Fastball velocity in Major League Baseball hit a record high for the sixth straight season and batting averages remained near all-time lows in this era of pitching dominance
NEW YORK (AP) — Fastball velocity in Major League Baseball hit a record high for the sixth straight season and batting averages remained near all-time lows in this era of pitching dominance.
Four-seam fastballs averaged 94.8 mph this year, according to MLB Statcast, up from 94.5 mph last season and 91.9 mph when tracking started in 2008. In a sign the upward trend is likely to continue, pitchers 25 or younger as of June 30 averaged 95.9 mph.
Right-handers averaged 95.3 mph, lefties 93.5 mph and relievers 95 mph.
“I don’t think it takes a rocket scientist to know that getting 97 by someone is a little easier than 91,” said Atlanta left-hander Chris Sale, a 37-year-old who averaged a career-high 96.1 mph this year. “We have a lot more help. There’s more ways of finding out efficiency.”
Pittsburgh had the hardest throwers, with a 96.3 mph average, and the Chicago Cubs ranked last at 93.7 mph.
“I’m glad I got out of the game when I did,” said San Diego manager Craig Stammen, a former reliever who last pitched in 2022.
100 mph is no longer uncommon
There were a record 5,687 pitches of 100 mph or more, up from 3,701 last year and ahead of the prior mark of 3,880 in 2023. There were just 214 in 2008.
Milwaukee ace Jacob Misiorowski alone threw 1,115 pitches 100 mph or faster, the most in a season since tracking started in 2008. He shattered the previous record of 673 by Jordan Hicks in 2018.
A 24-year-old right-hander, The Miz reached 101 mph 753 times, 102 mph on 365 pitches, 103 mph on 143 tosses and pumped at 104 mph 22 times. His high was 105.5 mph, fouled off by the Chicago Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong on June 26.
“It's crazy, man. Everybody throws 100,” said New York Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon, finishing his 10th big league season. “When I was first up, you used to catch the mop-up guy throwing 90, 91. Now, if they bring a mop-up guy in, he’s got five pitches and throws 100.”
Increasing velo has become a priority in the minors, too
Four-seam velocity at Triple-A averaged 93.6 mph, up from 92.7 when tracking started in 2022. It was 93.3 mph at the eight Single-A ballparks Statcast tracks, an increase from 92 mph in 2021.
“They try to get the most guys to throw as hard as they can,” said Boston Red Sox outfielder Braiden Ward, a six-year minor league veteran who could make his big league debut in the playoffs. “If you can be accurate, you get moved up.”
Average spin rate on four-seamers in the majors dropped slightly to 2,314 revolutions per minute from a record 2,322 last year.
Complete games are neari
ng extinction
Pitchers threw a record-low 21 complete games, down from last year's prior mark of 28. There were 104 in 2015, 209 in 2003 and 510 in the strike-shortened 1981 season.
There were just 11 complete-game shutouts, down from 13 last year. The only years with fewer were four in 1871, eight in 1873 and 10 in 1872, when there were far fewer games.
Seventeen teams did not have a starting pitcher who got an out in the ninth inning, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, and four didn't have one who got an out in the eighth: the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox, New York Mets and San Diego Padres.
Starting pitchers averaged 15.14 outs, down from 15.56 last year and the fewest since 15.07 in 2021, according to Elias, a year when the sport was coming out of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. The average pitches per start declined to 83.2 from 85 last year, Elias said.
Batting average dipped slightly
MLB's efforts to spark offense with defensive-shift restrictions, which began in 2023, have had little effect.
This year's batting average of .244 was down from .245 last season and just above .243 in 2024. The average in the first year of the restrictions jumped to .248 from .243.
The only seasons with averages lower than .243 were .242 in 1967, .239 in 1888 and 1908, and .237 in 1968.
Houston slugger Yordan Alvarez hit .316 to win the big league batting title, the lowest figure for the overall champion. The previous low was Dick Groat's .325 for the 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates.
Home runs level
Teams averaged 1.15 home runs per game, just a tick below last year's 1.16. The high was 1.39 in 2019.
Humidifiers to store baseballs have been used in all 30 ballparks since 2022.
“Hitting is completely different and pitching is completely different than it was 15, 20 years ago,” Astros manager Joe Espada said.
Steals dropped
In the fourth year since MLB increased bases to 18-inch squares from 15, stolen bases dropped to 0.68 per team per game from 0.71 last season and 0.74 in 2024, the highest since 1992. The average jumped from 0.51 in 2022 to 0.72 in the first year of the bigger bags.
Walks rise under robo umps
In the first year of allowing ball/strike calls to be appealed to robot umpires, walks rose from 3.16 per team per game last year to 3.36 this year, the highest figure since 3.39 in the pandemic-shortened season. The figure was the highest over a non-shortened season since 3.42 in 2009.
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AP Sports Writers Charles Odum and Kristie Rieken, and AP freelance writer Bernie Wilson contributed to this report.
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