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!
Brandon Woodruff’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/FineArcticKakarikis
Brandon Woodruff was dominant on the mound for the Brewers in their 3-0 shutout of the Nationals. Woodruff pitched seven innings, struck out 10, and only allowed four hitters to reach base (none of whom scored). Here Woodruff dots the corner of the zone with a perfectly placed curveball that freezes Yan Gomes for strike three.
Max Scherzer’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/UnripeCornyAmericansaddlebred
On the very next plate appearance of this game, Max Scherzer took the mound and faced off against none other than Brandon Woodruff. And Scherzer got his revenge for Woodruff’s previous strikeout with a curveball of his own. Scherzer places the pitch in the exact same spot, and gets Woodruff swinging at the hook. Filthy.
Kyle Crick’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/VacantUnequaledImago
If you’re a Pirates fan, there’s not a lot to look forward to this year. But, on the bright side, you still get to watch Kyle Crick make hitters look silly with his filthy slider. This time around the victim is Dom Nuñez who swings at a nasty slider that runs in on him for strike three (h/t to PL+ member nvita).
Lucas Giolito’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/ColorlessSickLiger
Lucas Giolito arguably had his most dominant start of his season yesterday for the White Sox, going seven innings and striking out a dozen hitters, while only allowing one run. After a bad start to 2021, Giolito finally has his ERA down to a solid 3.73 and it should trend lower from there. Here Giolito uses a beautiful changeup to notch strikeout number 12 on the day against Anthony Santander.
Tarik Skubal’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/CarelessIncredibleKoalabear
Tarik Skubal pitched well for the Tigers against the Yankees yesterday, going six scoreless innings and striking out eight hitters en route to a Tigers win. Skubal had his whole arsenal working well for him yesterday, and here we feature this nasty back-foot slider that puts Aaron Judge away on strikes.
Brad Keller’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/DeepThisGermanwirehairedpointer
Brad Keller tossed five okay innings on the mound for the Royals, as he picked up his fifth win of the season. He allowed three runs to score but also struck out six along the way, including Ben Rortvedt, who swung at this insane changeup that touches 90 and zips down and away.
Kevin Gausman’s Splitter
https://gfycat.com/DangerousIgnorantAcouchi
Kevin Gausman was once again dominant on the mound yesterday for the Giants. Gausman pitched six shutout innings and struck out eight batters for the Giants. He was pulled at only 72 pitches with an injury, and hopefully it’s not too serious, because Gausman has been an essential piece of the Giants roster. Here he uses his signature splitter to induce a swinging strike three out of Cody Bellinger.
Clayton Kershaw’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/CrazyRelievedGuanaco
It’s not every day the Clayton Kershaw truly struggles on the mound, but yesterday was one of those days. Kershaw allowed the Giants to score five runs, but he still managed to strike out six batters. Here he uses his filthy slider to get Wilmer Flores swinging and missing.
Yusei Kikuchi’s Fastball
https://gfycat.com/InconsequentialAthleticIridescentshark
Yusei Kikuchi pitched solidly on the mound for the Mariners, as they completed the series sweep of the Rangers. Kikuchi went 6.2 innings and struck out five. Here, Kikuchi tosses his finest pitch of the afternoon, and it’s a 98 mph heater that paints the edge of the zone for a called strike three against Nate Lowe.
Josh Hader’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/BackVeneratedArabianoryx
Josh Hader closed the door on the Nationals yesterday afternoon. He pitched one clean inning in which he only allowed one hitter to reach base as he picked up his 12th save of the year. He also managed to get one strikeout, and it came on this pitch, a filthy slider that runs across the plate to fool Josh Bell.
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)