*To watch this footage in much better quality, you can use this link or click on my channel page where my upgraded video should appear. I've included a lot more footage of Walter Johnson as well. Thank you to everyone who finds these old clips interesting to watch like I do!* th-cam.com/video/aTcnu0_Uvdc/w-d-xo.html
Johnson struck Babe Ruth out on three straight fastballs. After the third strike Babe asked the umpire, "Did you see any of those pitches?" "No," said the ump. "Neither did I," said Babe, "but that last one sounded a little low."
The 1924 World Series, Game 7, and Walter Johnson's heroic performance in it might be the most underrated thing in MLB history. Here's a guy who was in his 18th season of baseball, almost 37 years old. And on only ONE day of rest after pitching a complete game loss in Game 5, he takes the mound for 4 scoreless innings, with everything on the line. These weren't your ordinary 4 innings either -- they were as stressful and suspenseful as they get -- the 9th through 12th innings of Game 7 of the World Series, against a Giants team playing on that stage for the fourth straight year. He escaped multiple jams, facing numerous Hall of Famers like Frankie Frisch and Bill Terry. And he ultimately won, getting the Senators their only title in their 60 years in Washington. Truly legendary.
I was at the driving range today thinking of those pitches and it helped. He sets up the rotation with his initial leg plant, but it''s this very quick turn of the hips -- and it's only a few crucial inches that provides the real power -- that happens just before the arm whips through like cracking a whip. The flexible arm helped but the mechanics are possibly as good as any pitcher could hope to have. The guys was pitching complete games two three days apart. He once threw a perfect game for 13 innings (I think). And he was throwing legit smoke.
Side arm is much easier on the shoulder and elbow. I warmed up my arm that way before throwing overhand when I played school ball. Charley Neal, the second baseman for the Dodgers in the 1959 Series, threw side arm. The other unique feature of Johnson is he stands up in place to finish his delivery instead of falling forward like pitchers of today. He is in much better fielding position sooner that way. Amazing.
Quote by Ty Cobb (My Life in Baseball: The True Record, pg. 65): “On August 2, 1907... I encountered the most threatening sight I ever saw on a ball field... He was a tall, shambling galoot of about twenty with arms so long they hung far out of his sleeves and with a side-arm delivery that looked unimpressive at first glance... The first time I faced him, I watched him take that easy wind-up-and then something went past me that made me flinch. The ball came in so fast that I wondered if he had concealed a gun on his person. I hardly saw the pitch, but I heard it. The thing just hissed with danger. We couldn’t touch him… but every one of us knew we’d met the most powerful arm ever turned loose in a ball park.”
@@lloydkline1518 He did until he realized Johnson was too nice a guy to pitch inside to him, so Cobb started crowding the plate. Cobb ended up hitting .366 in his career off Johnson.
Curious what equipment was used to record this footage? 8 mm 16mm? Was it hand cranked with or without mechanical gears to try and give speed some consistency? Was sound captured simultaneously? Or was sound captured with other equipment then synchronized after the fact?
@@johns6795 That's an interesting comment that I never considered. I can only hope that the pitching footage was captured in real speed because the how quickly the body is moving is an important element to pitching mechanics. Also, I've been working on an updated video today after discovering a 1080p hi-def version of the 1924 World Series highlights. I have been sitting on some extra footage to put into a new video but my idea is to combine them into the footage from this video so people don't have to click multiple videos to watch all his best footage and highlights
What an incredible treat! Of all the "classic" ballplayers, Walter Johnson was always my favorite ... followed by his longtime teammate, Goose Goslin. Never thought I'd hear his voice or see actual game footage. Thank you for this very unexpected gift. :)
@@hondaphan4172 I loved Lydell Mitchell and Taylor is a pretty cool dude too. Played for Wisconsin ... that's where I live. Maybe I should move to Salem, NJ since I seem to like the people who are from there! :)
Stopped watching 20yrs ago when team left but most of 70-80's growing up I read a lot of baseball books and knew the 1900-1950 era pretty well. Sometimes on tv, youd see a quick glance of Wagner, Babe or other legends era but I knew more about them, their hitting/pitching styles through words. So seeing these videos now of him is like rediscovering what I knew of him. Being able to slow down to .25% speed is so good. Thanks for the channel.
Even in SLOW MOTION, when he brings his sidearm through at the point of release, his arm is moving FAST IN SLOW MOTION. You can really see the power in his delivery. It's a thing of beauty.
@@mikewhitney8615 Such an internet coward. You would never talk that way to me in person, they would be picking you up off the ground. Why are you so offended by the truth? You and I had this conversation years ago. You were childishly name-calling then and I see you haven't changed. I was hoping you had grown up. BTW, in our last conversation, we realized that we really were more alike than different.
@@RatedRex1 Maybe you would crush me in a fight. Does that make you feel better? I'm 74 years old. 50 years ago I'd have given you the fuckin fight of your life, even if you are in a heavier weight division. I was a natural welterweight. And I don't care how alike we may have thought about some things. If you're stupid enough to have drunk the kool aid about the superiority of modern players, then I can't help you. Intelligent people understand the greatness of Walter and of Cobb and of Wagner and of Gehrig and Dimaggio and Mantle and Aaron and Ted Williams and Mays. You have revealed yourself to be a baseball illiterate with the ignorance you have about this game.
@@wicketandfriendsparody8068 Interesting. I'm not knowledgable at all about the history of his Kansas dialect from around 100 years ago or when it faded away but there is more footage of him talking in this video here th-cam.com/video/7wT67s9QwJc/w-d-xo.html. . . . I downloaded it from a different source and for some reason his voice sounds different but you can also listen to him speak for much longer from an old 1939 radio broadcast he did if you search online for it.
@Paul Rosenthal You can watch a little more footage from the clip in the beginning of this video with this link. His voice sounds a little different but I downloaded the entire footage from a different source than the one I used for this video. It's a great watch! th-cam.com/video/7wT67s9QwJc/w-d-xo.html
@@wicketandfriendsparody8068 I agree. His dialect was more genuine, I think. So many of the players of that time sounded similar to that. Today we modulate our voices to fit news broadcasters' tones or to make ourselves sound intelligent. We are a more egocentric people today, always striving to make ourselves more pleasing. Johnson's voice was the real deal - no put on, no voice modulation. And think about it: the late 1920s would have been about the time talkie movies came in and everyone began to sound like the celebrities sounded.
He was 6' tall with long whip-like arms and insanely powerful rotational energy. I see why he lasted so long: very powerful hip-trunk-shoulder rotation with his arm coming around like a sling, stepping back a tad to crack the whip. It's efficient and as far as his arm is concerned, almost effortless. One of a kind.
In another context, drummers often use the “Moeller method” when playing, which essentially teaches you to play with a whipping motion to increase speed and power while reducing arm strain. Maybe pitchers today could learn something from both Johnson and John Bonham. Anyway, good observations.
