High Heat: The Secret History of the Fastball and the Improbable Search for the Fastest Pitcher of All Time

by Tim Wendel

What is it about a quality fastball that brings us to the edge of our seats? How is it humanly possible to throw more than 100 mph? And the big Who is the fastest pitcher ever?

Drawing on interviews with current and former players, managers, scouts, experts, and historians, Tim Wendel delivers the answers to some of the most intriguing questions about the fastball, providing insight into one of baseball’s most exhilarating yet mystifying draws. In High Heat he takes us on a quest to separate verifiable fact from baseball lore, traveling from ballparks across the country to the Baseball Hall of Fame, piecing together the fascinating history of the fastball from its early development to the present form while exploring its remarkable impact on the game and the pitchers who have been blessed (or cursed) with its gift.

From legends such as Nolan Ryan, Walter Johnson, Steve Dalkowski, and Satchel Paige to present-day standard bearers like Tim Lincecum, Billy Wagner, and Randy Johnson, Wendel examines the factors that make throwing heat an elusive ability that few have and even fewer can harness. Along the way he investigates the effectiveness of early speed-testing techniques (including Bob Feller's infamous motorcycle test), explains why today's radar gun readings still leave plenty of room for debate, and even visits an aerodynamic testing lab outside of Birmingham, Alabama, in order to understand the mechanics that make throwing heat possible in the first place.

At its heart, High Heat is a reflection on our infatuation with the fastball—the expectation it carries, the raw ability it puts on display, and, most of all, the feats and trials of those who have attempted to master it. As Wendel puts it, "The tale of high heat can lead in several different directions at once, and the real story has more to do with triumph and tragedy that with the simple act of throwing a baseball."

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Nonfiction, History

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Tim Wendel is an award-winning novelist and journalist. He is the author of 16 books, including Rebel Falls: A Novel, Summer of '68: The Season When Baseball, and America, Changed Forever, and Castro's Curveball. His stories have appeared in Gargoyle and The Potomac Review, and his articles in The New York Times, Esquire, GQ, Washingtonian and USA Today. A longtime writer-in-residence at Johns Hopkins University, Tim teaches fiction and nonfiction writing. Tim has worked has worked on both coasts, covering everything from the Olympics to the America's Cup. More information and his blog can be found at www.timwendel.com."

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

You'd have to be a baseball fan along with a baseball history buff to enjoy this book (I am both of those). I finished the book in January 2026, so a lot of the information a d methodology of pitch speed has changed in the 15 years since Tim wrote the book. Much has also changed about pitching in general,analytics being a major focus in those changes.
It was still enjoyable, though,to read about baseball from a time that's passed by, allowing me to remember what baseball was like when I was younger. Hearing about Nolan Ryan throwing a pitch at 100.7 mph when I was a kid was exciting - we talked about that for days! Now, it seems as if every team has a guy or two who throw 100 mph.
I'd be thrilled if Tim Wendel did an update on the book.

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not for everyone, for probably obvious reasons. But a definite, amusing lark for anyone who enjoys baseball and the idiosyncrasies of the game. The writer takes us through the history of many of the famous fastball pitchers, with an attempt to decide exactly who was the fastest of all time. A bit redundant in parts, and too much time spent on certain individuals (Dalkowski) and insufficient time, or none at all, on some (Gossage). But a good read for those interested in a sports story or the question of the fastest fastball.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who was the fastest fastball pitcher of all time and what made him so fast? These are the questions Wendel seeks to answer in this enjoyable book. Wendel clearly loves and knows baseball. He has a nice sense of humor and fills the book with so many of baseball’s wonderful stories. Was the fastest Johnson or Feller or Koufax or Ryan or any of several others? Read this book and find out.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not nearly the most gripping baseball book that I've read, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It was interesting to learn about how much of a fastball pitcher is in their innate gift, rather than training.

[Dave Kirschner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprisingly fun book. The way the book flows from subject to subject was engaging, and the author's wit and skill in sketching out anecdotes and memories made this a quick read.

