Some say Mark Wohlers holds the record with a 103 MPH pitch during spring training in 1995. Some would say Joel Zumaya broke the record with a 104 MPH pitch in 2006. Others, including this piece by Baseball Almanac say Wholers and Zumaya are tied. The article also suggests Bob Feller might have beaten both at a state fair with a 107.9 MPH pitch.
Regardless if you head over to Japan right now you can test your mettle in a batting cage that tosses the pill at a cool 125 MPH (200KMPH). The cage is called the Super Monster Machine and it’s the fastest artificial pitching device in the world. You can find it at the Mihagino Batting Center in Kitakyushu.
As for Wohlers? He was last in the big leagues in 2002 with the Indians. However, he’s never officially retired. While poking around I found this old relic, a page titled Mark Wohlers Obsession, written by a fan who also wrote (writes) a fictitious comic called 881 Midtown Court, about a group of homosexual friends living in a Atlanta condo.
Indeed Wohlers, along with Chipper Jones and Javy Lopez, make an appearance in the comic, titled One Man Out.
7 responses so far ↓
1 johnsano // Oct 27, 2007 at 8:44 am
I’d love to get e-man in that batting machine.
2 Dean // Oct 27, 2007 at 11:08 am
Steve Dalkowski threw harder than any of those guys. He’s a fascinating story, look him up on Google.
3 shawn // Oct 27, 2007 at 12:05 pm
steve dalkowski also never made it to the bigs, and also he had an IQ of 70 or so. but a supposed 110 mph is alot from a guy who was about 5′8”.
4 A.S. // Oct 27, 2007 at 4:31 pm
He’s mentioned in the Baseball Almanac article. I should have mentioned him outright.
5 Bosh // Oct 27, 2007 at 5:42 pm
I’m always a alittle suspect when I hear about so and so having thrown 1xxMPH at the county fair or wherever. Even when Wholers hit 104 in spring training people were raising eyebrows at the authenticity of the claim. I think they ought to quantify it…that it has to happen in a game.
6 Chris // Oct 27, 2007 at 10:06 pm
As that fan who did that “relic” (hard word to take when you’re approaching one of those “round” birthdays), I tend to get — still — a lot of e-mail about whatever happened to Wohlers. While some of what little I know will be added to a planned update on the Mark Wohlers Obsession Page, the question of his top speed ball, while in spring training, was matched by many 100+ mph pitches during regular season play.
And though this is irrelevant, Mark (and the other Braves) appeared in just one episode of “881 Midtown Court,” sadly no longer being published as the comic book that series appeared in is no more.
7 A.S. // Oct 27, 2007 at 11:07 pm
Thanks for checking in Chris. No offense on the “relic” comment…more of a playful observation that such things exist out there in the information scrap heap.
Please let us know when you update the page…
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