Agreed, side-arm delivery has less stress on throwing mechanics (with tendons, ligaments, bones, muscles) - which helps with pitching longevity. Another advantage - batters normally don't see this type of motion or release - it makes it difficult to project ball location and speed - it's definitely coming in fast but the release and ball flight (midpoint) doesn't convey that. Some of the footage shows a slightly higher side-arm delivery - this is most likely a curve ball and I'm sure keen batters picked-up on this "tell."
It's fascinating how little apparent leg drive he gets compared to a Tom Seaver or a Jacob DeGrom, and he doesn't spin his right leg over the top and land on it like a lot of today's power pitchers, yet he still generated unbelievable velocity and movement. Wow!
He's still the greatest pitcher in baseball history. He won 25 games with a ERA under 2 in 7 consecutive seasons. He won a record 38 1-0 games. The "Big Train" won 20 games for a losing team 5X and no other pitcher did that more than twice. He led the AL in SO a record 12X including a record 8 straight. He was also, a great all-around baseball player who hit 24 career HRs despite playing the majority of his career in the dead ball era. His 41 career triples is more than both AROD & Pujols have for their careers. He hit for the highest BA ever by a 20 game winner with .433 in 1925. He made no errors as a fielder in 5 seasons of at least 229 Innings (twice 300+).
@@fishbone3333 Can't compare post 1961 either. Do you know what expansion is? That's when 100 minor leaguers are instantly promoted to the major leagues. Walter Johnson was so good he would have been the same great pitcher in 1950, 1970, 1990 or 2021. In fact he probably strikesout even more batters with the way these current MLB hitters swing for the fence and apparently have no sense of pitch awareness. If you believe the hype of these current speed guns which only measure the speed right out of the pitcher's hand then you need to do some historical baseball study. MLB hitters who have played in the last 40 years or so have often said that you can barely see a real 98mph fastball, let alone hit it. Some of you people act like Johnson, Gehrig, Ruth & Gehringer played 300 years ago. BTW, Satchel Paige called Charlie Gehringer next to Josh Gibson, the best hitter he ever faced and Paige faced most of the better hitters from the 1920s to the 1950s including Williams & DiMaggio.
@@nobodyaskedbut Pre- and post- expansion era are definitely lines of demarcation that are legitimate, but no line is a stark as when at least half of the best available athletes were shut out of the game. Just about everything else you can measure in the world of sports is improving, but you're trying to tell me that the Big Train was as good 114 years ago as any pitcher now? Johnson topped out at the low 90;'s and his average fastball was probably in the high 80's and he was considered fearsome. Now, a lot of high schoolers see 88 MPH fastballs. By your logic: Jesse Owens ran as fast as Usain Bolt. And Bob Petit is as good as Tim Duncan. And Johnny Unitas is as good as Peyton Manning and Don Budge is as good as Roger Federer. LOL.
That side-arm whip delivery is the strangest pitching motion I've ever seen from any hurler. I don't think there's been another pitcher in baseball who ever threw a ball that way. I'd love to learn how he developed that motion but I suppose that is lost in time and I doubt anyone has ever tried to rediscover it. But that is the one thing that has always fascinated me about Walter Johnson.
There were plenty of sidearmers, particularly in the early days. Carl Mays was one example. I've often wondered if early pitchers developed by throwing rocks instead of baseballs. Sidearm is more natural without a round object to spin.
And Shirlkey Povich, in his last column, quoted Walter Johnson when Povich asked him, about 1930, who hit hardest: Ruth, Gehrig, of Foxx. "I can't compare all these fellows, but I can say that when Babe Ruth hit 'em, they got smaller quicker".
It doesn't appear as though he had a lot of leg drive, but derived his torque from the waist up. With greater leg drive and a release point closer to the plate, Johnson might have been even harder to hit. Great footage of a legend. I truly enjoyed it.
Pretty decent shoulder to hip separation. Posted up his front leg to prevent rotational velo leak. probably threw low 90's which was major heat back then
Wow. Walter Johnson threw sidearm? Never knew. His delivery must have kept his arm from getting too tired bc he pitched at such a high level for such a long time. His stats were unreal. If he’d pitched for a consistently winning team he’d be unanimously considered the greatest pitcher of all time. Heck. Some consider him that now anyway.
Great, seemingly effortless delivery with a powerful result. Almost whip-like. The footage from 1913 is amazing. Pre-WWI footage and yet it still exists.
Analysis by Dr. Tom House: ∙ "His arms are mirror images of each other, which leads to less stress. He had a long arm at footstrike, but had an inside route as he started to deliver. Walter also had tremendous hip/shoulder separation, so high torque means he could throw hard easier. Love his delivery! A 🐐" twitter.com/tomhousesports/status/1308428622433316864?s=20 ∙ "Moves fast once he gets moving down the mound, eyes level, back foot is down and he takes his chest to his glove. Worked with a kid a few years ago who I considered the modern version of Walter Johnson. Worked it up to triple digits. The motion still works!" twitter.com/tomhousesports/status/1305535212944683013?s=20
@@DiogenesOfCa -Yeah, that’s why I said that, because they’re all white. Try not to be so stupid in life because it’s a ridiculous statement on your part. I used to see Lou Dials quite often in the latter part of his life, great person. I watched Mays, Mantle, both Bonds, Banks, Cepeda, Lincecum and many more. Never saw or thought about the color of their skin. Oh yeah, I worked in the industry at one time. So do me and yourself a favor, “try to think before you say something ridiculous…plain and simple, stupid.”
🖕No, didn’t touch a nerve, just reminded me that there still people out there that blame everything on the color of your skin instead of getting out there and making something of themselves….other than just being a cunt.
He does not have the typical followthrough you see most MLB players do with a snap around leg after the ball is thrown. However, after watching Brusdar Graterol pitch for the Dodgers in this 2020 ALDS vs the Padres, you can see some guys have the incredibly powerful arm and upper body strength that can throw the ball 100mph with big sink and arm side run, and almost make it look effortless. I imagine Walter Johnson if clocked on the radar gun used today would be at least in the 90s or even high 90s topping out around 100mph with sink and arm side run. Enjoyed the footage thanks for the upload!
Haha what's ironic is that my friend texted me a link of Brusdar Graterol 2019 highlights yesterday saying, "bro 100 with run? Dude looks effortless. Unreal". . . . & I agree that Brusdar makes it look effortless. @PitchingNinja said it best, he looks like he "could throw 98mph in a recliner watching tv" twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1292293402248216577?s=20
@@RatedRex1 That long whip is special. The lack of follow-through does not limit power, sort of like a golfer who resists on his lead side. Knowing the evolution of baseball from era to era up to the present day, there's no way the man who was considered the hardest thrower in the game back then was only at 85 mph. Easy mid-90s.
