Pitchers throw harder, faster and less often

After four games of the 1958 World Series the Milwaukee Braves had 3-1 lead over the New York Yankees and appeared to be on the verge of their second straight World Championship. Then things changed abruptly.

“Bullet” Bob Turley pitched a five-hit shutout for the Yankees in Game Five, sending the Series back to Milwaukee, where the Yanks won two more contests with Turley pitching in relief in both games. Bullet Bob was credited with the save in Game Six and was the winning pitcher in Game Seven, in which he worked the final 6 1/3 innings. He was chosen as then Most Valuable Player of the Series, an honor that was accompanied with a new car.

Turley was regarded as the game’s hardest thrower in that era. Four years earlier Colliers magazine had gone to the considerable expense of clocking his pitches for one game and concluded that he could throw a fastball 94.2 miles per hour.

That was a breath-taking discovery in the 1950s. A few things have changed since then.

Today every pitch is measured with dozens of hand-held devices that were unknown in 1958. A hurler who tops out at 94 mph isn’t even considered a power pitcher. Since opening day this season dozens of pitches have been recorded in excess of 100 mph and five have exceeded 102. These numbers are startlingly different from those of even 10 years ago when tripledigit readings were rare. Clearly, major league pitchers are throwing harder and harder.

Significantly, they are also throwing less and less.

In 1958 Turley worked 245 1/3 innings during the regular season (154 games) and threw 19 complete games and neither number seemed remarkable. Warren Spahn of the Braves led the majors with 290 innings pitched and 23 complete games. Last season (162 games) no pitcher threw more than five complete games or pitched more than 214 1/3 innings.

The contrasts are striking but the differences did not occur overnight. They evolved slowly and they continue to evolve to-

Baseball