Every morning, the We Love Baseball crew reviews the Nastiest Pitches from the previous day’s games in glorious high-definition GIFs. We want to bring you the highest caliber of nastiness possible, so if you see a nasty pitch, please tell us about it. You can tweet @PitcherList to let us know and we’ll give you a shout-out here in the article if your tip makes the cut.
As a bonus for PL+ members, let us know about a pitch on the PL+ Discord in the Nasty Pitches Channel, and if your suggestion is included the next day, you’ll be entered into a weekly drawing for a free T-shirt!
Brusdar Graterol’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/belatedjoyfularmedcrab
This ridiculous sinker by Brusdar Graterol is the fastest pitch he’s thrown in his short career. 102 mph?!?!?! Insane. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pitch this fast live on TV, and I nearly jumped out of my seat when I saw it. Not to mention the ridiculous movement he gets on the pitch… sheesh.
Walker Buehler’s Knuckle-Curve
https://gfycat.com/lankyseveralamoeba
Walker Buehler pitched out of his mind on Friday, throwing six innings of one-run ball with 10 strikeouts. The knuckle-curve earned a 36% CSW on the evening, and Buehler was easily the best player on the field in this one.
Charlie Morton’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/amusinghiddenkestrel
As good as Buehler was in this one, Charlie Morton was also getting a ton of strikes and making batters miss. He struck out six in 4.1 innings, and his 14/32 CSW on the curveball was fantastic. The five earned runs and seven hits? Not so great, and that’s why the Rays now find themselves in a 2-1 series hole.
Blake Treinen’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/ancientgleamingaustralianfurseal
Woof. Blake Treinen has such an effortless delivery, and it’s so impressive seeing him throw in the high 90s with such filthy movement. This sinker had so much movement that it fell out of the glove almost immediately. There are a lot of “sinkers” that are thrown fast, get a ton of horizontal break, but don’t really “sink” a lot (see Graterol above). Treinen’s sinker? Oh yeah, it sinks. Big time. It’s one of the best in the game for a reason.
Charlie Morton’s Cutter
https://gfycat.com/thornylazyelkhound
Morton had a 50% CSW on 20 cutters thrown Friday night, including this ridiculous pitch that elicited a flailing swing from Max Muncy. It’s a shame that Morton didn’t get the results he wanted on the night, because some of his stuff was truly filthy. Just another example proving that nastiness doesn’t always correlate to success.