@@carltonreese4854 In the late 80s, the average fastball was 89 mph. It increases to 91mph by the 90s. In 2010 the increase had gone up 93. Now the average fastball is 94.5mph. So why would anyone believe that a man who pitched 100 years ago, with no leg-drive, who didn't follow-through, and who didn't have the classic 3/4 over-the-top motion, could throw as hard of the scientifically trained players of today? If you notice, a slide-arm or a submarine pitcher don't have great fastballs. Physics is the reason why Walter Johnson didn't throw in the mid-90s consistently. But if people choose to believe the folklore there is nothing I can say that will change their minds.
Walter's side sling shot delivery is less stressful on the arm. Now I know why he pitched so many innings. It is surprising that pitchers today do not use the same mechanics.
It's interesting you brought this up & were able to notice it just by the naked eye. The biography Walter's grandson wrote about him lists a couple of great quotes he once said that are exactly related to what you mentioned. "When I used to see ("Smoky" Joe) Wood pitch, although I admired his speed and control, it made my own shoulders ache to watch his delivery. That pitching with the arm alone, that wrenching of the muscles in the shoulder, would wear out my arm, I am sure, much quicker than the easy, swinging motion I always aim to use." To demonstrate his point Johnson said, "Try it without a ball. Hold your left hand on your right shoulder and try both ways. See how many more muscles seem to be put into severe play overhand against sidearm." ("Walter Johnson: Baseball's Big Train", p. 59)
@@spcooper94 Good post. The proof is in the pudding. Walter pitched 800 games, mostly as a starter, and 5000+ innings. I don't care if you're pitching against snowmen holding broomsticks, the physical toll must be enormous. Yet Walter was strong enough to win 20 games TWICE in his late thirties and help the Senators win two pennants and a World Series!
i used his pitching style, good for 3 main reasons, 1. incredibly easy to get fast velocity, ive seen heaters come out when im not even trying to go fast 2. its great for reducing strain, i dont know why but my arms just hurt a lot less 3. no hitter knew how to deal with it, all theyve seen is the overhand delivery
@@neutronscorner7304 assuming youre a right (just swap the directions if youre a lefty) move your left foot forward, keeping your body and foot looking towards third, your foot should feel anchored in, during this motion also pull your throwing arm back into position. Next lean back a little before full going into the pitch. As you pitch, swing your hips in time with your arm, which you should be whipping forward, if you perfect this motion its just as good as any other delivery
Sandy Kofax had a Curve that would Drop over the Plate. Like a Brick.. , Batters knees would buckle. Pete Rose/ Willy Mays/ Hank Arron stated he was a Beast........
@@lloydkline1518 they wouldn’t pull anyone in those days. They threw slower so they lasted longer and it was the deadball era. Completely incomparable.
Another important note on Johnsons delivery is that, with the easy windup, whip like sidearm delivery and quick snap at the end, it appears that he hid the ball extremely well.
You mean 'all the advancements' that have today's pitchers going ''under the knife'' within a couple of years of having first stepped on a major league mound and garnering praise for managing to go 6 innings . The modern day version of 'Our nation's pastime ' has become a joke. The ''sabermetrics'' tyrants have dismantled the once great art of pitching and have sabotaged the competitive spirit harboring within
@@manofiske3318 they don’t pitch today. It’s all throwing, knowing that after 100 pitches, you’re done, regardless. Pitching is knowing you’re expected to go nine innings and getting batters out when your fastball has lost a few MPH. Greg Maddux pitched. So did Tom Seaver, Bob Gibson, Jim Palmer, Ferguson Jenkins and Nolan Ryan.
@@manofiske3318 you have to realize that old-time pitchers took it easy for a lot of the game the mindset was there was only a couple of batters you worried about and you paced yourself to finish the game. Today pitchers throw as hard as they can with every pitch and every batter is considered dangerous. The game has totally evolved
The only modern day pitcher who I saw who was even remotely as intimidating as Johnson was Don Drysdale in his prime, because He was 6'5" and came with that blazing fastball and it looked like it was coming from third base cause of his size...Willie Mays was even scared to dig in...but the Big train must have been amazing...
For me I'd say Randy Johnson, and outside of all the sideshow distractions, Roger Clemens. But I agree, the older players grew up tough and had an edge about them because you absolutely needed it to survive in their world.
Gibson and Marichal also. Gibson had that hurky jerky delivery and Marchal with the high leg kick. The ball was upon you before you knew it. I went to a game that Nolan Ryan pitched. The crowd was small, maybe 4,000 people. We got up close. Just the grunting sounds he made was enough to scare anyone.
I really wish they had more home plate views of him pitching. The one in the video was him with Newark in 1928 and throwing warm up tosses. I wanna know what that fastball looked like in 1915 from home plate.
Walter Johnson commonly just seemed to lob the ball softly if he was being video taped. That's one of the reasons I wanted to make this video. . . . I wanted to include all of the game footage I could find of him so people wondering how he threw so hard can see what it looked like when he wasn't lobbing it in there for the camera. . . . Of course I included some footage of him warming up to show some different angles of his motion & for the better frame rates but my favorite clip is when he threw to Babe Ruth because I know that's when he was throwing his hardest without any restraint.
@@seahorsesebastiano2506 Thank you! I try. I just constantly find myself in the debate of if athletes of the past could compete or compare with athletes of today and I guess that might be a factor in what makes me like to find out all of the info I can about certain past athletes like Walter Johnson.
@@spcooper94 Those guys would have no chance against todays players if you could just take them from the 20's and put them on todays field. Todays players would be baseball gods if you could put them on a 20's field. All that being said if the 20's players had access to todays coaching, training, nutrition, equipment and money then they could compete in todays game. By the same token if todays players were placed in the 20's without access the those things then they could still compete but wouldn't be baseball gods.
Really interesting to watch footage of Johnson's pitching technique. The sidearm delivery is the first obvious thing that stands out, something we seldom see in the modern baseball era. Pitching is highly stressful on the body and I wonder if a sidearm delivery is less damaging and could allow a pitcher to safely throw more pitches. Secondly, I notice that upon release his right foot remains on the ground by the rubber rather than coming forward due to momentum. This seems rather odd, almost like one would have to deliberately hold back in order to achieve this, especially considering how hard he's throwing the ball.
He had those long arms which accentuate the whip action, the wrist snap which gave his fastball some movement and great hip rotation. His shoulders were strong as well. The only thing which gives me pause is the lack of follow through which has to limit his momentum and probably caused his fastball to degrade faster as he got older.
No follow through whatsoever. His right leg doesn’t land forward after release, his back arches little if at all. Go out in the yard and see how much speed you can muster without using your back or following through. The reason deadball era pitchers could throw 350-450 innings per year is that they were throwing 45-60 mph.
@@jamesg9609 every 10-12 year old in my little league were hitting 50 some mph. There's no way in hell that's all full grown men throwing. Yeah they weren't hitting mid or upper 90's but go look at any source that's not written by an idiot, guy's in the deadball era were, on average, reaching around 80 mph, with the top fastball pitchers (which Johnson was one of) reaching the upper 80's, maybe low 90's.
