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!
Emmanuel Clase’s Cutter
https://gfycat.com/dapperearnestblackandtancoonhound
This is legitimately unhittable. Freddy Galvis did his best to make some sort of contact, but what Emmanuel Clase is throwing out there on a daily basis is simply unfair.
Kenta Maeda’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/nearunfitamethystgemclam
He’s baaaaack! This is the Kenta Maeda we were all hoping for this season. I remember this changeup being a filthy pitch every five days for him last year and it’s been missing so far in 2021. Well, in the first inning of his first game off the IL it’s back in 2020 form. It had a 42% CSW on 24 thrown and it’s back baby. Let’s hope it carries into his next start.
Lance Lynn’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/terribleforcefulfruitfly
Yeah, this was a foul tip that should have been a foul ball. Shh. We don’t need to get into details here—the pitch is disgusting and Taylor Walls did his best to fight this one off. Lance Lynn’s leg gets in the way of it, but look at that ball tumble as it darts down and away from the batter. Simply beautiful.
Alek Manoah’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/showylargejerboa
This pitch is just as much about Alek Manoah’s Big K energy and Xander Bogaerts‘ bat twirl after getting fooled as it is about the pitch itself. Yeah the pitch is nasty, but everything around it amplifies it times ten.
Spencer Howard’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/dazzlingbowedfox
This beautiful curveball from Spencer Howard drops perfectly into the top of the zone, much to the excitement of the four guys in the matching shirts in the background.
Nathan Eovaldi’s Fastball
https://gfycat.com/maleplasticanole
After getting lit up over the weekend, the Red Sox needed their ace to stop the bleeding, and Nathan Eovaldi stepped up and did exactly what was asked. He only struck out four over 6.2 innings, but he also only allowed four baserunners all night. This 100 MPH dart to strike out the red hot Marcus Semien was a near perfect pitch.
Vladimir Gutiérrez’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/passionatebabyishdaddylonglegs
Vladimir Gutiérrez dazzled once again in his fourth career start, striking out six over six strong innings while only allowing two earned runs. The slider had a very respectable 30% CSW on the night and he clearly feels comfortable using it as an out pitch. Keep your eye on this guy.
Matt Barnes‘ Knuckle Curve
https://gfycat.com/poisedickyjanenschia
After giving up a game tying moonshot to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the at bat before, Matt Barnes dropped this hammer on Teoscar Hernández to limit the damage and get out of the inning.
Tyler Glasnow’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/angelichelpfulfreshwatereel
Tyler Glasnow had a ridiculous 43% CSW on his 21 sliders Monday night, and White Sox hitters were fooled right from the get go.
Tommy Nance’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/miserlysnarlingamericanwigeon
Tommy Nance is one of my favorite rookie pitchers this year thanks to his filthy sinker and devastating curveball. This one to Brandon Drury fell off the table and right under his flailing bat.
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns of Twitter)