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!
Luis Castillo’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/SameGlisteningEasteuropeanshepherd
Usually, the Nastiest Pitches team doesn’t love balls in the dirt, however, we need to make an exception for this phenomenal 86 mph slider from Luis Castillo to strike out Avisaíl García. Beautifully placed low in the zone, García is lured into a swing before some ridiculously good late movement makes him look silly.
Frankie Montas‘ Splitter
https://gfycat.com/BoringFewAkitainu
The Oakland Athletics could not capitalize on six strong innings from Frankie Montas today as they narrowly lost to Cleveland 3-2. Montas has been excellent once again for the A’s this season, championing his split-finger fastball as a strikeout pitch. This is the perfect example – an 88 mph splitter that drops out of the zone to fell Bobby Bradley. Lovely stuff.
Kenta Maeda’s Splitter
https://gfycat.com/LazyCircularJunco
Speaking of elite split-finger fastballs, there are none better at mastering the art of this pitch than Twins starter Kenta Maeda. This devastating 85 mph splitter to strike out Zack Short is as good a pitch as you’ll see this season.
Zac Gallen’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/CautiousSillyGrayreefshark
Welcome back, Zac Gallen. Recently returned from another stint on the injured list, Gallen was strong through five and two-thirds innings against the Cubs, giving up just one run on three hits. His changeup was as beautiful as ever – this 87 mph offering completely befuddling Kris Bryant. Nasty!
Adbert Alzolay’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/DefensiveGlamorousJuliabutterfly
Young Chicago Cubs starter Adbert Alzolay has had a roller coaster of a season but continues to show enough for us to believe in him as an effective starter in the future. This ripping 89 mph hard slider to strike out Christian Walker, for example.
Jorge López’s Knuckle-Curve
https://gfycat.com/ThisWellwornBittern
Let’s be completely honest, you probably won’t see Baltimore Orioles starter Jorge López as a regular feature in this article, however, let’s give credit where it is due. This lovely 85 mph knuckle-curveball to strike out Jorge Soler was perfectly placed and we get a great view of the release out of the fingers. Well worthy of inclusion today.
Brady Singer’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/WhoppingShockingAmericanindianhorse
It was a case of the good, the bad, and the ugly from young Royals starter Brady Singer yesterday. After a clean first inning, he gave up seven runs on eight hits and couldn’t make it out of the third inning. Before the storm, however, he did produce one of the “oh, wow” moments of the day thanks to this vicious 95 mph sinker to dispose of Ryan Mountcastle.
Brandon Woodruff’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/DisfiguredCommonAtlanticspadefish
Consistently nasty is a good description for Brewers’ ace Brandon Woodruff this season. The changeup has been a staple for swing-and-misses and yesterday was no different. Joey Votto was fooled by this 87 mph changeup low in the zone.
Anthony DeSclafani’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/FrequentMealyAmericanblackvulture
I love this pitch! The command that Giants starter Anthony DeSclafani has mastered on his two-seam fastball this year goes a long way to explaining his rise to being one of the most effective pitchers in all of baseball this year. Perfectly nestled on the outside of the strike zone, this 94 mph sinker to K Paul DeJong benefits from late movement inside. Ooft, it’s beautiful.
Max Fried’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/BackRigidHalibut
Atlanta lefty Max Fried registered six strikeouts on his curveball today and I could have included all of them in this article. I chose this one because of the setup. After peppering Francisco Mejía with fastballs high in the zone, Fried then threw him a high curve that Mejía had no idea what to do with, jelly-legging him for the out. Filthy stuff.
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns of Twitter)