average fastball speed in 1990 average fastball speed in 1990

It would be like going back to 1990 and replacing the 80 slowest pitchers with 80 flamethrowers. In addition, teams had only 40 fouls to play per game back then. 11 to 12 Year-Olds Among 11 and 12-year-olds, the average fastball speed is 50-60 mph. Pitch counts and innings limits have helped prevent injuries and maximize performance. Fastball variations (2-seamer, cutter) usually are Wagner is the left-handed National League compliment to Mariano Rivera and was as dominant of a closer as you can find. This should help make thecorrelationclearer: Fastball Velocity in MPH vs Earned Run Average. Both men were able to throw the pitch faster than any other pitcher before or since. Paige struck out a Negro League record 176 batters in 1929 and then set the single-game record by striking out 17 hitters on April 29 and then 18 hitters less than a week later. While it is difficult to pinpoint a specific number, it is safe to believe that velocities at these levels of college baseball have likely experienced the same two mph increase that D1 and MLB have seen over the years. The movement of a pitch is defined in inches, both in raw numbers and as a measurement against average. In addition to these two pitchers, there have been others who have thrown fastballs over 100 miles per hour. In 2008, the average major-league fastball registered 90.9 mph. Even though both were clocked rather crudely, their measurements would extrapolate to over 100 mph on a modern radar gun. xwOBA is formulated using exit velocity, launch angle Therefore, while not perfect, it is as good an indicator of average fastball velocity as one will be able to find from that era of college baseball. But the increased focus on velocity has a downside too. Even companies such as Driveline argue that this may not be the best thing for a young players long-term health. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. That type of extensive research across every team and conference just was not available at that time. We've heard, for years, that humans have pushed themselves to the limit. The harder you throw the more likely you are to rupture a ligament in your elbow. Medium high-leg kick. In the Pitchfx era (i.e., from 2007 . Bob Gibson in the 60s. Sinkers and cuttersespecially hard cuttersare essentially mirror images of each other to a hitter, as they are often designed to be. If he harnesses all his pitches and learns to throw strikes consistently, theres no reason he cant one day pass the next guy on this list in career strikeouts. I'm 24, 5'6, 130 lbs (I'm a girl) and i got 35. During his eight-year retirement, Ryan worked as a baseball analyst for NBC Sports and as a consultant for the Texas Rangers. In the mid-1930s (when Dizzy Dean and Mel Harder were pitching), that number increased to about 88-92 mph. In . Here we can see that run scoring has dropped in inverse proportion to velocitys rise. FanGraphs Baseball | Daily baseball statistical analysis and commentary Walter Perry Johnson (November 6, 1887 - December 10, 1946), was never recorded throwing a baseball at 100 mph or more. A 94 mph pitch on the Stalker Pro registered as 95 on the Stalker Pro II. Pitch shows natural sink and has a good spin rate. Atley Donald and Van Lingle Mungo were early hard-throwers that were actually measured. It is not the only thing they consider, but it is a piece to the puzzle. He topped 100 Ks in his first full season as the Los Angeles closer and regularly reached triple-digits. The range is typically from about 90 to 100 miles per hour. As a result, the average fastball speed has, broadly, risen steadily over time.You may notice a slight dip in average velocity from 2017 to this season, but as September begins and teams fill out their bullpens with even more hard-throwing talent, it's quite possible that number will continue to climb.But that's not the only interesting way fastball velocity has increased in the last decade. Throwing 95 to 100 mph puts tremendous strain on the elbow. Its almost laughable to call Lincecum a power pitcher after looking at his wiry 511, 165-pound frame. exit velocity of 95 mph or higher. organization although he never reached the majors. Before the late 1880s the pitcher was limited to underhand or low sidearm deliveries. attempt. Jimenez doesnt get much attention as a power pitcher because he walks so many batters (nearly four every nine innings), but when hes on, there might not be a better pitcher in baseball. But those guys were the rare exception to the rule, most pitchers in those days threw much more softly than the pitchers of today. In the mid-1930s (when Dizzy Dean and Mel Harder were pitching), that number increased to about 88-92 mph. It wasn't exactly Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier, but it was a remarkable achievement. Walter Johnson and Smoky Joe Wood were the famous fireballers of the Dead Ball Era. Then the fastball began to fall out of favor, slowly at first, but with stunning drops in the past two seasons. 