High Heat (23 page)
Authors: Tim Wendel
On or off the mound, Walter “The Big Train” Johnson was an imposing presence.
National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown, NY
Few had a more violent pitching motion than fireballer Smoky Joe Wood.
National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown, NY
Bob Feller's fastball was clocked at 98.6 miles per hour during this pre-game test in Washington, D.C., in 1946.
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Bob Feller and Satchel Paige talk during their barnstorming days. Paige would later join Feller in Cleveland as a member of the major-league Indians.
National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown, NY
Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians died tragically after being hit in the head by a pitch thrown by Carl Mays in August 1920.
National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown, NY
Before he was beaned in 1967, nobody had a more promising career than Tony Conigliaro of the Boston Red Sox. Here he swings a bat in the on-deck circle of a spring training game during his comeback bid in 1969.
Jim Hansen, photographer, LOOK Magazine Collection, Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
After six years in the majors Sandy Koufax had a 36â40 record, but over his last six years on the mound he won 129 of 176 decisions, and he would later reach the Hall of Fame.
National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown, NY
Randy Johnson was another fireballer who took a while to find his way. But he went on to reach the 300-victory plateau, an accomplishment that usually lands a pitcher in the Hall of Fame.
National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown, NY
Tommy John shows off his famous arm. Ligament replacement surgery not only saved his own major-league career but the fortunes of many other injured pitchers who followed in his footsteps.
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Nobody intimidated opposing batters more than Bob Gibson of the St. Louis Cardinals. He struck out a league-leading 268 hitters and had 13 shutouts in 1968, the so-called “Year of the Pitcher.”
National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown, NY
In 1973, Nolan Ryan posted a single-season record for strikeouts (383). In addition, he pitched 26 complete games, four shutouts, and two no-hitters that season.
National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown, NY
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