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!
Ryan Helsley’s Fastball
https://gfycat.com/jealoussharpgreendarnerdragonfly
Starting off with some heat, we’ve got this 103 mph fastball from Ryan Helsley. There’s no caption that can really describe how insane that kinda velocity is, so I’ll let the GIF speak for itself.
Kevin Gausman’s Splitter
https://gfycat.com/whiteshrillamazondolphin
Kevin Gausman is off to a phenomenal start to the season. Coming into Sunday, he had yet to walk a hitter while striking out 31, and he left yesterday’s game with the same number of walks while adding on 10 Ks. Here’s the nastiest of the game, a filthy splitter that he throws to Jeremy Peña for strike three.
Jordan Hicks‘ Slider
https://gfycat.com/bewitchedcaringhochstettersfrog
Jordan Hicks has moved to the rotation, and so far he seems well suited for the role. Yesterday, he threw 63 pitches, a career high, and he was able to notch four strikeouts, including the one seen here that comes on a ferocious slider to Christian Walker.
Corbin Burnes‘ Curveball
https://gfycat.com/indeliblehatefuliberianmidwifetoad
You can argue that it may not be as filthy as his cutter, but Corbin Burnes‘ curveball is definitely nasty. Yesterday, he used it on four of his ten strikeouts, with the filthiest one coming here, on a breaking ball that drops out on Nico Hoerner.
Sandy Alcantara’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/heartfeltcandidbelugawhale
The only thing that might be tougher to hit than Sandy Alcantara’shigh-90s sinker, is his low-90s changeup. Yesterday he used it to record 3 strikeouts and here he throws it past Jarred Kelenic, who swings right over the pitch.
Joe Musgrove’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/queasygrotesquecormorant
Joe Musgrove was phenomenal against the Pirates yesterday, throwing eight strikeouts over seven innings of one-run ball. Musgrove had his slider working for him, and as you can see here, it had veteran Daniel Vogelbach spinning in circles.
Framber Valdez’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/shamelessweirdbetafish
Framber Valdez pitched solidly for the Astros, and although he only struck out two hitters, this one to Alejandro Kirk was more than deserving of being featured. Valdez bends the curve all the way down to the bottom inside corner for a beautiful strike three swinging.
Logan Gilbert’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/mediumgoldenfawn
Logan Gilbert continued his solid season on the mound as he struck out five hitters in 5.2 innings. His ERA actually rose to 0.64, but Gilbert still looked fantastic. Here he can be seen throwing some paint on the edge of the zone for a backwards K.
Walker Buehler’s Cutter
https://gfycat.com/frenchrepulsivebilby
Walker Buehler pitched five scoreless frames and struck out just as many Tigers. Three of those five strikeouts came on the cutter, including this one to Javier Báez, which runs out of the zone on the All Star shortstop.
Max Scherzer’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/embellishedobviousarizonaalligatorlizard
Lastly, we’ve got Max Scherzer, who threw nine strikeouts over six innings against the Phillies. It wasn’t Scherzer’s best outing, but it got the job done. It started off with five straight strikeouts, including this one to Nick Castellanos, who whiffed at this filthy slider.
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)