[Tad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually was asked to review this for the Deseret News before we find out that it had been reviewed a year earlier when it came out in hardback. I enjoyed it. Generally, I would prefer a writer to get out of the way, but Tim Wendel takes on his journey to find the fastest pitcher of all time, and I mostly liked that. But he seemed to waffle between fully including us and maintaining some distance, and that weakened the structure. The best thread through the book was how difficult it is for fast pitchers to master their gift. I suspect that's true for EVERY pitcher, fast, average or slow, but it made for a good narrative. His stories of Steve Dalkowski, the wickedly fast lefty who never made the majors, is the best stuff in the book.
Book's best story, about Dalkowski, who threw behind, over and around hitters, so that in high school, everyone was afraid; then came this: "When Andy Baylock, who caught Steve Dalkowski in high school, complained about a sore receiving hand, a few adults advised him to get a slab of beef from the local butcher. They told him to cut it thin enough to slide inside the palm of the catcher's mitt to provide another layer of cushion. It seemed like a good idea at the time. What nobody envisioned was that the meat would ooze so much blood and juice that by the middle innings hitters stepping to t6he plate against Dalkowski would see red stuff dripping down the catcher's forearm." The coach had to put a stop to it.
Wendel's narrative concludes: "If what binds them together is the gift they've been provided with, then what truly separates them is the ability to harness and honor it." The saddest tale with Dalkowski is that he had Earl Weaver for a manager in the minors in 1962 and suddenly found it: 53 innings, 111 Ks and 11 walks. He was headed to the majors the next spring when he got hurt in his final spring training start.
Those stories are worth the time to read the book, and they blessedly fit the narrative perfectly. One year in the minors, Dalkowski struck out 262 and walked 262! Bull Durham writer Ron Shelton used Dalkowski as his inspiration for Nuke LaLoosh. Shelton's LA Times article in 2009 is quoted: "He had it all and didn't know it. That's why Steve Dalkowski stays in our minds. In his sport, he had the equivalent of Michelangelo's gift but could never finish the painting."
Wendel's good, a writer who takes his craft seriously, and I'll look for more stuff by him. One example:
"A top Hollywood producer once told me that the trick to making a memorable movie, a real blockbuster, is to have 'two or three scenes people still remember days after they walk out of theater.'
" 'Give me those,' he said, 'and I can do the srest. I'll fill in the backstory and figure out the best places to shoot it, get a star tor two on board. But if I don't have those two or three big scenes, it's tough to make it really work.'"
Wendel's talking about Bull Durham.
I also liked the section where Posada and Rivera talk about how they dissect Rivera's outings the day after: "If not, if we don't talk pitches, what we just did, how Mo's arm is feeling, the next thing you know you're out there, in front of another full house, trying to communicate at this high level. Without those regular meetings, talking honestly even after a bad outing, the big successes don't happen as much."

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everybody has played baseball, in some form or another. Everybody has made a really good catch, or caught one right on the sweet spot and drove it a mile. But, throwing the ball, with an otherworldy velocity is reserved for a very select few. That what Tim Wendel is on a mission to explore here. How did those guys deal with this gift? Did they cultivate it, and bask in that glory? Or did they let the weight of it ruin not just a promising baseball career, but the whole of their lives as well.
Wendel sets out to find "fastest pitcher of all time". I won't spoil it, but after interviews with dozens of players, coaches, historians and sports writers,he decides on one. He makes a pretty good case for his choice. But, he also makes a pretty good case for every other candidates, too. You'll probably think of another couple of guys he leaves out all together. That's the whole point of the book, really. There's no way to make ONE choice. But,I think Wendell had a great time trying to figure it out. I'm afraid though, there were some stretches in the book that missed the target more than one of those Steve Dalkowski fastballs. What? You don't know who Steve Dalkowski is? Well, if you read more than ten pages of "High Heat", you sure will. I didn't know who he was,,and for a guy that never pitched in the Major Leagues, he gets to be a centerpiece of Wendels' search for the elusive top gun of all time.
I'm a baseball fan. I'm one of those guys that think the game really is like a chess match, with a thousand possible moves, and twice as many outcomes. And no matter how many games you watch, or play, there's always the chance to see something that maybe, has never happened before. But, this isn't really a book about baseball, per se, as much as it is a book about guys that were blessed/cursed with the ability to throw a ball really, really hard. Full count.. look for a fastball? See, you know how it turns out,,