Johnson is my GOAT. Like Ruth with his power, he was a game changer as the first flamethrower in MLB history. 417 wins playing most years with a last place or close to it team. 110 shutouts ( the all time record) and 79%(!!) of his starts were complete games. His 1913 season may have been the greatest in baseball history. 36 starts, 12 games in relief. 29 complete games, 11 shutouts. 36-7 record with a 1.14 ERA.
@@williamford9564 I love Walter too man! I’m glad you checked this video out. I updated this video with a new video you can find on my channel or the search engine. Should be 13 minutes long if you want to check it our
That was exactly how I threw pitching growing up and coaches changed my motion. Blew out my elbow in HS. Wonder if I kept the motion if I would’ve been ok.
I think the first class into Coopestown HOF included WJ and Cy Young. Pretty tough to surpass either one of them on the mound. I'm grateful to see these "ancient" videos
The swinging of the arms in the beginning of his windup created a great and repeatable rhythm which surely contributed to his consistency and longevity. And notice the incredible extension he gets with his right arm behind. In modern times Pedro was the model for arm extension.
Thank you for this. All of these years, I knew Walter threw side arm; but to actually see it in action, wow! We think of side armers just using that low angle and sweeping motion to intimidate a right handed bat. It usually disguised an average at best fast ball. But not Johnson, who got great speed out of that delivery. It looks to be as efficient as any other great pitcher from any era. And yes, when a tough hombre like Ty Cobb, one of the great students of the game, comes out and says how intimidating that Johnson fastball was, you know it to be truth!
As a young kid in the 50’s and a right handed batter through high school in the mid 60’s, I always wondered if I would have had the guts to face The Big Train! I kind of doubt it! 🎃
What was the total season games? Thirty three wins, wow, complete games, was there any relief pitchers, the, work horse, iron man, amazing. To have someone film all the pitching angles, brilliant, plus the dialog. Thanks for showing. Could this be an tutorial for future pitchers?
Quote by Bob Feller: ∙ "Walter Johnson in my opinion was the fastest pitcher in history." ∙ Video clip of quote: th-cam.com/video/0UkJwu1h4Co/w-d-xo.html ∙ New working link: th-cam.com/video/LwHO7HWds14/w-d-xo.html
I uploaded the entire footage of the clip at the start of this video where Walter Johnson was talking. He was actually instructing his son, Walter Jr. & he shows him some pitching grips and tosses a few more pitches from the home plate angle. Check it out here if you are interested th-cam.com/video/7wT67s9QwJc/w-d-xo.html
I associate Babe Ruth as being young and athletic looking only up to around age 25 with Boston. But he looks pretty spry here still at age 29. Around :50 second mark
*To watch this footage in much better quality, you can use this link or click on my channel page where my upgraded video should appear. I've included a lot more footage of Walter Johnson as well. Thank you to everyone who finds these old clips interesting to watch like I do!* th-cam.com/video/aTcnu0_Uvdc/w-d-xo.html
Johnson struck Babe Ruth out on three straight fastballs. After the third strike Babe asked the umpire, "Did you see any of those pitches?"
"No," said the ump.
"Neither did I," said Babe, "but that last one sounded a little low."
Fucking love that!😂
Was the "Babe" sober? Most folks heard "The Train". Just sayin'.
A line like that today would be followed with a mic drop.
Hahahaha!!!
Battle of titans :babe ruth s walter johnson
The 1924 World Series, Game 7, and Walter Johnson's heroic performance in it might be the most underrated thing in MLB history. Here's a guy who was in his 18th season of baseball, almost 37 years old. And on only ONE day of rest after pitching a complete game loss in Game 5, he takes the mound for 4 scoreless innings, with everything on the line. These weren't your ordinary 4 innings either -- they were as stressful and suspenseful as they get -- the 9th through 12th innings of Game 7 of the World Series, against a Giants team playing on that stage for the fourth straight year. He escaped multiple jams, facing numerous Hall of Famers like Frankie Frisch and Bill Terry. And he ultimately won, getting the Senators their only title in their 60 years in Washington. Truly legendary.
@laverdadescatolica5 you have a chrystal ball for 2025?
@laverdadescatolica5 lol OK.... I wondered if I should consult with you about making some wagers!!!!
@laverdadescatolica5 what are the odds? 😁😉
@laverdadescatolica5 yeah, they need another new ball park paid for by government first, you're right.
The sling-shot effect of his arm is amazing, like his arm doesn't have an elbow.
Yea, its less like hes throwing the ball and more like hes whipping it towards the catcher.
Most all pitchers pitched that way in that era.
that’s the skipping rocks delivery that’ll take you to 20 skips.
I was at the driving range today thinking of those pitches and it helped. He sets up the rotation with his initial leg plant, but it''s this very quick turn of the hips -- and it's only a few crucial inches that provides the real power -- that happens just before the arm whips through like cracking a whip. The flexible arm helped but the mechanics are possibly as good as any pitcher could hope to have. The guys was pitching complete games two three days apart. He once threw a perfect game for 13 innings (I think). And he was throwing legit smoke.
Side arm is much easier on the shoulder and elbow. I warmed up my arm that way before throwing overhand when I played school ball. Charley Neal, the second baseman for the Dodgers in the 1959 Series, threw side arm. The other unique feature of Johnson is he stands up in place to finish his delivery instead of falling forward like pitchers of today. He is in much better fielding position sooner that way. Amazing.
Quote by Ty Cobb (My Life in Baseball: The True Record, pg. 65):
“On August 2, 1907... I encountered the most threatening sight I ever saw on a ball field... He was a tall, shambling galoot of about twenty with arms so long they hung far out of his sleeves and with a side-arm delivery that looked unimpressive at first glance... The first time I faced him, I watched him take that easy wind-up-and then something went past me that made me flinch. The ball came in so fast that I wondered if he had concealed a gun on his person. I hardly saw the pitch, but I heard it. The thing just hissed with danger. We couldn’t touch him… but every one of us knew we’d met the most powerful arm ever turned loose in a ball park.”
Wow ty cobb had trouble with walter johnson fastball
@@lloydkline1518 He did until he realized Johnson was too nice a guy to pitch inside to him, so Cobb started crowding the plate. Cobb ended up hitting .366 in his career off Johnson.
@@royrowland5763 did, know that that
Curious what equipment was used to record this footage? 8 mm 16mm? Was it hand cranked with or without mechanical gears to try and give speed some consistency? Was sound captured simultaneously? Or was sound captured with other equipment then synchronized after the fact?
@@johns6795 That's an interesting comment that I never considered. I can only hope that the pitching footage was captured in real speed because the how quickly the body is moving is an important element to pitching mechanics. Also, I've been working on an updated video today after discovering a 1080p hi-def version of the 1924 World Series highlights. I have been sitting on some extra footage to put into a new video but my idea is to combine them into the footage from this video so people don't have to click multiple videos to watch all his best footage and highlights
Great video of a great player and 110 shutouts by WJ is one of the unbreakable records in America 🇺🇸 where we live free or Die.
