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!
Jordan Lyles‘ Changeup
https://gfycat.com/scornfulfluidfawn
This changeup from Jordan Lyles passes the “oof” test in a big way, as it completely fooled Raimel Tapia into taking a called strike three.
Dillon Tate’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/spectacularredgnat
Lyles’ teammate, Dillon Tate, has been a Nastiest Pitches stalwart this year. He threw back-to-back whiffle ball sliders to Bo Bichette in this at-bat before striking him out with an equally nasty changeup.
Gerrit Cole’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/untriedgoodbobolink
Speaking of nasty changeups, Gerrit Cole threw this devastating front-door changeup to catch Ji Man Choi looking to end the fourth inning. Cole’s changeup isn’t the nastiest pitch in his arsenal, but this one still fit the bill.
Gerrit Cole’s Fastball
https://gfycat.com/meagersevereakitainu
Meanwhile, Cole’s fastball earned a 46% CSW on the night, including 13 called strikes as he painted the right side of the plate all night.
Kyle Hendricks‘ Changeup
https://gfycat.com/arcticpossiblechameleon
Kyle Hendricks‘ changeup has made many appearances in Nastiest Pitches this year, and he unleashed multiple changeups on Tuesday that were worthy of inclusion here. This one was the best of the bunch.
Matthew Liberatore’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/crispfocusedbutterfly
Tucupita Marcano was forced to his knees after this devastating breaker from rookie Matthew Liberatore. This pitch is gorgeous.
Clay Holmes‘ Sinker
https://gfycat.com/lightmindlessanglerfish
Did you know that Clay Holmes has a .30 ERA this year? No, that’s not missing a number ahead of the decimal. This sinker explodes out of his hand and forces a very defensive swing out of Kevin Kiermaier.
Michael King’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/beautifulshowygavial
The tandem of Clay Holmes and Michael King in the Yankees’ bullpen this season has simply been unfair. Both pitchers have been among the best relievers in the game this season and they’ve both been absolutely filthy. This curveball from King is just disgusting.
Jackson Stephens‘ Changeup
https://gfycat.com/radiantharshindianglassfish
Jackson Stephens located this filthy changeup perfectly outside the zone to generate a wicked whiff from Josh Bell to end the inning. Bell didn’t stand a chance.
Trevor Richards‘ Changeup
https://gfycat.com/distortedimperfectfish
I keep saying that Trevor Richards has one of the most underrated changeups in the game and this is yet another example of it. A 38.8% CSW is in elite territory, but unfortunately his other offerings lack consistency and aren’t nearly as good as this devastating pitch.
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns of Twitter)