[Spiros · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite the fact that Mr. Wendel seems to share my enthusiasm for BULL DURHAM, I can't say that this book made a favorable impression on me; frankly, the whole thing seems kind of jumbled. Apparently, he quested after the answer to "life, the universe, and everything...": no, sorry: wrong under-specified question. He apparently wanted to find out who threw the fastest fast ball, or the best fastball: we're never sure which. So he spends time on Steve Dalkowski, who threw fastballs through wooden fences, but struck out exactly as many Major League hitters as Nuke LaLoosh, Siddhartha Finch, and Fidel Castro, combined; and he spends time on Timmy Lincecum, the anti-Dalkowski, whose heat does everything Dalkowski's cheese didn't: it has movement, it goes where Timmy wants it to go, and Timmy knows how to use it, it's a grade-A hum-dinger. Only problem is, it's the third or fourth fastest heater on his own team, behind Brian Wilson's, Dan Runzler's, and possibly Jonathan Sanchez's. He lists Rich Gossage as having the tenth best fastball of all time, but I can't recall any mention of the Goose in the body of the book. Also, I feel that Sandy Koufax was given short shrift.
In addition, Wendel falls victim to the "gosh-gee-whiz, they sure don't make pitchers like they used to" school of writing: true enough, but they don't make Senators, bookstore clerks, or Baseball writers like they used to, either; according to Kinky Friedman, they ain't even making Jews like Jesus any more, but I don't see what any of that has to do with determining relative quality or speed of fastballs. Furthermore, I'm not clear on what is "ironic" about Bob Feller injuring himself on Friday the Thirteenth.
In a word, Wendel writes the way Nuke Laloosh...pitches: "kinda all over the place".

[Ken Bronsil · Rating 4 out of 5]

You have to love baseball to love this book. You have to be fascinated by all the stories, legends, and folklore built up over the years to get all worked up about a book like this, devoted to the fastest pitchers of all time, especially to which one was the absolute fastest. They have ways of measuring that now, but they didn't in the earlier days, when many of baseball's legends did their stuff.

So this is a history about all that, but Wendel tells stories, sometimes going off on tangents and sometimes (but not always) coming back. But it's all good reading.

In the process of telling his tales, he tells us of baseball movies; the minor leagues and those playing there, who are either on their way up or on their way down; the beanball, the fastball's seamier side; Dr. Frank Jobe and reconstructive surgery; those who catch the fastballs and work their psychology with the pitchers; and other intriguing subjects.

Running all through the book is the story of Steve Dalkowski, who never made it to the majors. And you could make a movie of that story.

In the end, Wendel (who actually spent a long time going here and there in trying to decide the absolute best fastball artist, gives us his answer. But you're left believing that there really doesn't have to be an answer, there were so many of them who were great.

[Reid Mccormick · Rating 3 out of 5]

We all love the curveball. The hook. The deuce. Public enemy number one. Uncle Charlie. It is an amazing pitch to watch.

But nothing beats the fastball. The numero uno. The terminator. The high heat.

In my opinion, the most dominating pitchers in Major League Baseball were probably Nolan Ryan and Sandy Koufax. Those are pretty safe picks, but there are a lot of other deserving pitchers out there: Roger Clemens, Walter Johnson, Satchel Paige, etc.

