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!
Corbin Burnes‘ Curveball
https://gfycat.com/anguishedpastarrowana
Starting off, we have a filthy curveball from an impressive Corbin Burnes outing. Burnes struck out 11 hitters over seven innings, with a healthy mix of his cutter, curve, and fastball. Here he puts the curveball on display for Tommy Edman, who swings over the offering.
Rafael Montero’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/pointedjauntyharpseal
Sometimes an unexpected name pops up in our Nastiest Pitches articles, and this morning, we’ve got one for you. Here’s Rafael Montero throwing a filthy sinker that runs in on Luis Torrens for a swinging strike three. Just a seamless pitch that’s utterly unhittable.
Shane McClanahan’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/dependentadorableiberianmidwifetoad
Usually, we like to feature a violent heater from Shane McClanahan, but this morning we’re going with his offspeed pitch. McClanahan fires off a filthy changeup that skips out of the zone and away from the bat of Kyle Higashioka for a strike three here.
MacKenzie Gore’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/solidbigheartedgavial
Rookie MacKenzie Gore has been stellar for the Padres, and yesterday the young southpaw continued to impress. He struck out nine over seven innings, and none of his pitches were filthier than this curve that he bends over the plate to Rodolfo Castro.
Alex Lange’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/lastmealyborer
Alex Lange pitched a clean 1.1 innings for the Tigers yesterday as he picked up the win. The young reliever was able to strike out two hitters, including the powerful José Ramírez, who went down swinging at a wicked changeup.
Patrick Sandoval’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/alienatedneedycleanerwrasse
The pitching from both the Blue Jays and Angels was sloppy yesterday, as both offenses combined for 21 runs. And even though Patrick Sandoval found himself responsible for six of those, he was still able to fire off some filthy sliders, just like he does here to Bradley Zimmer.
Max Fried’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/glassfarchimneyswift
Who doesn’t love a Max Fried curveball that gets some insane 12-6 movement. The pitch just drops straight out on Jon Berti who can only swing away at what was one of Fried’s five nasty Ks from yesterday.
Craig Kimbrel’s Knuckle-Curve
https://gfycat.com/wavydaringirishwaterspaniel
Next up, we’ve got the final pitch that sealed a sweep for the Dodgers over the Diamondbacks. Craig Kimbrel fired off a perfect backdoor curveball that just paints the zone for a called strike three to end the game.
Zack Wheeler’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/reliablerawgreatargus
Zack Wheeler’s line against his former team was hurt by some poor Phillies defense, but other than that he looked fully in control. Wheeler tossed seven strikeouts and was even able to strike out the red hot Francisco Lindor on this wonderful slider.
Adam Ottavino’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/poshdistantdalmatian
I will admit, this may be a Nastiest Pitches first. Just a few pitches after this slider, Nick Castellanos got the best of Adam Ottavino, with a 3-run blast. However, the first pitch of the at-bat was too filthy to pass up, so here it is in all its glory.
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)