The 100mph fastball used to be a rarity: now it’s an everyday occurrence in Major League Baseball. But the human body may not be built for such speeds
Sidd Finch was almost too good to be true. The rookie pitcher, while in spring training with the New York Mets, was reported to have shattered pitching records by throwing a 168mph fastball with pinpoint accuracy. Proclaimed as a yogi and virtuoso on the French horn, Finch was in fact, too good to be true, the subject of an elaborate April Fools’ Day hoax by sports writer George Plimpton and Sports Illustrated.But the Finch story serves as a reminder that speed captivates our attention like few other sporting attributes.
Once upon a time, throwing a pitch faster than 100mph was rare, the four-minute mile of baseball. That is, until Cuban émigré Aroldis Chapman, pitching for the Reds, Cubs and Yankees, made 100mph fastballs commonplace. Others have yo-yoed above and below triple digits, but Chapman has beaten the 100mph barrier pitch after pitch, game after game, and season after season. Just as Roger Bannister’s mile opened the floodgates for other four-minute milers, Chapman seemingly paved the way for a new generation of flamethrowers.
Continue reading...from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2JvErGJ
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