonight is 0-4 1529 01:09:00,840 --> 01:09:02,490 and don't get hit in the head." 1530 01:09:02,680 --> 01:09:04,284 You know. 1531 01:09:04,480 --> 01:09:06,687 M 1971 when the angels called the mets 1532 01:09:06,880 --> 01:09:09,406 looking to trade for pitcher Gary gentry, 1533 01:09:09,600 --> 01:09:11,602 the mets refused. 1534 01:09:11,800 --> 01:09:14,963 The angels settled for their second choice. 1535 01:09:15,160 --> 01:09:17,447 And Nolan Ryan moved to California. 1536 01:09:19,440 --> 01:09:20,965 Nolan Ryan, when he first started 1537 01:09:21,160 --> 01:09:23,811 was incredibly wild. 1538 01:09:24,000 --> 01:09:26,731 So when the trade came in and the headline, 1539 01:09:26,920 --> 01:09:29,571 "ls he Rex Barney or is he Sandy koufax?" 1540 01:09:29,760 --> 01:09:31,569 There was a lot of reason to believe 1541 01:09:31,760 --> 01:09:33,762 that he was Rex Barney. 1542 01:09:33,960 --> 01:09:36,088 The great line about Rex Barney was 1543 01:09:36,280 --> 01:09:37,520 that he would have been a great pitcher 1544 01:09:37,720 --> 01:09:39,609 if the plate had been high and outside. 1545 01:09:39,800 --> 01:09:43,964 And Nolan Ryan could easily have become that. 1546 01:09:44,200 --> 01:09:45,326 What nobody knew about him, 1547 01:09:45,520 --> 01:09:48,171 and I don't even know if Nolan Ryan knew about himself, 1548 01:09:48,360 --> 01:09:52,490 was that he had this extreme competitiveness. 1549 01:09:52,680 --> 01:09:54,011 So he had the great arm 1550 01:09:54,200 --> 01:09:57,886 and he had this just hunger to be successful. 1551 01:09:58,080 --> 01:10:00,606 Every single day, every single pitch. 1552 01:10:00,840 --> 01:10:03,002 Almost immediately, Ryan began an assault 1553 01:10:03,200 --> 01:10:06,602 on baseball's pitching records. 1554 01:10:06,840 --> 01:10:10,731 First came the single season mark for strikeouts. 1555 01:10:14,840 --> 01:10:16,649 Next came the no-hitters. 1556 01:10:18,200 --> 01:10:23,366 He popped it up. A tough play. 1557 01:10:23,560 --> 01:10:25,688 No-hitter for Nolan Ryan. 1558 01:10:25,880 --> 01:10:27,644 There were a lot of times when I was an over thrower 1559 01:10:27,840 --> 01:10:28,807 and that was something i had to fight 1560 01:10:29,000 --> 01:10:30,490 my whole career. 1561 01:10:30,680 --> 01:10:32,887 But once I got control of that, 1562 01:10:33,120 --> 01:10:34,849 I became more effective. 1563 01:10:35,080 --> 01:10:36,650 And I knew if I hit my spot, 1564 01:10:36,840 --> 01:10:38,922 they weren't gonna hit it. 1565 01:10:39,120 --> 01:10:41,771 They're rooting for Ryan to throw one more strike. 1566 01:10:42,000 --> 01:10:43,161 The 2-2 pitch. 1567 01:10:43,360 --> 01:10:44,646 It's strike three called. 1568 01:10:44,880 --> 01:10:48,930 Nolan Ryan has pitched his fourth no-hitter. 1569 01:10:52,200 --> 01:10:55,568 Four no-hitters equaled Sandy koufax's record. 1570 01:10:55,760 --> 01:10:57,603 There was no doubt that Ryan's fastball 1571 01:10:57,800 --> 01:10:59,962 was the fastest in the big leagues. 