3/25/2026 at 10:19:09 PM
I was a senior at Michigan State when Coach Litwiller invented the radar gun for measuring pitch speed. Used to attend games primarily to watch our star wide receiver, Kirk Gibson, try another sport.He was so proud of the radar gun that they would display the radar speed on the scoreboard, the first and only time that I have ever seen that in baseball. When they built the new McLane baseball stadium I was happy to see they kept the pitch speed on the new scoreboard.
by rmason
3/30/2026 at 3:10:53 PM
Most professional stadiums display the pitch speed, albeit usually on one of the auxiliary boards rather than the main video board.Thanks to enhanced pitch tracking in the last few years, they can now display even more information. The Pittsburgh Pirates' first- and third-base ribbon boards show pitch speed, vertical and horizontal break, and IIRC even the name of the pitch (bucketed based on the speed and break characteristics). It's a really neat addition to have in real time.
by banannaise
3/30/2026 at 1:45:51 PM
When the Cubs signed Aroldis Chapman I went to the first game where he came out of the bullpen and I will never forget the entire crowd looking at the scoreboard and reacting every time he hit 100 miles an hour. Now every team has somebody that hits 100. It blows my mind people can throw a baseball faster than I drive on the interstate.by smithcoin
3/30/2026 at 5:54:22 PM
The ball's much smaller than your car though.by triceratops
3/30/2026 at 2:20:25 PM
So drive faster :)by loloquwowndueo
3/30/2026 at 1:48:23 PM
Given than scoreboards were updated by hand, and could be seen from the plate, one wonders if the reported pitch speed was ever altered to perhaps confuse a batter. The one person in the stadium not able to see the scoreboard is the pitcher, the one person with input on pitch speed.by sandworm101