What an incredible treat! Of all the "classic" ballplayers, Walter Johnson was always my favorite ... followed by his longtime teammate, Goose Goslin. Never thought I'd hear his voice or see actual game footage. Thank you for this very unexpected gift. :)
I have an old Stratomatic baseball game with all the old vintage teams and players.
Goose Goslin was from Salem, NJ as was Penn State/Baltimore Colt great Lydell Mitchell as is Indianapolis Colt RB Jonathon Taylor.
@@hondaphan4172 I loved Lydell Mitchell and Taylor is a pretty cool dude too. Played for Wisconsin ... that's where I live.
Maybe I should move to Salem, NJ since I seem to like the people who are from there! :)
I love Goose Gossage. Hell of a mustache!
There was a game called "Strat-o-matic Baseball" when I was a kid, and Walter Johnson's card was incredible!
Yes I remember! It was a great card
Yep, it was fun!
Stopped watching 20yrs ago when team left but most of 70-80's growing up I read a lot of baseball books and knew the 1900-1950 era pretty well. Sometimes on tv, youd see a quick glance of Wagner, Babe or other legends era but I knew more about them, their hitting/pitching styles through words. So seeing these videos now of him is like rediscovering what I knew of him. Being able to slow down to .25% speed is so good.
Thanks for the channel.
this is wonderful! I had no idea footage existed of the big train pitching! what a great surprise!
Even in SLOW MOTION, when he brings his sidearm through at the point of release, his arm is moving FAST IN SLOW MOTION. You can really see the power in his delivery. It's a thing of beauty.
Great comment, Bob. Yes, his arm and body flow gracefully as he throws.
@@mikewhitney8615 Players today would crush that pitch.
@@RatedRex1 You're a perfect example of a an illiterate, no-talent, stupid Hoboken bastard.
@@mikewhitney8615 Such an internet coward. You would never talk that way to me in person, they would be picking you up off the ground. Why are you so offended by the truth? You and I had this conversation years ago. You were childishly name-calling then and I see you haven't changed. I was hoping you had grown up. BTW, in our last conversation, we realized that we really were more alike than different.
@@RatedRex1 Maybe you would crush me in a fight. Does that make you feel better? I'm 74 years old. 50 years ago I'd have given you the fuckin fight of your life, even if you are in a heavier weight division. I was a natural welterweight. And I don't care how alike we may have thought about some things. If you're stupid enough to have drunk the kool aid about the superiority of modern players, then I can't help you. Intelligent people understand the greatness of Walter and of Cobb and of Wagner and of Gehrig and Dimaggio and Mantle and Aaron and Ted Williams and Mays. You have revealed yourself to be a baseball illiterate with the ignorance you have about this game.
I never thought I would ever hear the speaking voice of the GOAT Walter Johnson!
Crazy to hear that. His dialect also went extinct in people born after the 30’s :(
@@wicketandfriendsparody8068 Interesting. I'm not knowledgable at all about the history of his Kansas dialect from around 100 years ago or when it faded away but there is more footage of him talking in this video here th-cam.com/video/7wT67s9QwJc/w-d-xo.html.
. . .
I downloaded it from a different source and for some reason his voice sounds different but you can also listen to him speak for much longer from an old 1939 radio broadcast he did if you search online for it.
@Paul Rosenthal You can watch a little more footage from the clip in the beginning of this video with this link. His voice sounds a little different but I downloaded the entire footage from a different source than the one I used for this video. It's a great watch! th-cam.com/video/7wT67s9QwJc/w-d-xo.html
@@spcooper94 Thanks, Coop! Walter was incomparable!
@@wicketandfriendsparody8068 I agree. His dialect was more genuine, I think. So many of the players of that time sounded similar to that. Today we modulate our voices to fit news broadcasters' tones or to make ourselves sound intelligent. We are a more egocentric people today, always striving to make ourselves more pleasing. Johnson's voice was the real deal - no put on, no voice modulation. And think about it: the late 1920s would have been about the time talkie movies came in and everyone began to sound like the celebrities sounded.
He was 6' tall with long whip-like arms and insanely powerful rotational energy. I see why he lasted so long: very powerful hip-trunk-shoulder rotation with his arm coming around like a sling, stepping back a tad to crack the whip. It's efficient and as far as his arm is concerned, almost effortless. One of a kind.
In another context, drummers often use the “Moeller method” when playing, which essentially teaches you to play with a whipping motion to increase speed and power while reducing arm strain. Maybe pitchers today could learn something from both Johnson and John Bonham. Anyway, good observations.
Walter johndon most unhittable fadtball
Johnson was 6 feet 1.
Agreed, side-arm delivery has less stress on throwing mechanics (with tendons, ligaments, bones, muscles) - which helps with pitching longevity.
Another advantage - batters normally don't see this type of motion or release - it makes it difficult to project ball location and speed - it's definitely coming in fast but the release and ball flight (midpoint) doesn't convey that.
Some of the footage shows a slightly higher side-arm delivery - this is most likely a curve ball and I'm sure keen batters picked-up on this "tell."
I thought Johnson was bigger than that.
Well I can't rightly say (which player hit the ball hardest), but the ones Ruth hit got smaller quicker. - Walter Johnson
Nobody threw like Johnson. He dropped his chinto get that extra reach back and just slung the ball. This video is fantastic
It's fascinating how little apparent leg drive he gets compared to a Tom Seaver or a Jacob DeGrom, and he doesn't spin his right leg over the top and land on it like a lot of today's power pitchers, yet he still generated unbelievable velocity and movement. Wow!
One other note: That quick, compact motion left him in great position to field the mound, too.
The Big Train, Walter Johnson... The Big Unit, Randy Johnson... Two of the best sidewinders ever.
Awesome video. Man, he was like a catapult!
Thank you for posting this footage of the greatest baseball pitcher of all time.
The Big Train was something special back then and should be still.
He's still the greatest pitcher in baseball history. He won 25 games with a ERA under 2 in 7 consecutive seasons. He won a record 38 1-0 games. The "Big Train" won 20 games for a losing team 5X and no other pitcher did that more than twice. He led the AL in SO a record 12X including a record 8 straight. He was also, a great all-around baseball player who hit 24 career HRs despite playing the majority of his career in the dead ball era. His 41 career triples is more than both AROD & Pujols have for their careers. He hit for the highest BA ever by a 20 game winner with .433 in 1925. He made no errors as a fielder in 5 seasons of at least 229 Innings (twice 300+).
...and Johnson's .433 average in 1925 is the highest ever for a starting pitcher in a full season.
Not "greatest in history". You can only compare in pre-1947 and post-1947 terms.
@@fishbone3333 Can't compare post 1961 either. Do you know what expansion is? That's when 100 minor leaguers are instantly promoted to the major leagues. Walter Johnson was so good he would have been the same great pitcher in 1950, 1970, 1990 or 2021. In fact he probably strikesout even more batters with the way these current MLB hitters swing for the fence and apparently have no sense of pitch awareness. If you believe the hype of these current speed guns which only measure the speed right out of the pitcher's hand then you need to do some historical baseball study. MLB hitters who have played in the last 40 years or so have often said that you can barely see a real 98mph fastball, let alone hit it. Some of you people act like Johnson, Gehrig, Ruth & Gehringer played 300 years ago. BTW, Satchel Paige called Charlie Gehringer next to Josh Gibson, the best hitter he ever faced and Paige faced most of the better hitters from the 1920s to the 1950s including Williams & DiMaggio.