High Heat is simply about the fastball; how it works and who are the people that throw it. Author Tim Wendel takes you down a lot of trails, perhaps too many. He loves to jump regularly between stories. At times I would get lost in all the competing story lines. One chapter jumped around David Price, Nolan Ryan, Steve Dalkowski, Nuke LaLoosh, and Sandy Koufax. I wish he would have spent whole chapters on these individual stories instead of shifting gears constantly.

Though a very interesting topic that was well thought out, I didn’t like the flow or construction of the book. I never got to dive deep into the stories. This just is not my style of nonfiction that I appreciate.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wendell tries to determine who was the fastest pitcher of all time and gives the reader a wide ranging and informative look at some of the contenders from the end of the nineteenth century up until the beginning of the twenty- first. There are lots of interesting tidbits here for any baseball fan. I particularly enjoyed learning more about Steve Dalkowski. Dalkowski may have been the fastest there ever was, but he could not learn control and never made it to the major leagues. In one minor league season he struck out 262 batters, but he also walked 262. He was the real life model for the character Nuke La Loosh in the movie Bull Durham. It really is impossible to say how fast the fireballers who practiced their art prior to the advent of the radar gun were, but despite this impediment the author puts together a list of the ten fastest pitchers of all time. His list isn’t my list and it probably won’t be yours either; there are just too many worthy candidates, but it is an entertaining book sure to please any fan of baseball history.

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a baseball fan. But I've never been the kind of fan who cares about statistics. That's my husband's realm. So when my husband's mom bought him this book, I thought, "well, that will be good for him but I can't see myself reading it."

That quickly changed when I picked up the book myself. Tim Wendel's narrative kept me engaged and excited, and I could not wait to see what happened with each of the most amazing pitchers of all time. The only thing that, to me, was a little disappointing, was that in the end he did pick a specific pitcher to be the one he believed was the fastest. The point seemed to be, throughout the book, that it is nearly impossible to tell because of the differences in the game and in measuring equipment. It's a small complaint and didn't really take away from the book in the end.

So yes, read this book! And if you don't have an interest in baseball, you could read it too! Because it's that good!

[Fred · Rating 3 out of 5]

You get what the title says. This is a book about the fastball and about the men who threw it with most velocity. It is not a book about pitching, though you learn about pitching. And it is not a history of baseball, though you get a lot of history. It is a book meant to answer one question: who threw the fastest. So we learn about the "Big Train" Walter Johnson, but not Christy Matthewson. We read about Steve Dalkowski, who played for Baltimore but never made it to the bigs, but not Jim Palmer. We don't learn nearly as much about Koufax and Gibson as you would think, but a lot about Nolan Ryan -- who eventually takes home the title of fastest pitcher (ok that works) and Billy Wagner. For author Tim Wendel the most interesting people are the quirky guys who just throw harder than anyone else for no apparent reason. He is not talking about developing the craft of pitching, just about heat. So it is amusing but uneven.

[Edwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing Earth-shattering, but an entertaining read. I consider myself an avid fan of baseball and baseball history, but I did not know anything really about Amos Rusie. It is also the most definitive account I have read of the curious case of the legendary Steve Dalkowski. I also appreciated to looks, although admittedly shallow, into the mechanics of pitching a world-class fastball and the physical risks involved. I would have liked there to have been a more in-depth profile of Bob Gibson, and Goose Gossage was all but ignored despite earning a spot on the authors' All-Time Fireballers list in the back of the book.

[Howard Mansfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this wonderful book as a parable of patience. This is a story of persistence and discipline. The golden arm of the young “phenom” that can fire the ball in, is a thrilling thing that grabs our attention. But to really succeed it takes a work ethic and a kind of steadiness that may be a rare match for the flash of such talent. We're all dazzled by "the natural" but the stories in High Heat that really stand out for me are Sandy Koufax's and Nolan Ryan's. I didn't know that it took the great Koufax so long to find his way. And while I did know that the Mets never thought much of Nolan Ryan, I didn't know that he almost quit baseball.

