To the world of baseball, Babe Ruth is a name of honor. I really doubt I will see a player like Ruth ever again. When he used to throw a baseball, it felt so good to watch.
But how fast did Babe Ruth Throw? Have you ever had this question in your mind?
I have been having this thought of learning Babe Ruth’s fast throws, so I did a little bit of digging into his past. The history, And the data that I found really surprised me too. Ruth’s fastest throw in his whole career was 100MPH.
To make you understand all the theory straight, I have arranged all the information about how fast Babe Ruth threw back then. Adding to that, you can get to learn more about the types of throws Ruth used to use in his pitch back then and a lot more stuff.
Who Is Babe Ruth?
Many of you may be guessing by now by the title that Babe Ruth is a pitcher, but is he really though?
Yes, you are partially correct. Ruth entered baseball as a pitcher, but later on, he became the greatest slugging outfielder for the New York Yankees. As one of the greatest sports heroes in American Culture, he will be remembered in history.
Now, people who watched him pitch can understand how deadly he can be. From 1916 to 1935, he created a storm of pitches that many baseball players found hard to hit.
He contributed a lot in pitching when he was in the Boston Red Sox(1914 – 1919). After shifting to the New York Yankees(1920 – 1934), his contributions got much bigger. My father used to be a fan of his home runs.
He still gives inspiration to a lot of baseball players. Many want to hit the ball like he used to do in his prime time. Let us all thrive like one of the best pioneers of baseball.
Types of Pitches Babe Ruth Used to Throw
Many of us used to know only this much that Babe Ruth was a pitcher. But do you know what types of pitches Ruth used to throw?
This one of the best pitchers in the history of baseball used to throw three types of pitches. They are –
- Fastball,
- Curveball, and
- Knuckleball
Many people have so many opinions on these types of pitches. Why don’t you have a look at the best pitches to throw in baseball? You may learn some hidden tactics from here. Check them out.
How Fast Did Babe Ruth Throw?
If you see the career of Babe Ruth, the records will give you a chill. Four hundred eighty-eight strikeouts in his whole career! Seems like a strikeout machine to me.
But the question is, how fast can Babe Ruth pitch?
After digging up the history of Ruth, I found out that his fastest throw was 100 miles per hour on average. That is half of the speed of a bullet train. Isn’t that very interesting?
If you check out Babe Ruth’s career as a pitcher, you will understand what he was during that period –
| Season | Team | Earned Run Avg(ERA) |
| 1914 | Boston Red Sox | 3.91 |
| 1915 | Boston Red Sox | 2.44 |
| 1916 | Boston Red Sox | 1.75 |
| 1917 | Boston Red Sox | 2.01 |
| 1918 | Boston Red Sox | 2.22 |
| 1919 | Boston Red Sox | 2.97 |
| 1920 | New York Yankees | 4.5 |
| 1921 | New York Yankees | 9 |
| 1930 | New York Yankees | 3 |
| 1933 | New York Yankees | 5 |
When Ruth was in the Red Sox, he did quite marvelous work at pitching. The stats are proof of that.
Famous People’s Comments about Babe Ruth’s Fast Pitches
It is no wonder to everyone about Babe Ruth’s pitches. Baseball players who got the taste of his pitches can understand how monstrous those pitches were.
When I was researching Ruth’s baseball career history, I found out many people have commented about Ruth’s pitches.
American League’s First President Comments
Do you know about Ban Johnson? He served as the founder and first president of the American League(AL) that we know today. After 1916’s great pitching tactics dominated by Babe Ruth against the Washington Senators, Johnson stated something that will give you goosebumps.
“That was one of the best games I have ever seen.” – stated Ban Johnson himself after he witnessed the match. Mainly the way Babe Ruth pitched and annihilated the Senators.
Hall of Fame Outfielder Ty Cobb’s Comments
Ruth was a pitcher at the beginning, but later he worked himself on as an outfielder. And at that time, Ty Cobb was a great outfielder too. But what Ty Cobb told about Babe Ruth’s pitches will give you a shiver.
“Ruth’s Pitches were like lightning bolts. You could hear them sizzle through the air. He had an incredible arm.” This is what Ty Cobb said about Babe Ruth.
A Hall of Fame Holder Pitcher Walter Johnson’s Comments
There are many players of different positions who used to admire Babe Ruth. Not only that, some of the pitchers used to admire him too. And here comes Walter Johnson’s speech, a hall of fame holder pitcher.