1572 01:11:00,160 --> 01:11:02,162 The only question that remained 1573 01:11:02,400 --> 01:11:03,970 was it the fastest ever? 1574 01:11:04,160 --> 01:11:05,321 I think the three guys 1575 01:11:05,520 --> 01:11:07,727 who are different from anybody else 1576 01:11:07,920 --> 01:11:11,641 are Walter Johnson, Bob feller and Nolan Ryan. 1577 01:11:11,840 --> 01:11:14,605 In the moment, in their moment, 1578 01:11:14,800 --> 01:11:17,724 people saw them as the fastest ever. 1579 01:11:17,960 --> 01:11:19,371 When Walter Johnson was pitching, 1580 01:11:19,560 --> 01:11:21,642 story after story simply referred to him 1581 01:11:21,880 --> 01:11:24,406 as the fastest pitcher ever. It was a fact. 1582 01:11:24,600 --> 01:11:27,843 It wasn't something that anybody threw out as an opinion. 1583 01:11:28,040 --> 01:11:31,283 And then when feller came in, it was the same thing. 1584 01:11:31,480 --> 01:11:32,447 And I think then you have to go 1585 01:11:32,680 --> 01:11:34,364 all the way to Nolan Ryan 1586 01:11:34,600 --> 01:11:37,365 who everybody wanted to sort of use as the example. 1587 01:11:37,600 --> 01:11:41,730 Okay, how fast can a human being throw a baseball? 1588 01:11:41,920 --> 01:11:43,809 No pitcher had ever had l-lls fastball clocked 1589 01:11:44,000 --> 01:11:46,446 during an actual game. 1590 01:11:46,640 --> 01:11:49,007 But in 1974, the invention of the device 1591 01:11:49,240 --> 01:11:50,969 that would become the radar gun 1592 01:11:51,200 --> 01:11:54,966 made it possible for the first time. 1593 01:11:55,200 --> 01:11:57,851 We have a coherent infrared radar 1594 01:11:58,080 --> 01:12:01,084 located in the press box at anaheim stadium. 1595 01:12:01,280 --> 01:12:02,770 And we send an infrared beam 1596 01:12:03,000 --> 01:12:06,721 down over the catcher and umpire's head. 1597 01:12:06,960 --> 01:12:08,325 They had me go out 1598 01:12:08,520 --> 01:12:10,443 and throw some warm up pitches. 1599 01:12:10,680 --> 01:12:12,762 And you know, they had one at 74, 1600 01:12:12,960 --> 01:12:14,325 and then it went up to 84, 1601 01:12:14,520 --> 01:12:16,409 and then I think the highest I threw 1602 01:12:16,640 --> 01:12:19,041 in those five warm up pitches was 93 1603 01:12:19,240 --> 01:12:20,446 and I was sitting out... Standing out there 1604 01:12:20,640 --> 01:12:23,120 thinking this is gonna be a wreck. 1605 01:12:23,320 --> 01:12:25,448 Because it was all sheer speculation 1606 01:12:25,640 --> 01:12:26,926 of what people threw. 1607 01:12:27,120 --> 01:12:28,360 You know, you hear this guy has 1608 01:12:28,560 --> 01:12:30,324 a 100-mile an hour fastball. 1609 01:12:30,520 --> 01:12:33,808 Bob feller was the hardest thrower ever at 98.6. 1610 01:12:34,000 --> 01:12:36,924 And you know, and nobody really knew. 1611 01:12:37,160 --> 01:12:40,164 The device was set up to measure his pitching speed 1612 01:12:40,360 --> 01:12:43,284 about 10 feet in front of home plate. 1613 01:12:43,480 --> 01:12:44,641 And he was actually clocked 1614 01:12:44,880 --> 01:12:48,566 at 100.8 miles per hour on that night. 1615 01:12:48,800 --> 01:12:50,165 Ladies and gentlemen, 1616 01:12:50,360 --> 01:12:53,091 we're pleased to announce that Nolan Ryan, 1617 01:12:53,280 --> 01:12:56,124 officially is the fastest pitcher 1618 01:12:56,320 --> 01:12:57,320 in baseball history. 1619 01:12:57,400 --> 01:13:01,803 Ryan's fastest pitch came in the ninth inning. 