[Eric Holmlund · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tim Wendel's High Heat is an interesting search for the fastest throwing pitcher of all-time. The beauty of this book is the stories that come from common men trying to harness a special and fragile gift. A gift that brings high expections to those who may or not be ready to live up them. Some of my favorite profiles featured on Nolan Ryan, Bob Feller and Steve Dalkowski. High Heat does a fantastic job in covering all fireballers regardless of the era they dominated. Wendel's search is a fast paced page turner that, once it has you hooked, will fly by like a David Price fastball.

[Pablo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting topic and overall structure, but for me something was lacking. The style was a mix of journalistic and novelistic that didn't quite work. Maybe I've been reading too much fiction lately (not that such a thing is possible) but Wendel lacks a unique voice as a writer (or maybe I just don't like the one he has). Also, there were a couple too many religious references for me, almost like Wendel was covertly trying to pass along the idea of "God-given" talent as actually coming from God.

[Michael Webb · Rating 3 out of 5]

A perfectly competent, but somewhat self involved look at the fastball and the fastest pitchers ever. A fine job-he hits everyone you might expect-W.Johnson, Grove, Feller, Ryan, Wagner, Gossage, Paige, all the way up to The Anchorman, Steven Strasburg. But the author is too visible in the prose, too willing to make the story about himself rather than the baseball. Other than that, it's a fine book.

[Eugene · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great account of fastball pitchers through the ages of baseball. Learn the stories of some names you know, and some that you don't. The book mostly centers around around the notion that while you really can't teach a player to throw hard, to some its a gift making them stars, and to others its a curse that they can never overcome. Fascinating to a baseball fan, but probably not to the general reader.

[David Press · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a lot of baseball history, and authored A Multicultural Portrait of Professional Sports (Marshall Cavendish, 1994). To me, Wendell's High Heat lost its way, and had the misfortune of being published at a time when several fast-ballers are about to become strong MLB prospects.

The best story line within the book is the career of Steve Dalkowski. Maybe this should have been the sole focus of Wendell's book. It seems to be the story line he for which has the most passion.

[Cecilia Tan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just got this book in the mail and at first glance it looks like exactly the kind of book I'm going to love. Deep geekery and baseball lore, well written and well told. The package is beautiful, too, on very nice paper with a textured dist jacket, the kind of design that says no, ebooks won't be the same as printed books at all. Would make a great gift for anyone who is a total baseball nut.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable summary of biographical snippets, this book was at its best when it focused on the "troubled" aspects of history's best fastball pitchers. It seems that every pitcher with a live arm is somehow defective in attitude or aptitude. I wish Wendel would have focused more on this link than on some of the other directions he takes.

[Sarah Alawami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good read. I finished it in about 8 hours, that is, I was up all night. I'm not a base ball fan, but the book was so entertaining I could not stop laughing at some of it especially the poor hot dog guy that got hit in the rear. Ouch! I am surprised though at the final pick of the author though in term of the fastest pitcher. I'm still not understanding why he picked him

[Drtaxsacto · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is about the fast ball in baseball - it has stories and stats and a whole lot more. It is lots of fun. I used this to get me through one end of season -for anyone with a modicum of interest in baseball this is a key book.

[Vaughn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always seem to enjoy baseball anecdotes and this book is full of interesting stories of fastball pitchers from all eras. The narrative jumps around in time and requires a little attention to keep up, but this may be in part due to the narration of this audio version of the book.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun book about fastballers past and present.

[Collin Prince · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read on the legends of baseball, known and some less so, who threw with epic force and the publics fascination with them.

[Frodo · Rating 4 out of 5]

For any baseball fan who enjoys some of the history behind the people who made the game because of their pitching this is a must read. Great!

[Matthew Stetz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as The Summer of '68 but still pretty good.

[Kenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little dry at times, but in general a nice read with insights into lots of fireballers. If you have never heard of Steve Dalkowski, he features prominently in the book.