In 1985, George Plimpton wrote a riveting tale of a wonder pitcher new to the New York Mets organization, named Sidd Finch, who could throw a fastball 168 miles per hour:
I never dreamed a baseball could be thrown that fast. The wrist must have a lot to do with it, and all that leverage. You can hardly see the blur of it as it goes by. As for hitting the thing, frankly, I just don’t think it’s humanly possible. You could send a blind man up there, and maybe he’d do better hitting at the sound of the thing.
Mets fans were ecstatic. Unfortunately, they didn’t realize it was one of the best public hoaxes in history. Beyond the article being published on April 1st, the readers missed a hint in the subtitle:
He’s a pitcher, part yogi and part recluse. Impressively liberated from our opulent life-style, Sidd’s deciding about yoga—and his future in baseball
Be sure to check out the accompanying photos.