1620 01:13:02,000 --> 01:13:04,844 He finished the night with 159 pitches. 1621 01:13:08,160 --> 01:13:11,164 Ryan was officially sanctioned as the fastest. 1622 01:13:11,400 --> 01:13:12,400 But as time passed 1623 01:13:12,560 --> 01:13:13,482 what became even more amazing 1624 01:13:13,680 --> 01:13:15,682 than how fast Ryan threw, 1625 01:13:15,880 --> 01:13:18,531 was for how long he could throw that fast. 1626 01:13:18,720 --> 01:13:20,882 Well, I pitched a game against Luis tiant, 1627 01:13:21,120 --> 01:13:23,009 in '74, 1628 01:13:23,200 --> 01:13:26,522 where I threw somewhere around 232 pitches. 1629 01:13:26,720 --> 01:13:30,008 I walked 10 and struck out 19. 1630 01:13:30,200 --> 01:13:32,407 Nolan had pitched 15 innings 1631 01:13:32,600 --> 01:13:34,602 against the Red Sox on Monday. 1632 01:13:34,840 --> 01:13:36,444 And Friday was his day to pitch 1633 01:13:36,680 --> 01:13:38,682 and I said, "you want an extra day?" 1634 01:13:38,880 --> 01:13:42,566 He said, "no." He said, "i wanna pitch Friday." 1635 01:13:42,760 --> 01:13:44,125 So I'm not gonna tell Nolan Ryan 1636 01:13:44,320 --> 01:13:45,890 he needs an extra day, 1637 01:13:46,080 --> 01:13:47,286 that's if he wants to pitch every fourth day, 1638 01:13:47,520 --> 01:13:48,601 and he went out there 1639 01:13:48,800 --> 01:13:50,404 and he threw a 1-0 shutout. 1640 01:13:51,440 --> 01:13:53,568 When I started the game, 1641 01:13:53,760 --> 01:13:56,331 my intent was to finish the game. 1642 01:13:56,520 --> 01:13:57,601 That was my game 1643 01:13:57,800 --> 01:13:59,370 and I didn't want to turn it over to somebody. 1644 01:13:59,560 --> 01:14:00,368 And if that's what it took 1645 01:14:00,560 --> 01:14:01,686 that's what you did. 1646 01:14:01,880 --> 01:14:04,451 You know, he had 77 games 1647 01:14:04,640 --> 01:14:07,041 where he was leading in the seventh lnning. 1648 01:14:07,240 --> 01:14:10,449 And he finished all 77 of them and won them. 1649 01:14:10,640 --> 01:14:12,563 So he was his own closer. 1650 01:14:12,800 --> 01:14:14,802 I probably averaged somewhere between 150 1651 01:14:15,000 --> 01:14:17,082 and 170 pitches a start. 1652 01:14:17,280 --> 01:14:19,601 And on today's, that's unheard of. 1653 01:14:19,800 --> 01:14:22,326 And anybody allowing the pitcher to do that, 1654 01:14:22,560 --> 01:14:25,530 they'd run them out of town. 1655 01:14:25,720 --> 01:14:27,051 Ryan was 27 years old 1656 01:14:27,240 --> 01:14:28,890 and believed his days as a fireballer 1657 01:14:29,080 --> 01:14:30,491 were numbered. 1658 01:14:30,680 --> 01:14:33,445 "I don't look for longevity," he said. 1659 01:14:33,640 --> 01:14:35,404 "If I can escape injury, 1660 01:14:35,600 --> 01:14:36,761 I should be a fastball pitcher 1661 01:14:36,960 --> 01:14:39,440 for another five years." 1662 01:14:39,640 --> 01:14:41,881 When I went to Houston as a free agent, 1663 01:14:42,120 --> 01:14:45,567 in 1980, iasked for a three year contract. 1664 01:14:45,760 --> 01:14:48,161 'Cause I was 32 years old and i figured you know, 1665 01:14:48,360 --> 01:14:49,930 in three years, 1666 01:14:50,120 --> 01:14:51,121 that's probably will be a reasonable time, 1667 01:14:51,320 --> 01:14:53,084 I'd be out of the game. 1668 01:14:53,280 --> 01:14:55,851 But "the Ryan express" was just getting started. 