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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Zach Eflin’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/snoopyminiatureicelandichorse
Zach Eflin doesn’t throw his curveball much—only about 10% of the time, but the pitch does carry a 40% whiff rate. Gavin Lux learned that the hard way, striking out on Eflin’s big breaker for the first out of the third.
Eduardo Rodriguez’s Cutter
https://gfycat.com/lividdarkichthyostega
After some immense struggles over the last month, Eduardo Rodriguez’s Tuesday start was a step in the right direction, though he was still not particularly sharp. He did record five of his first six outs via the K and froze Abraham Almonte with a well located back door cutter.
Dallas Keuchel’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/lastingglisteninggalago
In a matchup of division leaders, Dallas Keuchel took the hill for the White Sox and led Chicago to a shutout victory over the visiting Tampa Bay Rays. Randy Arozarena had to crack a smile after losing his helmet on this changeup.
Sean Newcomb’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/backtautcapybara
After starter Tucker Davidson’s outing was cut short due to injury, Sean Newcomb was forced into a long relief appearance. He pitched well and kept the game from getting out of hand after the Red Sox scored four in the first. He struck out Enrique Hernandez in the fourth on a great breaking ball out of the zone that Hernandez was nowhere close to touching.
Shane McClanahan’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/earnestpoiseddassierat
Shane McClanahan is yet another promising young Tampa pitcher that the Rays seem to have an endless supply of. He opposed the aforementioned Keuchel and held his own with the veteran through his five innings of work. McClanahan got a big whiff from Yermin Mercedes on a slider here to begin the second.
Brett Anderson’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/jollyelectricharborporpoise
Brett Anderson’s poor peripheral numbers coupled with the Reds powerful lineup made this look like a nightmare matchup for the lefty. But Anderson cares not for peripheral numbers, as he absolutely stymied the Cincinnati offense on Tuesday. He struck out nine over seven shutout innings including Aristides Aquino on this great changeup.
Luis Castillo’s Four Seam Fastball
https://gfycat.com/merryflamboyantisopod
Unfortunately for the Brewers, the man opposite Anderson was just as good Tuesday night, as Luis Castillo looked to be in prime form. He matched zeroes with Anderson through seven innings and caught Daniel Vogelbach looking on this painted 98 mph fastball to escape the jam.
Taijuan Walker’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/agreeablealerthornedviper
Taijuan Walker set a career high with twelve strikeouts on Tuesday as the Mets downed the Cubs 3-2. Eleven of the twelve came on fastballs, with seven of those on sinkers like this one to Sergio Alcantara. Alcantara didn’t agree but the front door sinker ran back and caught plenty of plate.
Jordan Romano’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/madcraftyadeliepenguin
The biggest weakness for the Blue Jays continues to be their bullpen. They relinquished another lead on Tuesday, falling 6-5 as the Yankees scored three unanswered against Toronto relievers. Jordan Romano did give up the go-ahead hit to Clint Frazier but threw a nice slider to Aaron Judge to end the inning and avoid further damage. (h/t to PL+ member Burial)
Trevor Rogers‘ Changeup
https://gfycat.com/madgrayemperorpenguin
The Marlins have a plethora of great, young starting pitching and Trevor Rogers may be the best of them in 2021 as he turned in yet another strong start Tuesday against the Cardinals. Though he doesn’t eat innings as Miami works to keep his pitch count down, Rogers did complete six frames, and struck out six along the way. He got Tyler O’Neill to chase a nasty changeup here after setting him up with back to back fastballs at the top of the zone.
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns of Twitter)