70 mph. Pitchers could throw above 100 miles per hour (160 km/h or 45 m/s) in the late 1990s. On Sept. 24, 2010, Aroldis Chapman threw the fastest recorded pitch in major league history. one base to another, like Home To First. The Mets average perceived velocity is 89.92 MPH. The Big Train, as Walter Johnson was known, did his damage in the early part of the 20th century as a starter for the Washington Nationals. Fastball use held steady from 2010 through 2015 at between 56.8% and 57.8%. According to University of Illinois physicist Dr. Alan Nathan, a pitch that leaves a pitchers hand at 100 mph will (at sea level) slow down by 9 to 10% by the time it crosses the plate some 55-58 feet later. Who was president when the Orioles threw out the first pitch? . Specialization is also something that is contributing to the increase in velocity at all levels. The average velocity for the 122 right-handed pitchers studied in the ACC was 89.2 mph. The imitation speed are of 2 m/s, 2.5 m/s, 3 m/s, 3.5 m/s, 4 m/s, 4.5 m/s and 5 m/s. League Year-By-Year Pitching--Averages Table; Year Tms #P PAge R/G ERA G GF CG SHO tSho SV IP H R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF WHIP BAbip H9 HR9 BB9 SO9 SO/W E; 2022: 30: 871: 28.8: 4.28 A modern radar gun measures the pitch either out of the hand or ten feet away from the pitcher, depending on the gunmost measurements all the way up to the 1980's would measure a pitcher about 60 feet from his hand (although I believe Walter Johnson was clocked 25 or 30 feet away from his hand). He's 25, 6'3 and 250 lbs but . How far, in feet, a fielder or runner has traveled on a The radar guns in the ballpark or on the TV scoreboard seem to be constantly lighting up in numbers from the mid to upper 90s, and that seems unusual, right?You're not seeing things. Velocities are higher now than they were when pitchers were roided up 10-15 years ago. Here are the 28 hardest throwers in MLB history. Now we know that velocity is a critical factor and one of the primary reasons that strikeouts are up and scoring is down across baseball. Or write about sports? They have realized that the best way to get outs as a pitcher is to strike the batters out. The most incredible part of Wagners story? Again, keep in mind that this study does not reflect velocity data from every single division 1 pitcher in 2012. Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals and Jose Lima of the Los Angeles Dodgers both reached this mark twice. As shown by Hunter Atkins (ESPN), pitchers have gone from 61 189 pounds in the 1950s up to 63 206 pounds today. My fiance and i did the pitch speed test thing at the fair. The moment a baseball leaves a pitchers hand, it starts to slow down because of drag. Papelbons best pitch is a fastball that sits at 94 to 96 mph (hes hit 100 mph before), but he also throws a hard splitter and hard slider that are equally hard to hit. Recent studies have shown that about 95% of pitchers have returned to the mound after TJ surgery. By 1890 overhand pitching was legal, and that is when we first hear about pitchers who were fearsomely fast, such as Amos Rusie and Cy Young. The 65 lefty was a true strikeout artist during his heyday, leading his league in Ks five times and twice topping 300. However, there is some complexity to it as velocity measurements are used more as a guide to help the coaches make decisions. Today's games often last three or four hours! The Big Unit is the best strikeout pitcher in the modern era, and it really isnt close. For a pitcher it is the average of his softest 50% of batted balls allowed. How fast, in miles per hour, a ball was hit by a batter. Statcast refers to the spin that contributes to movement time of a pitcher's first movement or pitch release. See Also:BBCOR vs. USSSA: Here Are DifferenceHow Long Does a High School Baseball Season Last?How Many High School Pitchers Throw 90 MPH?Football vs. In addition to being incredibly fast, modern-day pitchers can also throw very hard. Hitters have the most trouble with the things they find unusual. articles about high school pitching velocities, beginning to focus solely on playing baseball. https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/in-the-age-of-velocity-should-mlb-teams-be-placing-more-emphasis-on-command/. That old adage about pitchers needing to always . The fastest official speed is 98.6 mph, but there are those who believe he once threw a ball 107.9 mph during a demonstration. Hitter's Parks - Parks with Most Home Runs, Average Speed by Pitch Type in the Majors, 1/20/2011 - Added Steven