1669 01:14:57,920 --> 01:15:00,890 This may be m 1670 01:15:01,080 --> 01:15:03,321 no-hitter number five! 1671 01:15:03,560 --> 01:15:06,291 First he pitched l-lls fifth career no-hitter. 1672 01:15:06,520 --> 01:15:09,046 A new record. 1673 01:15:09,240 --> 01:15:11,208 Then at age 36, 1674 01:15:11,440 --> 01:15:14,444 Ryan broke Walter Johnson's all time strikeout record. 1675 01:15:14,640 --> 01:15:17,041 A mark that had stood for 56 years. 1676 01:15:17,280 --> 01:15:19,760 Longer than babe Ruth's career home run record. 1677 01:15:19,960 --> 01:15:21,689 And there's the record breaker. 1678 01:15:21,880 --> 01:15:25,202 3,509 strikeouts... 1679 01:15:25,400 --> 01:15:26,481 Five years later, 1680 01:15:26,680 --> 01:15:27,960 Ryan became the first 40 year old 1681 01:15:28,080 --> 01:15:30,321 to ever lead the league in strikeouts. 1682 01:15:30,520 --> 01:15:34,969 And if that wasn't enough, he led the league in e.R.A. That same season. 1683 01:15:35,160 --> 01:15:38,130 "The Ryan express" continues to blow people away. 1684 01:15:38,320 --> 01:15:39,446 He went to the Texas rangers 1685 01:15:39,680 --> 01:15:40,761 and the led the league in strikeouts 1686 01:15:40,960 --> 01:15:42,405 for four straight years. 1687 01:15:42,640 --> 01:15:45,689 Including over 300 strikeouts at age 43. 1688 01:15:45,880 --> 01:15:47,928 Called strike three. There's 300. 1689 01:15:48,120 --> 01:15:50,088 And the no-hitters kept coming. 1690 01:15:50,280 --> 01:15:53,409 Nolan's looking for a career seventh no-hitter 1691 01:15:53,600 --> 01:15:56,046 at the age of 44. 1692 01:15:56,280 --> 01:15:59,602 Number seven is in the books. 1693 01:15:59,800 --> 01:16:02,406 The remarkable Ryan has done it again. 1694 01:16:04,920 --> 01:16:09,244 [Posnanskh I think Nolan Ryan wanted to be unhittable 1695 01:16:09,440 --> 01:16:10,771 every single day. 1696 01:16:11,000 --> 01:16:12,047 I don't think Nolan Ryan 1697 01:16:12,240 --> 01:16:14,561 ever wanted to concede anything. 1698 01:16:14,760 --> 01:16:17,127 Every batter he faced, he wanted to strike out. 1699 01:16:18,960 --> 01:16:20,166 And there it ls, strike three. 1700 01:16:20,360 --> 01:16:22,328 The grunt told you it was a fastball. 1701 01:16:22,520 --> 01:16:25,683 He put everything he had 1702 01:16:25,880 --> 01:16:27,370 into his fastball. 1703 01:16:27,600 --> 01:16:29,728 Including a grunt. 1704 01:16:33,800 --> 01:16:36,963 Nolan grunted very loud when he threw a fastball. 1705 01:16:37,160 --> 01:16:38,924 He threw it as hard as he could throw it. 1706 01:16:39,120 --> 01:16:40,610 And no one else did that. 1707 01:16:40,800 --> 01:16:42,848 He struck him out swinging. 1708 01:16:43,040 --> 01:16:45,327 Strikeout number 5,000 1709 01:16:45,520 --> 01:16:48,808 is history for Nolan Ryan. 1710 01:16:49,040 --> 01:16:50,690 He just keeps going and going and going. 1711 01:16:50,880 --> 01:16:54,601 Until the point where he puts the record 2,000 strikeouts ahead 1712 01:16:54,800 --> 01:16:58,691 and is so far ahead that nobody's ever gonna touch that record. 1713 01:16:58,920 --> 01:17:02,049 I mean, it's just... It's staggering. 