The fastest pitch ever recorded in Major League Baseball belongs to Aroldis Chapman, who threw 105.8 mph (about 170.3 km/h).

The second-fastest is Ben Joyce at 105.5 mph (about 169.8 km/h).

Shohei Ohtani’s top velocity, on the other hand, is around 165 km/h—roughly a 5 km/h gap.

Of course, velocity alone does not define a great pitcher.

To win games, factors such as pitch variety and command are just as important.

Still, having overwhelming speed is undeniably a powerful weapon.

In 2019, Ohtani was in the middle of his rehabilitation following Tommy John surgery.

He could hit, but he was unable to throw.

During that time, even though he could hold a baseball, he couldn’t actually pitch.

As a result, he spent a significant amount of time thinking—inside his own head.

Without the ability to physically test his ideas, he instead relied on imagination.

He would run through possibilities over and over:

“Maybe like this… or maybe like that…”

It was, in a sense, a series of mental experiments.

According to Ohtani, he often improves more by thinking things through in his mind.

And in that world of imagination, throwing 175 km/h doesn’t seem impossible.

Perhaps one day, that vision will become reality.

Source

This quote comes from a Japanese book published in Japan and is not currently available in English.

Yakyu Shonen II: MLB Edition 2018–2024, p.46