Ellis HS averages, 8/14/2008 - Corrected title "Pro avg" to "MLB avg", 8/10/2008 - Added average speed in major leagues based on August 2008 actual stats. In fact, since 2008 when PITCHf/x was installed in every ballpark, there have been 57 pitchers who reached the magical 100 mph threshold at least once. That's noticeably down from last season when his fastball speed average was 95.8 mph. Hes led the NL in strikeouts in each of the past three seasons and is a threat to do it again this year. Players whose velocities are below average should not worry. What do you think? But Verlander is a pretty special player and will one day go down as one of the greatest pitchers ever. Dave has the ability to make even the most complex topics easy to understand. I topped out at 72 or so. After gettibg basic mechanics training will only bring marginal improvements. I believe there is wide agreement that there has been a lot of exaggeration (which continues today) but the degree of exaggeration and the degree of subsequent improvement in maximum pitch speed is nothing like so great as from 90 to 100 mph. While 89 miles per hour may seem far from the mid 90s numbers seen in the College World Series, lets put that number into perspective. poochon puppies for sale in nebraska; Tags . BA Newsletter: Get Analysis, Rankings Delivered To Your Inbox! Similarly, Mark Buehrle was the only pitcher in the 84 mph bucket. His dominance only lasted about three seasons (2002-2004), but during that time, Gagne was simply overpowering. In 2003, only one MLB pitcher threw at. One other thing to remember. While it is still difficult to obtain fastball velocity numbers from every college baseball team, the information is as prevalent in 2021 as it has ever been. That's a 50 percent jump over the past decade -- although, hidden in the middle was a very odd spike in 2015 when that number reached as high as 47 pitchers. We and our partners share information on your use of this website to help improve your experience. That is no longer the case. However, I cannot stress enough that these are only averages, and there is very limited data to go on here. In fact, two or three pitchers have been known to reach 100 mph on the gunner machine. How hard, in miles per hour, a fielder throws the ball. Eighteen pitchers managed it in 2008, and this year, 28 hurlers have accomplished it (with a month to go). Currently viewing seasons between 2015 and 2015. Do you have a sports website? Fastball velocities continued to creep up through the early 2000s until 2008 when we started getting extremely accurate velocity data when the PITCHf/x system was installed in all 30 ballparks: We can see that velocity was up to 90.8 mph in 2008 and has risen steadily since then, reaching an average of 92.1 mph last year. I thought that even the top power pitchers of the 1920s and '30s -- again, before Feller -- topped out around 90 miles an hour. His career 10.6 SO/9 IP is evidence of that, although hes up to 11.8 this season. If they get hurt the doctors can repair them and get them back on the mound again. But baseball history is littered with people proclaiming that we've finally reached the peak of fastball velocity. On top of that, nobody bothered to record the results for posterity. Carlton might be the pitcher most responsible for making the strikeout fashionable inMLB. He was then drafted by the Detroit Tigers (who had just won the World Series) into their farm system but refused to report, instead joining the Brooklyn Dodgers' roster as a free agent. One such pitcher was Hal Newhouser of the Louisville Colonels. Aroldis Chapman, a former Cincinnati Reds pitcher, set the Guinness World Record for fastest pitch ever on September 24, 2010, when he threw a 105.1-mph fastball against the San Diego Padres. Ryan threw the knuckleball from 1973 to 1986. During the 1999 baseball season, this moment was recorded. How Long Does a High School Baseball Season Last? What is the world record speed for throwing a baseball? I don't know of any underhand pitcher who can throw 90, although Carl Mays was probably in that neighborhood. Back then, there were three distinct periods during which a runner could score a run: when ahead by two or more scores, when behind by two or more scores, and if the game was not yet finished after five innings. Before digging into the numbers, lets address a question that many Division 1 baseball hopefuls want to know: Is velocity really that important when playing D1 college baseball? Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Eric Chesterton Randy Johnson was the most notorious flamethrower of the 1990s and 2000s. Join our linker program. So it's hard to use the blanket short spring training as an explanation, but I'm sure every pitcher is affected differently. Perhaps there is not a big difference between 90 and 92, but there is a very big difference between 86 and 94. 