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.
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Jacob deGrom’s Fastball
https://gfycat.com/MagnificentWateryInexpectatumpleco
It was a fantastic day for Jacob deGrom, who put up an otherworldly stat line as he got 35 (yes, 35!!!) swinging strikes, tied for the most in one game since at least 2008. Maybe more importantly, deGrom got some sweet run support as the Mets scored more runs than players deGrom struck out (14 runs vs. 12 deGrom Ks) as the Mets blew out the Phillies. There were a lot of options here, but I went with deGrom’s blazing hot 99 mph fastball which he runs right by Jean Segura for a swinging strike three.
Shane Bieber’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/PessimisticRegularDugong
If we’re gonna talk about the reigning NL Cy Young winner, it’s only appropriate we follow up with the guy who will likely bring home the AL Cy. Shane Bieber continued his dominance yesterday, striking out 10 Brewers over five innings, as his K/9 climbed above 14.5 on the season. Here he is striking out one of the most fearsome second basemen in the league, Keston Hiura, with a sick slider that runs out of the zone.
Rich Hill’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/DecisiveGrimGrayreefshark
Rich Hill is known for his wicked hook, which gets some pretty major drop when he throws it well. Here we feature that signature curve which Hill delivers perfectly to dot the edge of the plate and get Sergio Alcántara looking. Hill struck out five over five innings in what turned into a shootout in the later innings of the game as the Twins lost to the Tigers 10-8.
Johnny Cueto’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/SecondhandUncomfortableAsianwaterbuffalo
Johnny Cueto has been pretty decent this year for the Giants and he pitched well again yesterday, going 5.2 innings and striking out seven opposing hitters. The Giants went on to win this one 4-2 with much of the credit for that W going to Cueto. Here he is throwing his nasty changeup (along with his classic pause at the back of his windup) right past Jake Lamb for strike three.
Tejay Antone’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/KindlyDisastrousCoati
Tejay Antone is known as a guy who loves tossing his slider, and when I say that I mean it. He throws the pitch over 40% of the time. However, here we’re featuring his other breaking ball, his curve which is absolutely filthy. Antone struck out six Pirates yesterday, and he used his curve on his first of the day, a disgusting pitch which rips in towards Gregory Polanco who swings in futility.
Garrett Richards‘ Slider
https://gfycat.com/BriskSevereGalapagossealion
It was a very solid game for Garrett Richards and the San Diego Padres, who now hold the second-best record in the National League (they trail only their fierce division rival LA Dodgers). Richards struck out nine Athletics hitters over seven quality innings, as he notched his second win of the season. Here he gets A’s outfielder Stephen Piscotty swinging out of the zone at a filthy slider for strike three.
Aaron Nola’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/hastyzanyflycatcher
Let’s bring things back to New York for a minute and take a look at Aaron Nola, whose final stat line was a bit unusual, to say the least. Over 5.2 innings, Nola struck out ten, but allowed six runs (three of which were unearned). So, Nola was a bit everywhere in terms of his stat line, but make no mistake, he is still an ace. Here he shows you exactly why, as he throws an offspeed that drops out on Wilson Ramos who goes down swinging.
Trevor Rogers‘ Fastball
https://gfycat.com/WearyMemorableJunco
Moving on to the Marlins-Rays game, we take a look at the starting pitcher who you probably weren’t expecting to see here. Instead of the Rays’ Tyler Glasnow, we feature Trevor Rogers of the Marlins, who was solid on the mound yesterday afternoon. Rogers struck out a nice and round 10 hitters across six frames and he was placing his fastball perfectly. Here he throws some paint at 95 mph to freeze Willy Adames for a called strike three.
Dean Kremer’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/DeliciousLoneAfricanelephant
Finally today, we feature the MLB debut of Dean Kremer, who was fantastic against a tough Yankees lineup yesterday. Over six innings, he only allowed one run and struck out seven Yankees. He also managed to send the first two batters of his career down on strikes: first DJ LeMahieu, and then Luke Voit, who swung at this curve, a filthy hook which is placed perfectly to get the Yankees slugging first baseman striking out.