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!
Dinelson Lamet’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/BlaringTepidIriomotecat
We lead this morning with Dinelson Lamet, and not just because he took a no-hitter into the sixth inning late yesterday afternoon. No, rather, we’re featuring Lamet because he served up this bullet of a sinker that painted the outer edge to get Ketel Marte looking for a backwards K. Lamet would go on to strike out 10 more Diamondbacks and walked off the mound with a win in the bag and only one earned run allowed on the scorecard.
Max Fried’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/OddballSphericalHoneybadger
Yesterday, there were plenty of storylines to follow in the Phillies-Braves doubleheader. Ronald Acuna came to life with three home runs, Spencer Howard made his major league debut, but we’re not talking about either of those things. Rather, we’re gonna focus in on Max Fried, who threw five shutout innings, and brought his ERA down to 1.59 on the season. Fried’s primary weapon is his curveball, and here he utilizes it perfectly to get former NL MVP Andrew McCutchen swinging and missing. (H/T to PL+ member kewlz3)
Stephen Strasburg’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/EmbellishedNiftyAmericancrocodile
Stephen Strasburg threw his first meaningful pitches of baseball since last Postseason yesterday. As you likely remember (honestly, how could you forget), Strasburg played a pivotal role in the Nationals’ World Series run last season, and he fittingly walked away with the series MVP award. Strasburg has an all-around solid repertoire, and here we highlight his best stuff, his changeup, which drops out on Anthony Santander for a swinging strike three.
Kevin Gausman’s Fastball
https://gfycat.com/JitteryDrearyDeviltasmanian
So who would’ve guessed that in the Walker Buehler–Kevin Gausman matchup we’d be featuring the latter pitcher in a Nastiest Pitches article? I know I certainly didn’t, but take a look at this blazing 99 mph heater that nibbles at the inner edge of the plate for a called strike three. Sorry, Max Muncy, but there was nothing to do there but just try to dodge.
Nathan Eovaldi’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/WarmNimbleDartfrog
As he’s stepped up into the number 1 slot in the Red Sox rotation this season, Nathan Eovaldi has had big shoes to fill, as guys like Chris Sale (injured), David Price (traded), and Eduardo Rodriguez (COVID) are all out of the Sox rotation this year. Yesterday, it looked like Eovaldi might be trending in the right direction. He struck out 10 Blue Jays in six innings, and had his curve working all day. Here he puts one past Randal Grichuk in the top of the second for strike three.
Chris Stratton’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/IndolentDescriptiveAsianpiedstarling
Chris Stratton came on to relieve Steven Brault in yesterday’s Pirates-Tigers matchup. The game was a fierce pitching matchup and although the Tigers finished on top in a 2-1 victory, Stratton deserves at least a shoutout. He struck out six Tigers in three innings of work, his final of which was his filthiest—a slider that made Christin Stewart look silly.
Andre Scrubb’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/PoorIncredibleKoalabear
If you watched the Athletics face off against the Astros yesterday, you, like most people, were probably more focused on the brawl that occurred in the seventh inning, than you were on the pitching in the inning that preceded it. But, we’re not here to talk about that, we want to talk about filthy stuff, and Andre Scrubb delivered yesterday, with this wicked curveball that gets Austin Allen swinging and missing (H/T to PL+ member Chris Nichols)
Vince Velasquez’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/KeyGorgeousItalianbrownbear
Vince Velasquez threw four solid innings yesterday, striking out six, and allowing just one run to cross the plate. However, the offense just wasn’t there, and the Phillies dropped the first (and then second) game of their doubleheader. But Velasquez doesn’t deserve to be penalized for that! Here’s a changeup that he gets Freddie Freeman to whiff at, which in itself is a worthy feat, but it’s made even better by just how nasty the pitch is.
Shane Bieber’s Knuckle-Curve
https://gfycat.com/SeriousAgonizingFlickertailsquirrel
Onto the nightcap! Last night we were treated to a matchup between two of the most ferocious arms in the AL Central, Shane Bieber and Lucas Giolito. Bieber himself has been phenomenal and while he wasn’t his dominant self, he put up solid numbers, going six quality innings and issuing eight Ks. Here’s Bieber and his signature knuckle-curve getting a whiff out of Yoan Moncada.
James Karinchak’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/WideImpassionedCurlew
Finishing off the evening, we have yet another Indians pitcher, featuring yet another curveball. This time around it’s James Karinchak and his wicked curve which freezes James McCann for strike three. Karinchak, who debuted last season, is becoming an important part of the Indians’ pen. If he keeps this up, an already-fearsome Indians pitching staff will become nightmarish for opposing hitters, and boy, wouldn’t that be something.
GIF of the Night
Which was your favorite pitch? Vote below, and the winner may be featured in our Nastiest Pitches tournament midway through the season.
[polldaddy poll=10591008]