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.
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Charlie Morton’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/greedyelectriccanine
It didn’t take long for Charlie Morton to pick up his first strikeout of the game as he picked up the K only two batters in. A fantastic back-foot breaking ball took care of Jeff McNeil in the first, and it wouldn’t get much better for the Mets as Atlanta cruised to a victory.
Sandy Alcantara’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/narrowradiantcirriped
Sandy Alcantara’s low 90s changeup is faster than many pitcher’s fastballs, but it plays well off Alcantara’s triple-digit heat. With its elite movement, the pitch is a nightmare for hitters who struggle to a .223 wOBA on the pitch. Despite the velocity, DJ Stewart was way out in front of this one.
Dylan Cease’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/neatinfantileadmiralbutterfly
Dylan Cease gave up a pair of early runs to the Royals but would settle down and allow the Chicago offense to chip away at Kansas City’s bullpen. Cease finished with six strikeouts on only 89 pitches through his six innings of work. Three of the six came on sliders, like this one to Salvador Perez.
Kenta Maeda’s Splitter
https://gfycat.com/innocentvapidchupacabra
Since his return from the IL, Kenta Maeda has looked much more like the pitcher from 2020 than the one we saw in early 2021. While he may not be all the way back, he is definitely on his way, especially with splitters like this one to Willi Castro.
Shane McClanahan’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/untriedassuredcow
Shane McClanahan made the Nastiest Pitches list last week with some high-heat, and he makes it this week with a great breaking ball. Though he did allow a lot of traffic on the bases, he managed a quality start with six strikeouts. His first of the night came here against Gary Sanchez.
Dane Dunning’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/silentflashyfinnishspitz
Dane Dunning threw an efficient six and a third innings, needing only 78 pitches before being relieved. The strikeout total was low with only three, but the young righty was able to pick up the win. He struck out Andrew Young in the third with a slider that continued to run away from the zone.
Jonathan Loaisiga’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/minorgraykob
Jonathan Loaisiga bounced back well from his last outing as he preserved the lead for the Yankees against the division rival Rays. This 98 MPH sinker ran way in on Manuel Margot’s hands, and the righty had no chance to catch up to the pitch.
Logan Webb’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/madacrobaticfawn
Logan Webb struck out the first batter he faced, which proved to be a sign of things to come as Webb would hold the Dodgers hitless through four innings. He would allow his first hit and run in the fifth, but that would be all he would allow over six innings. Chris Taylor was the first of his five strikeout victims on this disappearing changeup.
Julio Urias’ Curveball
https://gfycat.com/briefgenuinebagworm
Julio Urias matched zeroes with Webb through five before giving up his first run in the sixth. Both starters would settle for the no-decision as both left the game locked at one. He showed off his big curveball here to LaMonte Wade Jr. for the first out of the fifth.
Aroldis Chapman’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/uniformbrownhumpbackwhale
Aroldis Chapman has had some well-documented struggles of late but performed well enough to lock down the save on Tuesday. After hitting 103 MPH earlier in the inning, he dropped this filthy slider in on Nelson Cruz to end the game.
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns of Twitter)