On the "Glory of Their Times" audio set, Chief Meyers points out a bat in the corner of the room he says was given to him by Babe Ruth. You can hear Larry Ritter walk across the room and exclaim in amazement as he picks up the bat. He says, "this must weigh 50 ounces, at least," and the Chief replies, "50 or better than that." Also on the set you have Hans Lobert telling Ritter that when Ruth came up at 19, "his upper body was like Hercules." You can see in photos and films that the Babe's bats were enormous and we know he had no trouble getting around on pitches, to say the least. As for pitching then vs. now, the average pitcher today might be a little faster than the average pitcher 100 years ago due to size and leg strength, but I think Walter Johnson was probably the faster pitcher that ever lived who could also get the ball over the plate consistently. I've never heard of an exercise or strength training that increases the velocity of a pitcher's fastball. Have you?
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