1714 01:17:02,240 --> 01:17:05,323 He was still throwing 96 at that age. 1715 01:17:05,520 --> 01:17:07,602 He was still throwing 95, 96 1716 01:17:07,800 --> 01:17:11,646 and it was always a tough at-bat. 1717 01:17:11,840 --> 01:17:15,322 M l-lls 27th season, at age 4e, 1718 01:17:15,560 --> 01:17:19,849 Ryan felt a pain in the elbow. 1719 01:17:20,040 --> 01:17:23,408 What happened was I pitched in anaheim 1720 01:17:23,600 --> 01:17:26,729 five days earlier and my elbow was sore. 1721 01:17:26,920 --> 01:17:30,163 And obviously I didn't know it at the time, 1722 01:17:30,360 --> 01:17:32,522 I probably had injured my elbow. 1723 01:17:32,720 --> 01:17:36,122 And so when I warmed up in Seattle, 1724 01:17:36,320 --> 01:17:37,481 my elbow was bothering me. 1725 01:17:37,680 --> 01:17:42,925 And as I went out and tried to pitch in the game, 1726 01:17:43,120 --> 01:17:45,805 I had nothing. Gave up a grand slam. 1727 01:17:46,000 --> 01:17:49,482 A grand slam home run for howitt. 1728 01:17:49,720 --> 01:17:52,803 I didn't get anybody out. It kept getting worse. 1729 01:17:53,000 --> 01:17:54,286 And then it just finally popped 1730 01:17:54,520 --> 01:17:56,648 like a rubber band. 1731 01:17:56,840 --> 01:17:59,320 Inside 3-1. 1732 01:17:59,520 --> 01:18:01,921 Oh, boy. That's not good. 1733 01:18:02,120 --> 01:18:05,727 And I knew that lt... That I'd had torn it. 1734 01:18:05,920 --> 01:18:07,809 He turns to Kevin Kennedy and that's it. 1735 01:18:08,000 --> 01:18:09,445 Uh-oh, he's finished. 1736 01:18:09,640 --> 01:18:13,281 Oh, boy. 1737 01:18:13,480 --> 01:18:15,926 Boy, you just hope this lsn't the way it ends. 1738 01:18:18,920 --> 01:18:20,126 The sign says, 1739 01:18:20,320 --> 01:18:21,600 "Nolan, thanks for the memories." 1740 01:18:21,640 --> 01:18:24,371 And the kingdome fans are standing. 1741 01:18:24,560 --> 01:18:26,005 It wasn't exactly the way 1742 01:18:26,200 --> 01:18:28,771 I envisioned walking off the mound 1743 01:18:28,960 --> 01:18:30,724 for the last time. 1744 01:18:33,520 --> 01:18:35,648 Nolan Ryan's last fastball 1745 01:18:35,840 --> 01:18:38,491 was clocked at 98 miles per hour. 1746 01:18:46,480 --> 01:18:49,643 To compare pitchers from different eras, 1747 01:18:49,840 --> 01:18:52,491 fastballs thrown in different conditions. 1748 01:18:52,680 --> 01:18:53,841 Measured in different ways 1749 01:18:54,080 --> 01:18:56,765 and marveled at by different generations. 1750 01:18:57,000 --> 01:18:58,047 This is the question 1751 01:18:58,240 --> 01:19:01,164 that every baseball fan wants to answer. 1752 01:19:01,360 --> 01:19:03,647 Who really threw the fastest ever? 1753 01:19:12,320 --> 01:19:13,606 Today, all pitches are clocked 1754 01:19:13,800 --> 01:19:16,167 at 50 feet from home plate, 1755 01:19:16,360 --> 01:19:18,966 virtually the instant the ball leaves the pitcher's hand. 1756 01:19:21,440 --> 01:19:22,885 So 50 feet from home 1757 01:19:23,080 --> 01:19:25,367 was the point where aroldis Chapman's pitch 1758 01:19:25,560 --> 01:19:28,689 officially registered at 105.1. 1759 01:19:30,840 --> 01:19:32,683 Well, physics tells us 1760 01:19:32,880 --> 01:19:36,009 that a ball traveling at 105.1 miles per hour at this point here 1761 01:19:36,200 --> 01:19:38,282 is going to slow down considerably 1762 01:19:38,480 --> 01:19:41,529 as it travels toward the batter. 