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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Blake Treinen’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/clearcutcomplexgoa
At this point, Blake Treinen has a spot reserved in Nastiest Pitches every time he takes the mound. After a long battle with Nolan Arenado, Treinen finally put the slugger away with a filthy slider on the tenth pitch of the at-bat.
Carlos Carrasco’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/admiredadeptconey
Carlos Carrasco had a very late start to the season, and 2021 has proved to be a bumpy ride since his return. He’s been quite unlucky as his xERA sits almost three full runs below his actual ERA, and nearly a quarter of the fly balls he’s allowed have gone for home runs. He kept the ball in the yard Tuesday, and while he did allow four runs, only one was earned. He tallied four strikeouts, including this one of Bryan De La Cruz on a nice changeup.
Paolo Espino’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/dimhonorableamericanwirehair
Austin Riley has been red-hot over the last month, providing another big bat in the middle of Atlanta’s lineup. That lineup put up five runs on Paolo Espino on Tuesday as Atlanta continued their winning ways. Despite the rough outing, Espino did strike out seven and got Riley here on a big breaking ball just out of his reach.
Aaron Nola’s Knuckle-Curve
https://gfycat.com/decimaloccasionaldairycow
Aaron Nola struck out Kolten Wong for the first out of the game, though the outing went downhill from there. Nola had another short start, lasting only five innings and allowing three runs. He recorded six strikeouts on four different pitches. The strikeout of Wong was the only K to come on a breaking ball.
Logan Webb’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/regalgrandioseanchovy
Logan Webb continued his quietly great season on Tuesday, unaffected by the thin Coors Field air. The righty struck out six, five coming on sliders like this one to Brendan Rodgers.
Zac Gallen’s Knuckle-Curve
https://gfycat.com/bitterfluffyglassfrog
Zac Gallen has had a bit of an up and down season as the young righty has battled injuries throughout the year. He’s still capable of showing off his elite repertoire any given start and picked up the strikeout of Charlie Culberson on a great breaking ball that just fell off the table.
Wily Peralta’s Splitter
https://gfycat.com/livepertinentkodiakbear
A September matchup between the Tigers and Pirates may not be the most exciting of contests, but that doesn’t mean that the game lacks Nasty Pitches. Wily Peralta totaled three K’s, all on splitters, and got Ben Gamel swinging in the third.
Chris Stratton’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/adorablescientifickoodoo
Doubling up on the Pirates’ game, we feature Pirates’ reliever Chris Stratton who picked up his second save of the season on Tuesday. He got the first out of the ninth on a sharp breaking ball to Derek Hill.
Blake Snell’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/insignificantuntidyaoudad
For the second consecutive outing, Blake Snell took a no-hitter into the seventh, and for the third straight start, Snell recorded double-digit strikeouts. Snell is finding his form at just the right time as the Padres are in the midst of a multiple-team playoff battle. Snell finished with eleven K’s on the night, with Jack Mayfield falling victim here in the fifth.
John Gant’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/feminineanyhorseshoebat
John Gant and four Twins’ relievers combined to shutout Cleveland on Tuesday night and the five hurlers combined for thirteen strikeouts. Gant had seven of his own and put away Franmil Reyes on a nice changeup in the first.
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns of Twitter)