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!
Nick Lodolo’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/difficultillinformedballpython
Rookie Nick Lodolo might not be getting as much hype as his teammate Hunter Greene, but yesterday Lodolo showed that he’s also a name worth remembering. He struck out seven batters, including Harrison Bader, who went down swinging at this filthy back door slider.
Jhoan Duran’s Splitter
https://gfycat.com/snappyzestyindigobunting
Is it a splitter? Is it a sinker? I honestly don’t know, but Jhoan Duran knows how to throw this pitch at 96 with some movement, so I’m thoroughly impressed. It’s just an insanely impossible pitch to wrap your head around, and that’s really all there is to be said.
Gerrit Cole’s Fastball
https://gfycat.com/liquidinfatuatedjenny
For all the talk about Spider Tack and sticky stuff that we hear whenever Gerrit Cole struggles, the Yankees’ ace always finds a way to bounce back. Yesterday, Cole looked like his usual self, striking out nine on the mound. Here he sends Amed Rosario down on a 98 mph heater that paints the bottom edge of the zone.
Rich Hill’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/impuresnoopyesok
Rich Hill may be old by MLB’s standard, but man can he fire off a curveball just about as well as anyone. This time around the victim is Vidal Bruján, who gets absolutely tied up on this beauty of a pitch from the 42 year-old southpaw.
Shane McClanahan’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/clearcutcomfortabledromedary
Opposing Hill on the mound was a much younger Shane McClanahan, who pitched phenomenally for the Rays yesterday. He struck out seven Red Sox in as many innings and had his heater/changeup combo working all afternoon. Here he sets down Bobby Dalbec on his filthiest pitch of the day, an off-speed pitch that runs way out of the zone.
Jesús Luzardo’s Fastball
https://gfycat.com/presentleftguanaco
Who wants to see some rising heat? Well, here it comes courtesy of Jesús Luzardo who elevates the fastball past the bat of Adam Duvall. Perfectly placed on the upper outside corner, Duvall never stood a chance at this one.
Tylor Megill’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/potableelderlygar
Tylor Megill, who filled Jacob deGrom’s spot in the Mets rotation, has been pitching about as well as anyone could ask for. Yesterday he lowered his ERA down to 2.35, a phenomenal mark for the young righty. Here he tosses his filthiest breaking ball of the day, and it’s a beautiful curve past the bat of David Peralta.
Clayton Kershaw’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/unselfishneedyfinwhale
After one perfect outing and one not so perfect one, Clayton Kershaw settled into a comfortable middle ground yesterday. He held the Padres to just one run in five innings and struck out three hitters, including Wil Myers, who goes down swinging at this nasty slider.
Lucas Giolito’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/tinyhotgopher
Lucas Giolito only pitched four innings, but man were they something. Giolito struck out nine over those four frames and had his changeup working all afternoon. Here he drops it past José Godoy who can only help but swing over the filthy off-speed pitch.
Aaron Nola’s Knuckle-Curve
https://gfycat.com/handsomedelayeddwarfmongoose
Fianlly, we have a small taste of Sunday Night Baseball. Surely, the talk will surround a certain Josh Hader called strike that a certain umpire may have blown, but this Aaron Nola knuckle-curve steals the show as the filthiest pitch of a game that was dominated by pitching.
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)