“I had the privilege of seeing Ruth pitch, and let me tell you, he had one of the most powerful arms in the game. His pitches had a natural movement and were extremely difficult to hit.” – this is what Walter Johnson said about Babe Ruth’s fast pitches.
Why Didn’t Babe Ruth Go with the Pitching Career?
Do you know how hard it is to pitch and hit hard? Babe Ruth used to do both when he was in the Red Sox. The sooner he showed the whole world how hard he could hit a ball, the more the coaches deemed him to focus on hitting rather than pitching.
There is a big reason behind it. Ruth wanted to play as a left-handed pitcher at that time because he was one of the best at pitching at that time. But the new manager Edward Barrow made him play first base and outfield as an experiment.
When I heard about it, I felt very sorry for Ruth. But I did not see what Barrow saw at that time. The move could have backfired, as I was thinking. But Barrow made it clear that Ruth can unleash his monstrous hitting if he is moved away from pitching.
And actually, that is what happened. If he did not remove Ruth from pitching, then we would not have today’s Ruth. It is because pitching and hitting would have created a possibility of an injury to his hand.
Just like Babe Ruth, there are many players who made histories and will remain known to us all. You can always check out 100 greatest players in baseball history who contributed to make baseball this famous.
Babe Ruth’s Fastest Pitches Compared to Modern Pitcher’s Fastest Pitches
After reading the above sections, you may have a hunch of thinking Babe Ruth is the fastest pitcher now. Do not think like that.
Yes, he was one of the greatest pitchers, sluggers of his era. But as the generations are moving on, many promising star players are rising too. One of the examples can come from Shohei Ohtani.
Many people say Shohei Ohtani is the modern-day’s Babe Ruth; many disagree with that statement. Let’s get to learn a bit about these two players.
I am not going to talk about the hitting averages and how many home runs they achieved. Let’s just compare their pitching career.
| Keys | Babe Ruth | Shohei Ohtani |
| Bats | Left | Left |
| Throws | Right | Left |
| Seasons Pitched | 10(Avg – 1) | 4(Avg – 1) |
| Games Pitched | 163(Avg – 68) | 63(Avg – 68) |
| Win Percentage | 67.14 | 66.67 |
| ERA | 2.28 | 2.96 |
| Component ERA | 2.36 | 2.66 |
| Home Runs Allowed Per 9 Innings | 0.07 | 0.9 |
| Strikeouts | 488 | 441 |
What do you think about these two legendary pitchers? Does it show any resemblance? Let me know your thoughts on whether Shohei Ohtani deserves the title to be compared with Babe Ruth or not.
Oh, and also, if you have any confusion about the term ERA, you are always welcome to check it out. By learning the term properly, you can easily understand what the ERA and component ERA means here.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who Is the Fastest Pitcher of All Time?
Till now, Aroldis Chapman is known as the fastest pitcher in baseball history. He set this world record with a 105.8 mph fastball. This is an official record that I found till now.
This record was made on September 24, 2010, while playing against the San Diego Padres. This amazing Cincinnati Reds pitcher is a fastball machine. I can not imagine catching a fastball that will come from him.
2. When Did Babe Ruth Stop Pitching?
The pitching period of Babe Ruth stopped in the time when World War I occurred. At that time, the new manager tried to stop Ruth from pitching and changed his positions to first base and outfield during the exhibition season.
Also, he tried to check out the actual power of Babe Ruth and his pitches. After that, Babe Ruth did not pitch that much. He was mostly assigned as a batter rather than a pitcher.
3. Did Babe Ruth Ever Pitch When He Was in the New York Yankees?
Yes, Babe Ruth had around 16-17 appearances as a pitcher for the New York Yankees. But he was mostly used as a hitter rather than a pitcher.
After some digging, I came to know that Ruth pitched a total of 31.2 innings and recorded a 5-0 win-loss record with a 2.28 ERA. That is a great number, even in this generation too.
Final Thoughts
I wish I could watch Babe Ruth pitch like he used to do in his prime time. But as time passes, we all will miss a lot of things. Many of you asked me, “How fast did Babe Ruth throw?” and here is your answer.
But just like Babe Ruth, there are many promising stars out there who need our help to thrive. Hence, we should always support these players so that they can show plays like Babe Ruth.
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Hello everyone. My name is Jason Butler, and I live in California, America. I was a professional AAA Minor League Baseball player. I lost my chance of playing MLB for injury issues, but I did not lose my love for baseball. I attended the coaching training program and am now working as a coach in a small school in San Diego.
I always love to share my experience and knowledge if that can help you. Play baseball, and stay fit.