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!
George Kirby’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/meekalarminglemming
George Kirby made his long awaited MLB debut yesterday, and he did not disappoint. Kirby is just as good as advertised. Here we tip our caps to him on his first career strikeout, a filthy slider that runs in on Brandon Lowe.
Andrés Muñoz’s Fastball
https://gfycat.com/lawfulspicydogwoodtwigborer
Following Kirby out of the bullpen, Andrés Muñoz pitched a clean one-two-three inning as he struck out the side in order. Here the hard throwing righty fired a heater past Ji-Man Choi for a painted swinging strike three.
Charlie Morton’s Curveball
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Given his age, it’s tough to say how much longer we will get to marvel at the beauty of Charlie Morton’s sweeping curveball. When the pitch is executed to perfection it might just be the prettiest pitch in the whole sport. And that’s just what happens on this pitch that strikes out Willy Adames.
Cristian Javier’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/satisfiedblankarcticwolf
Who doesn’t love themselves a back door breaking ball. Here, we have Cristian Javier throwing his slider across the opposing batter’s box and then landing it on the center of the plate. It’s an absurd amount of break and Robbie Grossman knows it more than anyone.
Gerrit Cole’s Knuckle-Curve
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Gerrit Cole pitched a ten strikeout gem for the Yankees yesterday. Although most of his strikeouts came on the fastball or slider, it’s this knuckle-curve to Nathaniel Lowe that takes the cake as Cole’s best of the day.
Dane Dunning’s Changeup
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On the other side of that matchup, we’ve got Dane Dunning who pitched a solid game for himself. Dunning didn’t surrender a hit until the 6th in a commanding performance. Here he tosses his nastiest offering of the day, a filthy changeup that dives out of the zone on Aaron Hicks.
Joe Musgrove’s Curveball
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Joe Musgrove pitched seven solid innings yesterday for the Padres, and he got off to a great start with a three pitch strikeout to Jazz Chisholm Jr. Musgrove put Chisholm away on this filthy curveball that drops out of the zone quickly.
Zac Gallen’s Slider
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Zac Gallen continued his early season dominance as he lowered his ERA to 0.95 after seven scoreless frames. Gallen struck out seven hitters, including slugging first baseman C.J. Cron, who went down swinging on a nasty slider.
Max Scherzer’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/scholarlywaryanchovy
In the first game of the Mets-Phillies double-header, Max Scherzer took the mound and struck out seven over six quality innings. Here Scherzer gets himself out of an early jam by throwing a wicked changeup to Nick Castellanos, who swings right over the pitch.
Chris Bassitt’s Curveball
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Okay, one more from the Mets and this one’s from Chris Bassitt’sgame two start. Bassitt fired off this insane curve which at first looks like it’s going above Bryce Harper’shead. But somehow, Bassitt wills the pitch down to paint the upper edge of the zone. Filthy stuff (h/t to PL+ member nvita).
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)