11 And 12-Year-Olds Pitchers in this age range are playing in the Majors division in Little League. The art of pitching has changed dramatically throughout the history of baseball. The average velocity for the 97 right-handed pitchers studied in the West Coast Conference was 87.3 mph. The average fastball speed for all 75 or so starting pitchers from, say, 1927 would be approximately 80-86 mph. 62 mph. Find out more. This shows that players at the college level are indeed throwing harder. Are there measurements or estimations? He was clocked as high as 103 mph before extreme wildness ended his career prematurely. . How hard, in miles per hour, a pitch is thrown. That extreme velocity has led to record-breaking strikeout rates and reduced scoring throughout the major leagues. Papelbon wouldve been a great starter, but the hard-throwing right-hander makes a pretty terrific closer too. When a player is looking for 15 to 20% increase from arm speed to pitch speed, this technique is the most effective and advisable. No-hitter the latest feat in James Paxton's rise, Deal ends Matt Harvey's roller-coaster ride with Mets, Sizing up potential trade fits for Manny Machado, Real or Not? xERA is a simple 1:1 translation of xwOBA, converted to Teams are using an average of 3.3 relievers per game in 2019, just below last year's all-time record of 3.4. . 162 km/h, 100.7 mph, Shohei Otani, Nippon-Ham Fighters, 7/19/2014 - allstar game 2 playing for Pacific League vs. Takashi Toritani, 2nd pitch (he threw 162 kmh again in the same inning on his first pitch to . Above-average bat speed. In the last eight years, the league-average fastball has risen about 1 mile per hour. He calculates that for every extra foot he can squeeze out of a pitcher's stride, the hitter sees a virtual. There are multiple reasons.One reason is the pitchers are simply bigger and stronger than they used to be. He never finished outside of the top nine in strikeouts every year between 1969 and 1984. Felizs fastball was once clocked at 103.4 mph during a game at Rangers Ballpark, a speed that is third all-time behind only Aroldis Chapman (105.1 mph) and Joel Zumaya (104.8 mph). Baseball Pitching Velocity Chart from age 8-22+ Show entries Age Level Low Velocity An 85 mph fastball (if registered by a Speedgun at. Splitters actually work like change-ups and are usually labeled change-up. The average fastball velocity for pitchers 10 years old and younger is between 40-50 mph. On the flip side, there were 80 pitchers who averaged 94 mph or higher. Those of you who have taken a ballpark tour of GABP might have seen the Reds modern strength and conditioning facility. It is even more unlikely to find the average velocities of D2, D3, JUCO, and NAIA pitchers. Wohlers was a failed starter who came out of seemingly nowhere to be a lockdown closer for the Braves in the mid 1990s. Reds Notebook: Nick Senzel has surgery, two Reds on the HOF ballot, Jake Fraley homers, but Cincinnati Reds comeback falls short, Spring Game Thread: Cincinnati Reds vs Chicago White Sox. But maybe its time to pay more attention to the guy who always played in Bob Fellers shadow. It all has the effect of keeping the most talented arms on the mound in the major leagues for longer periods of time, negating the need to permanently replace them with lesser talent. If you're an aspiring pitcher, your velocity training is an important aspect of your game that can't be. Categories . Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. The only other Red besides Chapman to hit that mark was Jumbo Diaz, who did it once last year. At 107.9 mph, the hitter has 0.35 seconds. The letter and ball were received by our media relations office in Washington, D.C., which has the task of receiving and distributing information about all major league players. The speed at which a 9 year old should pitch softball will depend on the child's skill level, physical condition, and the league they are playing in. It just makes sense that bigger, stronger pitchers are going to throw harder and they do. Fast pitches give the batter less time to react, make a decision and put a good swing on the ball. Ask any pitcher who loses a mile off their fastball, and they'll tell you how much easier it is for batters to square up on them at the lower speed.Teams have always valued pitchers who can throw hard, and most of the best starters and relievers are those with giant, blink-and-you'll-miss-it-because-it-passed-you-ten-minutes-ago fastballs. Today's pitchers can reach up to 95 mph on their fastest pitches! One of them was a knuckleballer (R.A. Dickey). Bob Feller and Satchel Paige were the heat-bringers of the 1940s and 50s. He was once clocked at 101 mph in 2009 and is capable of throwing in the upper 90s late in the game. Nolan Ryan led the league in strikeouts seven times. Baseball: Which Is More Popular. -- and his pitching motion was practically indistinguishable from the pitching motions we see today. The fact of the matter is, whether we like it or not, it is happening. The measurement of fastball velocity has also changed in recent decades, as. At the height of his career (1998-2002), he was striking out more than a batter per inning, and who knows how many strikeouts he might have now if injuries hadnt derailed his promising career. Now, they are everywhere.