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!
Kevin Gausman’s Splitter
Tonight’s ace of the Nastiest Pitches staff is Kevin Gausman and his filthy splitter. This particular one nearly breaks Cody Bellinger’s back as he bends down attempting to make some sort of contact on the pitch. Gausman earned the loss on the night after giving up two earned runs and laboring through 93 pitches in 4.2 innings, and while he wasn’t at his best we still were able to enjoy his splitter doing its thing again. (H/T PL+ member Ben Bingham)
Clayton Kershaw’s Curveball
Shoutout to my Dad, who’s a big fan of lefty breaking balls and this Clayton Kershaw curveball is for him. It’s one of the prettiest pitches in the history of baseball and when it’s working it’s absolutely unhittable. It wasn’t quite on its’ a game Thursday; Kershaw threw only 24 on the day, generating only three whiffs and a 25% CSW. Kershaw actually only generated three whiffs in total on the night, but he’s still Kershaw and didn’t give up a run in six innings of four-hit ball. This is why he’s a Hall of Famer.
Luis Perdomo’s Sinker
Luis Perdomo is tonight’s winner of the GIF Sandwich after striking out six in 3.1 innings of relief. Garrett Richards puked all over himself to begin the game and was pulled after two-thirds of an inning, then Perdomo came in and did his thang. This perfect sinker was painted like an Andy Warhol soup can – precise but with just a hint of flair. The slider did most of the damage on the night with a 45% CSW but this sinker was the prettiest pitch of them all.
Victor González’s Slider
Another lefty breaker – this one by Dodgers reliever Victor González – makes the list tonight as he zooms this slider down and away from Brandon Crawford. The pitch (50% CSW) was used to strike out the side in the third inning and was much more effective than his sinker (18% CSW) on the night.
Josh Lindblom’s Curveball
Josh Lindblom had another meh outing on Thursday, but this nice 69 MPH curveball was one of the few highlights of his day as Eugenio Suárez swung for the fences but whiffed.
Dinelson Lamet’s Slider
Dinelson Lamet’s power slider has been a fantastic option for him all season long, and it’s been a big reason why Lamet has been so successful this year. 11 whiffs on the slider and 42% CSW on his fastball helped propel him to 6 Ks on the day, but three earned runs on five hits wasn’t good enough to earn the win. (H/T PL+ member Ben Bingham)
Logan Webb’s Changeup
Logan Webb didn’t have his best stuff on Thursday, but this changeup was certified nasty as it gets Joc Pederson swinging like he’s trying to get out of a fairway bunker. We call that a practice swing, Joc, but the stroke still counts as a strike.
Robert Stephenson’s Slider
Robert Stephenson came in for the final two outs of the game to face Keston Hiura and Justin Smoak, who he retired in order but not without a fight. The at-bat to Hiura lasted ten pitches and Smoak swung the bat four times before whiffing on a slider to end the game. This slider to Hiura painted the corner perfectly in a spot where Keston had no chance of making contact.
Clayton Kershaw’s Slider
It’s another Kershaw pitch, obviously, because Kershaw is dope and we love watching him pitch. This slider rides inside on Joey Bart where there’s absolutely nothing he can do except swing away and hope to foul it off.
Sonny Gray’s Curveball
This curveball from Sonny Gray had Jace Peterson looking back at the ump like “what?!?!” Gray misses the spot but the movement is filthy enough that it’s still a fantastic pitch, and it was one of his four strikeouts on the day.