Fastball Fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. "Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thrown fastballs at speeds of (officially) and up to (unofficially). Pitchers who throw more slowly can put movement on the ball, or throw it on the outside of home plate where batters can't easily reach it. The appearance of a faster pitch can sometimes be achieved by minimizing the batter's vision of the ball before its release. The
Nolan Ryan his high school sweetheart, the former Ruth Holdorff, on June 25, 1967. They have three children, Reid, Reese, and Wendy. Reid and Reese were both pitchers for the TCU Horned Frogs. Reid also pitched briefly in the minor leagues. On May 17, 2013, Reid was announced as president of the Houston Astros. Nolan Ryan resides in the Cimarron Hills community in Georgetown, a suburb of Austin. Though he supported Jimmy Carter over Gerald R. Ford Jr. in 1976, Ryan has since been an ardent Republican. In 1996 Ryan campaigned on behalf of Ron Paul in the election for Texas's 14th