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'baseballscouter_com-leader-3','ezslot_13',130,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-baseballscouter_com-leader-3-0'); Young players all across the country can likely drive within one hour of their hometown to find a workout facility dedicated to helping them increase the velocity on their fastball. During the same date range of Apr 7 - Apr 12, 2022 fastball (four-seam, two-seam, sinker) velocity is actually up from 93.4 MPH in 2021 to 93.6 MPH in 2022. In the Major Leagues that would be a 90-92 fastball. How much spin, in revolutions per minute, a pitch was A batted ball with the perfect combination of exit Broxton hasnt been good in about three years, and his fastball has lost more than a little bit of zip, but as recently as 2008 or 2009, Broxton threw as hard as any Dodgers pitcher since, well, Eric Gagne. is to find the average speed, horizontal and vertical movement for all pitches in each cluster. The list goes on and on, but one thing many baseball fans remember about this past years CWS was the number of pitchers who threw their fastballs at velocities previously unheard of in the college game.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'baseballscouter_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_3',120,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-baseballscouter_com-medrectangle-4-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'baseballscouter_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_4',120,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-baseballscouter_com-medrectangle-4-0_1');.medrectangle-4-multi-120{border:none!important;display:block!important;float:none!important;line-height:0;margin-bottom:7px!important;margin-left:auto!important;margin-right:auto!important;margin-top:7px!important;max-width:100%!important;min-height:50px;padding:0;text-align:center!important}, Guys like Vanderbilts Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker ran their fastballs up into the mid 90s as did Mississippi States Will Bednar and Landon Sims. A Batted Ball Event represents any batted ball that (c)Also find the average air gap flux density and the flux per pole. Thus making this document worthy enough for display in our museum. Theres a reason the kid had two Cy Young awards by the time he was 25. MLB Advanced Media, LP. Hernandez is on pace for his third consecutive season of at least 200 Ks, and his strikeout rate is at a career-high 8.5 SO/9 this season. Wood is now blowing away hitters as a full-time reliever. Should I Squish the bug with the back foot? Then along came Nolan Ryan in the 1970s and 80s to strike fear into hitters everywhere. How far, in feet, a runner is ranging off the bag at the Current world-class pitchers such as Mark Buehrle, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Josh Beckett, and Jake Peavy can reach back and toss a pitch 100 mph. They must really be scraping the bottom of the barrel! The same goes for this seasons average as it could be even higher. Compare that to the 91.7 mph average in 2008. Even Lee Meadows, who pitched for the Chicago White Sox from 1939 to 1942, never reached 100 mph on a regular basis. Of course there are exceptions, such as plus-40-year-old hurlers Tim Wakefield and Jamie . The exciting postseason pitching left fans across the country asking themselves, Do all college pitchers throw this hard?. Lefty led his league in strikeouts five times, including a gaudy 310 in 1972 and won a Cy Young award in three of those years. The average college fastball is estimated to be between 85 and 95 mph. During his Cy Young season in 2003, Gagne struck out 137 batters in 82.1 innings for a SO/9 ratio of 15.0. Hes already among the all-time leaders with 215 saves and has nearly 500 strikeouts in just seven short seasons. Surprisingly however, leaguewide velocity is actually up! thrown with. On Aug. 20, 1974, Ryan entered The Guinness Book of World Records with a 100.9 mph pitch. The former Dodgers closer once converted a record 84 straight save opportunities and was as close to untouchable as a pitcher will ever be. His story is not particularly well known outside of Houston, but Richards promising career