@@nobodyaskedbut Pre- and post- expansion era are definitely lines of demarcation that are legitimate, but no line is a stark as when at least half of the best available athletes were shut out of the game.
Just about everything else you can measure in the world of sports is improving, but you're trying to tell me that the Big Train was as good 114 years ago as any pitcher now? Johnson topped out at the low 90;'s and his average fastball was probably in the high 80's and he was considered fearsome. Now, a lot of high schoolers see 88 MPH fastballs.
By your logic: Jesse Owens ran as fast as Usain Bolt. And Bob Petit is as good as Tim Duncan. And Johnny Unitas is as good as Peyton Manning and Don Budge is as good as Roger Federer. LOL.
@@nobodyaskedbut Great comment about these hyped up speed guns! They're pure commercial bull.
That side-arm whip delivery is the strangest pitching motion I've ever seen from any hurler. I don't think there's been another pitcher in baseball who ever threw a ball that way. I'd love to learn how he developed that motion but I suppose that is lost in time and I doubt anyone has ever tried to rediscover it. But that is the one thing that has always fascinated me about Walter Johnson.
I think part of the mystery is solved by his unnaturally long arms
There were plenty of sidearmers, particularly in the early days. Carl Mays was one example. I've often wondered if early pitchers developed by throwing rocks instead of baseballs. Sidearm is more natural without a round object to spin.
That easy delivery brought the devil. A thing of beauty.
Quote by Babe Ruth with Bob Considine (The Babe Ruth Story, 1948):
"No one could ever throw a ball as hard as Walter."
And Shirlkey Povich, in his last column, quoted Walter Johnson when Povich asked him, about 1930, who hit hardest: Ruth, Gehrig, of Foxx. "I can't compare all these fellows, but I can say that when Babe Ruth hit 'em, they got smaller quicker".
Really, babe ruth had trouble with walter johnson fastball
@@lloydkline1518 Ruth hit .280 against Johnson lifetime. Cobb, .333.
If I could resurrect the best pitchers and hitters of the game, I would love to see a match between Walter Johnson and Satchel Paige.
Dizzy Dean too
Great Footage!
"Just speed, raw speed, blinding speed, too much speed." - Ty Cobb
what film is this from?
@@SwoteOffical It's a quote. What do you mean?
Wow, ty cobb had trouble with walter johnson fastball
@@lloydkline1518 hit .333 against Johnson, so not that hard.
@@HankFinkle11 young babe ruth face oldie, walter johnson , ty cobb were more simular ages with walter johnson
I didn’t think any video of him existed, thanks for sharing!
It doesn't appear as though he had a lot of leg drive, but derived his torque from the waist up. With greater leg drive and a release point closer to the plate, Johnson might have been even harder to hit. Great footage of a legend. I truly enjoyed it.
Pretty decent shoulder to hip separation. Posted up his front leg to prevent rotational velo leak. probably threw low 90's which was major heat back then
That side arm must have been hell for right hand batters. He reminds me of Randy Johnson.
Randy is his great great grandson
Love theseold baseball footage clips. Bet those were truly the good ol days
Wow. Walter Johnson threw sidearm? Never knew. His delivery must have kept his arm from getting too tired bc he pitched at such a high level for such a long time. His stats were unreal. If he’d pitched for a consistently winning team he’d be unanimously considered the greatest pitcher of all time. Heck. Some consider him that now anyway.
He had a whipping motion. Less stress on his body over a long period I guess. And he was probably also a flexible guy. Looks limber.
Great, seemingly effortless delivery with a powerful result. Almost whip-like. The footage from 1913 is amazing. Pre-WWI footage and yet it still exists.
Analysis by Dr. Tom House:
∙ "His arms are mirror images of each other, which leads to less stress. He had a long arm at footstrike, but had an inside route as he started to deliver. Walter also had tremendous hip/shoulder separation, so high torque means he could throw hard easier. Love his delivery! A 🐐" twitter.com/tomhousesports/status/1308428622433316864?s=20
∙ "Moves fast once he gets moving down the mound, eyes level, back foot is down and he takes his chest to his glove. Worked with a kid a few years ago who I considered the modern version of Walter Johnson. Worked it up to triple digits. The motion still works!" twitter.com/tomhousesports/status/1305535212944683013?s=20
The baseball info on TH-cam is fantastic! Thanks, Coop.
Wow. This is baseball gold. Thanks!
I love this, it’s beautiful. When ball players were ball players!
Because they are all white????
@@DiogenesOfCa -Yeah, that’s why I said that, because they’re all white.
Try not to be so stupid in life because it’s a ridiculous statement on your part. I used to see Lou Dials quite often in the latter part of his life, great person. I watched Mays, Mantle, both Bonds, Banks, Cepeda, Lincecum and many more. Never saw or thought about the color of their skin. Oh yeah, I worked in the industry at one time. So do me and yourself a favor, “try to think before you say something ridiculous…plain and simple, stupid.”
@@marions.120 I must have touched a nerve as you went off on a diatribe.
Take your meds and take a nap old man.
🖕No, didn’t touch a nerve, just reminded me that there still people out there that blame everything on the color of your skin instead of getting out there and making something of themselves….other than just being a cunt.
@@marions.120 I never said any of that, keep seething though.
Wow! 100 year old baseball history!
On Walter Johnson's pitching.
"Something went past that made me flinch. The thing just hissed with danger"
-Ty Cobb
He does not have the typical followthrough you see most MLB players do with a snap around leg after the ball is thrown. However, after watching Brusdar Graterol pitch for the Dodgers in this 2020 ALDS vs the Padres, you can see some guys have the incredibly powerful arm and upper body strength that can throw the ball 100mph with big sink and arm side run, and almost make it look effortless. I imagine Walter Johnson if clocked on the radar gun used today would be at least in the 90s or even high 90s topping out around 100mph with sink and arm side run. Enjoyed the footage thanks for the upload!
Haha what's ironic is that my friend texted me a link of Brusdar Graterol 2019 highlights yesterday saying, "bro 100 with run? Dude looks effortless. Unreal".
. . .
& I agree that Brusdar makes it look effortless. @PitchingNinja said it best, he looks like he "could throw 98mph in a recliner watching tv" twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1292293402248216577?s=20
Graterol pitched in rookie league in my town. Even at that level, he was unreal.
With no follow-through, I see about 85mph.
@@RatedRex1 That long whip is special. The lack of follow-through does not limit power, sort of like a golfer who resists on his lead side. Knowing the evolution of baseball from era to era up to the present day, there's no way the man who was considered the hardest thrower in the game back then was only at 85 mph. Easy mid-90s.