1763 01:19:41,720 --> 01:19:42,846 As the ball is moving, 1764 01:19:43,040 --> 01:19:45,327 it has to push the air out of the way 1765 01:19:45,520 --> 01:19:46,885 so it's losing energy to the air 1766 01:19:47,080 --> 01:19:48,844 and that causes it to slow down. 1767 01:19:49,040 --> 01:19:50,724 This is called "drag." 1768 01:19:50,920 --> 01:19:52,922 So what 0f the methods used m the speed test 1769 01:19:53,120 --> 01:19:54,963 for Walter Johnson, 1770 01:19:55,160 --> 01:19:56,571 Bob feller 1771 01:19:56,760 --> 01:19:57,921 and Nolan Ryan? 1772 01:19:58,120 --> 01:19:59,884 The three pitchers known in their own eras 1773 01:20:00,080 --> 01:20:03,289 as the fastest of all time. 1774 01:20:03,520 --> 01:20:06,603 Walter Johnson's reading of 83.2 miles per hour 1775 01:20:06,800 --> 01:20:08,529 starts to feel different when we look closer 1776 01:20:08,720 --> 01:20:10,370 at the apparatus used. 1777 01:20:10,560 --> 01:20:12,722 In which the trigger, a wire target, 1778 01:20:12,920 --> 01:20:15,400 sat 60 feet, 6 inches from Johnson. 1779 01:20:15,600 --> 01:20:17,284 And the metal plate that completed the test 1780 01:20:17,480 --> 01:20:20,051 was 15 feet behind that. 1781 01:20:20,240 --> 01:20:22,129 What that means is, you're actually computing 1782 01:20:22,320 --> 01:20:24,527 the average speed of the baseball 1783 01:20:24,720 --> 01:20:27,803 as it passes from the wire frame to the plate. 1784 01:20:28,840 --> 01:20:30,444 So effectively, you're measuring 1785 01:20:30,640 --> 01:20:33,484 the speed of the baseball at this point right here, 1786 01:20:33,720 --> 01:20:34,926 which is about the equivalent 1787 01:20:35,120 --> 01:20:38,124 of seven and half feet behind home plate. 1788 01:20:38,320 --> 01:20:42,564 But we're interested in the speed of the baseball at this point here. 1789 01:20:42,760 --> 01:20:45,127 About 50 feet in front of home plate. 1790 01:20:45,360 --> 01:20:47,886 Because that's our standard point of comparison. 1791 01:20:48,080 --> 01:20:49,570 So we have to make a correction 1792 01:20:49,760 --> 01:20:51,444 for the fact the ball's gone actually 1793 01:20:51,640 --> 01:20:54,007 from this point here to this point here. 1794 01:20:54,240 --> 01:20:57,926 A total of 50 feet plus 7 and a half 1795 01:20:58,160 --> 01:21:00,208 at 57 and a half feet. 1796 01:21:00,400 --> 01:21:02,164 At a rate of one mile per hour 1797 01:21:02,360 --> 01:21:04,362 for every 5.5 feet. 1798 01:21:04,560 --> 01:21:08,451 That makes a correction of about 10.6 miles per hour. 1799 01:21:08,640 --> 01:21:11,041 So we really should be saying... 1800 01:21:11,240 --> 01:21:14,369 93.8 miles per hour. 1801 01:21:17,320 --> 01:21:20,051 In 1946, Bob feller's pitch 1802 01:21:20,240 --> 01:21:22,766 was measured right at home plate. 1803 01:21:22,960 --> 01:21:24,803 So to compare to today's pitches. 1804 01:21:25,000 --> 01:21:27,000 We have to estimate what that pitch would have been 1805 01:21:27,080 --> 01:21:29,048 50 feet in front of home plate. 