as a starter came to an end at the age of 30 because of a life-threatening stroke. Ten years ago, training facilities that focused solely on increasing pitching performance were a dime a dozen. Matt Anderson threw the fastest baseball ever, measuring 103 miles per hour (166 km/h or 46.0 m/s). Over the course of the past decade, Chapmans fastest fastball had gotten faster by nearly a mile per hour. He lived and played in a time when instruments for measuring a baseball's speed didn't exist. Does Camera Blur Equal Increased Bat Speed? Velocity used to play second fiddle to control and a varied repertoire. He also finished second six other times. Have you ever heard the story of how the Big Red Machine superstars laughed at trainer Larry Starr when he had a Nautilus machine installed at Riverfront Stadium? Another factor in the speed bonanza is that teams have seen the data showing how important pure velocity is, so they have placed more emphasis on it when scouting, drafting and developing young pitchers. The 2021 College World Series was one of the most memorable ones in recent history. Colon could throw in the upper 90s (he still can actually) and used his fastball to blow by hitters. Even better, his 9 walks really show his feel for commanding the strike zone. In 2008, there were only 196 triple-digit heaters thrown over the course of a full season. Some high school data is courtesy David McWater. His 4,875 strikeouts rank second all time, and his 10.6 SO/9 IP is first all time by a healthy margin. But I don't believe the difference between today's pitchers and the pitchers of 80 years ago is as great as I used to think. The first radar guns that began appearing at ballparks in the late 1970s and early 1980s measured pitches much closer to the plate. In the last eight years, the league-average fastball has risen about 1 mile per hour. Its believed he could throw upwards of 100 mph. Martinez. Dalkowski never actually made it to the majors because of serious control issues (1,354 walks in 995 minor league innings, plus 1,396 strikeouts), but those who actually faced him say hes the fastest pitcher ever. produces a result. Perhaps channeling Greg Maddux, the Atlanta Braves lay claim to the Majors slowest pitching staff. How fast do you have to throw a curveball. He first broke into the major leagues with the Reds in 2011 and was immediately given the title of "Fastest Pitcher in History". Fastball Velocity by Age Looking at fastball velocity, we see more curvature to the aging curve than we saw with bat speed. Pitchers who in yesteryear would have blown out their arms at a young age, never to be heard from again are now making it to the major leagues before suffering their arm injuries. A range-based metric of skill that shows how many outs a 14. You can find the answer by looking at the data from various sources, including the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) and USA Softball. The best athletes focus only on one sport and begin intense training and competition year round at a young age. (b)plot the flux density distribution over two consecutive poles; indicate all axes. The true speed of Fellers fastball is a subject of great debate. No longer could pitchers rely on wicked movement. With the average changeup speed at this age being approximately 10 mph slower, that means the average speed lies between 30-40 mph. Hes still considered one of the best to ever throw a baseball, and its estimated his fastball could reach 100 mph. Power is only part of the pitching equation, and Ryan scores higher than anybody else in MLB history. Many thanks to him. Has some life up in the zone; hitters . Perhaps I'm wrong on this, but it's just a theory of mine. Put on a baseball game and you may feel like pitchers are throwing harder than ever. Indeed, fastball velocity around MLB has increased dramatically. The average fastball speed is 92 miles per hour. ", If this is your first visit, be sure to . They ridiculed him and refused to use it. The current MLB Statcast system measures velocity as the pitch leaves the pitchers hand. More players at even younger ages are beginning to focus solely on playing baseball, and even within the sport, more players are starting to focus solely on pitching. The next year, Andy Pettitte of the New York Yankees broke this record again with a ball that traveled at 103.3 miles per hour (167.4 km/h or 45.5 m/s). In my my high school league I'd say the average speed was 75. Its not often you find a starter who can throw up to 102 mph in any inning in any count on any day. Last year there were only 8 pitchers who averaged 86 mph or lower with their fastball. Despite a team ERA of 5.05 thus far, Troy bats are doing their part in giving their pitchers run support scoring 10.2 runs per game with a team batting average of .325.