@@carltonreese4854 In the late 80s, the average fastball was 89 mph. It increases to 91mph by the 90s. In 2010 the increase had gone up 93. Now the average fastball is 94.5mph. So why would anyone believe that a man who pitched 100 years ago, with no leg-drive, who didn't follow-through, and who didn't have the classic 3/4 over-the-top motion, could throw as hard of the scientifically trained players of today? If you notice, a slide-arm or a submarine pitcher don't have great fastballs. Physics is the reason why Walter Johnson didn't throw in the mid-90s consistently. But if people choose to believe the folklore there is nothing I can say that will change their minds.
His pitch is like the effect an Atlatyl
Has on a spear. Quite amazing .
Walter's side sling shot delivery is less stressful on the arm. Now I know why he pitched so many innings. It is surprising that pitchers today do not use the same mechanics.
It's interesting you brought this up & were able to notice it just by the naked eye. The biography Walter's grandson wrote about him lists a couple of great quotes he once said that are exactly related to what you mentioned.
"When I used to see ("Smoky" Joe) Wood pitch, although I admired his speed and control, it made my own shoulders ache to watch his delivery. That pitching with the arm alone, that wrenching of the muscles in the shoulder, would wear out my arm, I am sure, much quicker than the easy, swinging motion I always aim to use." To demonstrate his point Johnson said, "Try it without a ball. Hold your left hand on your right shoulder and try both ways. See how many more muscles seem to be put into severe play overhand against sidearm." ("Walter Johnson: Baseball's Big Train", p. 59)
@@spcooper94
Good post. The proof is in the pudding. Walter pitched 800 games, mostly as a starter, and 5000+ innings. I don't care if you're pitching against snowmen holding broomsticks, the physical toll must be enormous. Yet Walter was strong enough to win 20 games TWICE in his late thirties and help the Senators win two pennants and a World Series!
Very good for his era. Nice footage.
Thanks! I just uploaded a new video of Walter Johnson with lots of new footage. You might be interested
Outrageous windup I love it gonna use it on my pitcher in the show
i used his pitching style, good for 3 main reasons, 1. incredibly easy to get fast velocity, ive seen heaters come out when im not even trying to go fast 2. its great for reducing strain, i dont know why but my arms just hurt a lot less 3. no hitter knew how to deal with it, all theyve seen is the overhand delivery
do you have any tips on how to do this delivery? I've been trying to learn his mechanics but it's a bit difficult
@@neutronscorner7304 assuming youre a right (just swap the directions if youre a lefty) move your left foot forward, keeping your body and foot looking towards third, your foot should feel anchored in, during this motion also pull your throwing arm back into position. Next lean back a little before full going into the pitch. As you pitch, swing your hips in time with your arm, which you should be whipping forward, if you perfect this motion its just as good as any other delivery
it appears i do it slightly differently than johnson but it works
❤ walter fastball johnson my hero, greatest pitcher ever
What other pitch did Johnson have?
Sandy Kofax had a Curve that would Drop over the Plate. Like a Brick.. , Batters knees would buckle. Pete Rose/ Willy Mays/ Hank Arron stated he was a Beast........
Bad ass.
- Lights out... ANY era !!! 00:57
Wish My Dad was still around to see this !
Your dad saw ( hear)Walter johnson smoke 🚬 fastball
A lot of scouting reports on pitchers today talk about arm angle. Johnson's extreme arm angle was very deceptive and hard to track.
Best pitcher in mlb history, no contest.
@alien observer Cy Young is so overrated.
Got my vote
@@chisatofan2 500 plus wins ; enough said ; pitching award has his name
Walter johnson strike josh gibson on three pitches
@@lloydkline1518 they wouldn’t pull anyone in those days. They threw slower so they lasted longer and it was the deadball era. Completely incomparable.
Another important note on Johnsons delivery is that, with the easy windup, whip like sidearm delivery and quick snap at the end, it appears that he hid the ball extremely well.
Not just the velocity, but the release point.
It's amazing how supple those long arms were. Like a Slinky, his pitching arm seems to be bending in three or four places at once.
Can you imagine how good the players of yesterday can be today with all the advancements. Back then it was just God given talent.
You mean 'all the advancements' that have today's pitchers going ''under the knife'' within a couple of years of having first stepped on a major league mound and garnering praise for managing to go 6 innings . The modern day version of 'Our nation's pastime ' has become a joke. The ''sabermetrics'' tyrants have dismantled the once great art of pitching and have sabotaged the competitive spirit harboring within
@@manofiske3318 they don’t pitch today. It’s all throwing, knowing that after 100 pitches, you’re done, regardless.
Pitching is knowing you’re expected to go nine innings and getting batters out when your fastball has lost a few MPH. Greg Maddux pitched. So did Tom Seaver, Bob Gibson, Jim Palmer, Ferguson Jenkins and Nolan Ryan.
@@HankFinkle11 Do not forget Steve Carlton. Best bad team pitcher I ever saw.
@@HankFinkle11 Exactly.
@@manofiske3318 you have to realize that old-time pitchers took it easy for a lot of the game the mindset was there was only a couple of batters you worried about and you paced yourself to finish the game. Today pitchers throw as hard as they can with every pitch and every batter is considered dangerous. The game has totally evolved
91 only using his upper half is absolutely ridiculous. Man was a freak of nature
The only modern day pitcher who I saw who was even remotely as intimidating as Johnson was Don Drysdale in his prime, because He was 6'5" and came with that blazing fastball and it looked like it was coming from third base cause of his size...Willie Mays was even scared to dig in...but the Big train must have been amazing...
For me I'd say Randy Johnson, and outside of all the sideshow distractions, Roger Clemens. But I agree, the older players grew up tough and had an edge about them because you absolutely needed it to survive in their world.
Mays was afraid because Drysdale was a head hunter.
Drysdale threw sidearm also.
Don Drysdale referred Hank Aaron as bad Henry.
Gibson and Marichal also. Gibson had that hurky jerky delivery and Marchal with the high leg kick. The ball was upon you before you knew it. I went to a game that Nolan Ryan pitched. The crowd was small, maybe 4,000 people. We got up close. Just the grunting sounds he made was enough to scare anyone.
I really wish they had more home plate views of him pitching. The one in the video was him with Newark in 1928 and throwing warm up tosses. I wanna know what that fastball looked like in 1915 from home plate.
Walter Johnson commonly just seemed to lob the ball softly if he was being video taped. That's one of the reasons I wanted to make this video.
. . .
I wanted to include all of the game footage I could find of him so people wondering how he threw so hard can see what it looked like when he wasn't lobbing it in there for the camera.
. . .
Of course I included some footage of him warming up to show some different angles of his motion & for the better frame rates but my favorite clip is when he threw to Babe Ruth because I know that's when he was throwing his hardest without any restraint.
@@spcooper94 Yes! Very good clip of him throwing to Ruth. Well done
@@spcooper94 thanks for being so outstandingly informative!
