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!
Dustin May’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/adeptimpassionedkomododragon
Dustin May leads off our nastiest pitches of Tuesday night with one of the nastiest pitches I’ve seen in the young season. May’s sinker rides in with an absurd amount of movement to handcuff Manny Machado and record the strikeout. Not to mention it came in at 99 MPH. May would record seven other strikeout victims over his five innings of work. (H/T PL+ member Alex Tran)
Pablo Lopez’s Changeup
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The Marlins played baseball for the first time in over a week and sent Pablo Lopez to the hill for his first start of the season. Lopez and four Marlin relievers would shut out the (surprisingly) 2nd place Orioles. Lopez showcased his strong changeup all game recording four of his seven strikeouts on the pitch including this nice change to Hanser Alberto to start the game.
Blake Treinen’s Sinker
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Blake Treinen looked sharp in his one inning of work Tuesday night, striking out the side. Treinen and Trent Grisham had quite a battle this at-bat, taking it nine pitches before Treinen was able to put him away with a wicked sinker than ran back over the inside corner to get Grisham looking.
Brandon Woodruff’s Sinker
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Brandon Woodruff fell behind 3-0 to pinch hitter Zack Collins before coming back to record the strikeout on a perfectly placed 97 MPH sinker. Woodruff may have had some help from home plate umpire Tripp Gibson, but when hit your spot this well, you’re going to get the call more often than not.
Charlie Morton’s Curveball
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Charlie Morton worked around an early home run by Mitch Moreland; turning in a solid outing against the struggling Red Sox. Andrew Benintendi is off to a rough start to the season, and it didn’t get any easier here as Morton throws a nice back-foot breaking ball to take Benintendi to a knee. Morton went on to collect his first victory of the season, striking out 5 over 5.2 innings.
Joe Musgrove’s Slider
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Joe Musgrove struggled in this one, surrendering five runs over 3.1 innings. Allowing five walks when facing a lineup as potent as the Twins will cause some trouble for any pitcher. Musgrove did have a few bright spots including this nice 1-1 slider to make Eddie Rosario look foolish. (H/T PL+ member Alex Tran)
Jose Berrios’ Curveball
https://gfycat.com/decisivefatalaustraliankelpie
On the other side of this starting pitching matchup was Jose Berrios. Berrios struggled in his Opening Day start but has looked increasingly strong in each subsequent outing. Early on in this at-bat against Bryan Reynolds, Berrios lives on the outside corner with fastballs and changeups before suddenly coming in with his signature curveball to acquire one of his six strikeouts on the day.
Jesus Luzardo’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/lavishlawfulfanworms
Jesus Luzardo took down Todd Frazier in three pitches this at-bat following up a 95 MPH fastball up in the zone with this dazzling changeup that tumbles away from Frazier’s reach. Luzardo looked strong in his first start of the season, yielding no runs over five innings as the Athletics continue to stretch him out.
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.
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