1806 01:21:29,280 --> 01:21:30,850 So that means we have to take the 98.6, 1807 01:21:31,880 --> 01:21:33,609 add 9 miles per hour, 1808 01:21:33,800 --> 01:21:36,406 we can estimate that he was pitching with a speed 1809 01:21:36,600 --> 01:21:40,844 of 107.6 miles per hour. 1810 01:21:41,080 --> 01:21:44,084 For that pitch. 1811 01:21:44,280 --> 01:21:47,284 Nolan Ryan's 100.9-mile per hour pitch 1812 01:21:47,480 --> 01:21:50,643 requires a similar adjustment. 1813 01:21:50,880 --> 01:21:53,770 M 1974, the radar gun ls positioned 1814 01:21:53,960 --> 01:21:55,200 to pick up the speed of the ball 1815 01:21:55,360 --> 01:21:58,728 about 10 feet in front of the batter. 1816 01:21:58,920 --> 01:22:00,520 Again, what we would really like to know, 1817 01:22:00,640 --> 01:22:01,926 what that speed was 1818 01:22:02,120 --> 01:22:04,930 at about 50 feet in front of home plate. 1819 01:22:05,120 --> 01:22:07,088 To do that, we add on 1820 01:22:07,280 --> 01:22:09,169 about 7 and a half miles per hour, 1821 01:22:09,400 --> 01:22:10,811 and we come out with a number 1822 01:22:11,000 --> 01:22:14,561 of 108.5 miles per hour. 1823 01:22:14,760 --> 01:22:16,922 At the 50 foot mark. 1824 01:22:17,160 --> 01:22:20,562 So we believe that once we make corrections, 1825 01:22:20,760 --> 01:22:23,127 this is really the fastest pitch recorded. 1826 01:22:31,080 --> 01:22:35,608 [Posnanskh 60 feet, 6 inches, it's sucl-| a weird distance. 1827 01:22:35,840 --> 01:22:38,047 I don't know if it was luck 1828 01:22:38,240 --> 01:22:40,766 or if it was just sort of this... 1829 01:22:40,960 --> 01:22:44,646 This sense of geometry. 1830 01:22:44,840 --> 01:22:46,200 It just sort of felt right to them. 1831 01:22:46,240 --> 01:22:47,765 That felt like the right distance, 1832 01:22:47,960 --> 01:22:50,486 60 feet, 6 inches. 1833 01:22:50,680 --> 01:22:52,569 And here it is all these years later 1834 01:22:52,760 --> 01:22:54,285 and it's perfect. 1835 01:22:54,480 --> 01:22:56,209 It's absolutely perfect. 1836 01:23:02,920 --> 01:23:06,322 The game, its essence comes down to that. 1837 01:23:06,520 --> 01:23:08,090 It's just pitcher-hitter. 1838 01:23:08,280 --> 01:23:12,251 "I'm gonna throw the ball as hard as I can... 1839 01:23:12,440 --> 01:23:14,204 Let's see if you can hit lt." 1840 01:23:16,560 --> 01:23:18,528 Struck him out! 1841 01:23:18,760 --> 01:23:21,331 [Posnanskh that's what baseball's been for 12o years. 1842 01:23:21,520 --> 01:23:22,851 Struck him out with a fastball. 1843 01:23:23,040 --> 01:23:25,520 [Posnanskh that's the timelessness of the game, 1844 01:23:25,720 --> 01:23:28,291 and I think that's the fastball at its core. 1845 01:23:30,760 --> 01:23:33,684 It feels like what was possible in 1936 1846 01:23:33,880 --> 01:23:35,086 is the same thing that's possible now. 1847 01:23:35,320 --> 01:23:37,084 It feels like that hasn't changed. 1848 01:23:40,520 --> 01:23:42,682 And that's part of what's great about it. 1849 01:23:44,400 --> 01:23:47,324 The game changes, it moves up, it moves down. 1850 01:23:50,960 --> 01:23:53,167 But that one thing... 1851 01:23:56,120 --> 01:23:57,849 Throw the ball as hard as you can... 1852 01:24:00,080 --> 01:24:01,844 Just stays constant through all. 1852 01:24:02,305 --> 01:24:08,622 Please rate this subtitle at www.osdb.link/7rm3y Help other users to choose the best subtitles