@@seahorsesebastiano2506 Thank you! I try. I just constantly find myself in the debate of if athletes of the past could compete or compare with athletes of today and I guess that might be a factor in what makes me like to find out all of the info I can about certain past athletes like Walter Johnson.
@@spcooper94 Those guys would have no chance against todays players if you could just take them from the 20's and put them on todays field. Todays players would be baseball gods if you could put them on a 20's field. All that being said if the 20's players had access to todays coaching, training, nutrition, equipment and money then they could compete in todays game. By the same token if todays players were placed in the 20's without access the those things then they could still compete but wouldn't be baseball gods.
Really interesting to watch footage of Johnson's pitching technique. The sidearm delivery is the first obvious thing that stands out, something we seldom see in the modern baseball era. Pitching is highly stressful on the body and I wonder if a sidearm delivery is less damaging and could allow a pitcher to safely throw more pitches. Secondly, I notice that upon release his right foot remains on the ground by the rubber rather than coming forward due to momentum. This seems rather odd, almost like one would have to deliberately hold back in order to achieve this, especially considering how hard he's throwing the ball.
He had those long arms which accentuate the whip action, the wrist snap which gave his fastball some movement and great hip rotation. His shoulders were strong as well. The only thing which gives me pause is the lack of follow through which has to limit his momentum and probably caused his fastball to degrade faster as he got older.
No follow through whatsoever. His right leg doesn’t land forward after release, his back arches little if at all. Go out in the yard and see how much speed you can muster without using your back or following through. The reason deadball era pitchers could throw 350-450 innings per year is that they were throwing 45-60 mph.
@@jamesg9609 every 10-12 year old in my little league were hitting 50 some mph. There's no way in hell that's all full grown men throwing. Yeah they weren't hitting mid or upper 90's but go look at any source that's not written by an idiot, guy's in the deadball era were, on average, reaching around 80 mph, with the top fastball pitchers (which Johnson was one of) reaching the upper 80's, maybe low 90's.
Wow! Incredible arm angle and velocity!
Johnson is my GOAT. Like Ruth with his power, he was a game changer as the first flamethrower in MLB history. 417 wins playing most years with a last place or close to it team. 110 shutouts ( the all time record) and 79%(!!) of his starts were complete games. His 1913 season may have been the greatest in baseball history. 36 starts, 12 games in relief. 29 complete games, 11 shutouts. 36-7 record with a 1.14 ERA.
@@williamford9564 I love Walter too man! I’m glad you checked this video out. I updated this video with a new video you can find on my channel or the search engine. Should be 13 minutes long if you want to check it our
Wow. My favorite view is from home plate. I can imagine what a hitter would see in a game.
2:10: Johnson came in the 9th inning of a tie game, pitching four shutout innings two days after he pitched a complete game in game five.
The original Randy Johnson. My guy's arms were LOOOONG.
Could you imagine a right handed batter stepping in to the batter's box to bat against him without wearing a helmet? That took guts.
Awesome footage!
That was exactly how I threw pitching growing up and coaches changed my motion. Blew out my elbow in HS. Wonder if I kept the motion if I would’ve been ok.
Probably not.
I think the first class into Coopestown HOF included WJ and Cy Young.
Pretty tough to surpass either one of them on the mound.
I'm grateful to see these "ancient" videos
The first five HOF were in no particular order Cobb, Johnson, Mathewson, Ruth, and Wagner
The swinging of the arms in the beginning of his windup created a great and repeatable rhythm which surely contributed to his consistency and longevity. And notice the incredible extension he gets with his right arm behind. In modern times Pedro was the model for arm extension.
Thank you for this. All of these years, I knew Walter threw side arm; but to actually see it in action, wow! We think of side armers just using that low angle and sweeping motion to intimidate a right handed bat. It usually disguised an average at best fast ball. But not Johnson, who got great speed out of that delivery. It looks to be as efficient as any other great pitcher from any era. And yes, when a tough hombre like Ty Cobb, one of the great students of the game, comes out and says how intimidating that Johnson fastball was, you know it to be truth!
The throws just feel meatier, it's hard to explain. It's great to watch.
As a young kid in the 50’s and a right handed batter through high school in the mid 60’s, I always wondered if I would have had the guts to face The Big Train! I kind of doubt it! 🎃
Me too. You'd have ShitYerDrawers.
Man, this is great stuff to any baseball fan. This film must be from the newsreels they showed in movie theaters back in the day.
Wow. Thanks for sharing.
I've posted a new video of Walter the other with more footage. I hope you enjoy that as well
Strong side arm delivery, I imagine it had a lot of movement.
How?
Great arm swing
Great pitcher. Clemons, Maddox, Feller, Johnson and Mathewson are my top 5 all time righties. Honorable mention to Seaver and Gibson.
Dennis Eckersley's motion would most closely resemble Walter Johnson's.
Thank you so much for this! Baseball 4 ever 🍻🍻
I remember reading years ago that some had estimated his fastball to go over 110 mph.
What was the total season games? Thirty three wins, wow, complete games, was there any relief pitchers, the, work horse, iron man, amazing. To have someone film all the pitching angles, brilliant, plus the dialog. Thanks for showing. Could this be an tutorial for future pitchers?
I like that his pitching advice is basically a long winded way of saying throw your best pitch more often
Can't believe he still had a functioning elbow after he left the majors
Quote by Bob Feller:
∙ "Walter Johnson in my opinion was the fastest pitcher in history."
∙ Video clip of quote: th-cam.com/video/0UkJwu1h4Co/w-d-xo.html
∙ New working link: th-cam.com/video/LwHO7HWds14/w-d-xo.html
He had huge hands and could do anything he wanted with the ball.
Great footage!
I have more on the way I'm editing. I'll also throw in most of the footage from this video to make the ultimate compilation! Thanks!
Do they have velocity stats for Johnson? Hard to imagine he could throw real hard with that sidearm delivery
Even in slow motion, that ball just explodes out of his hand like a bullet. Amazing!
I absolutely loved using Johnson in the old EA Sports MVP 2005 for the PS2.... That windup was so very very sexy!
I uploaded the entire footage of the clip at the start of this video where Walter Johnson was talking. He was actually instructing his son, Walter Jr. & he shows him some pitching grips and tosses a few more pitches from the home plate angle. Check it out here if you are interested th-cam.com/video/7wT67s9QwJc/w-d-xo.html
I associate Babe Ruth as being young and athletic looking only up to around age 25 with Boston. But he looks pretty spry here still at age 29. Around :50 second mark
Looks like it would put alot of strain on the elbow, but being a right handed hitter it would be very intimidating!
Even damaged, that prime footage of Walter Johnson is really cool
He would NEVER brush back a hitter
Cool video! Looks like he’s got a Cubs Jersey on at 0:03
Classic Sidearmer. Different grips, different movements. Arm was like a whip!
what was the mound height in those days, 6 inches?
he threw like he was snapping a bull whip - what an incredibly different pitching style