Back in the day, Randy Johnson was feared because he could pump his pitches up to the upper-90s pretty frequently, and the pitches came from an intimidating 6-foot-10 figure standing on top of a mini-hill. Nowadays, each team seems to have a guy or two who throws over 100 mph, which is pretty crazy when you think about it.
But not all of these fireballers have the insane movement Jordan Hicks showed off on Thursday.
Hicks was pitching in relief in a Grapefruit League game between his St. Louis Cardinals and the Miami Marlins. He worked 1.2 perfect innings, striking out two. His pitch that went viral was a 102-mph strikeout pitch to Jazz Chisholm Jr.
It’s not just that Hicks threw a 102-mph pitch that was impressive. Rather, it’s the absurd run he gets that is crazy.
Well … @Jhicks007 is back. 👀 pic.twitter.com/bUTGexNo8f
— MLB (@MLB) April 1, 2022
Look at how much that pitch dives out of the zone. It moved so dang much that the catcher almost missed the ball.
Pitching Ninja Rob Friedman estimated the pitch had about 18 inches of run.
This is 102mph with 18 inches of run looks like.
Jordan Hicks is a cheat code. 😲 pic.twitter.com/VoHHfWc25I— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 1, 2022
That’s about as much horizontal movement as it gets for a pitch — one thrown at 102 mph, no less.
Good luck trying to hit against that.
