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/severefarawayindianabat
I’d be willing to say that Blake Treinen has been the nastiest pitcher of 2021 so far. His sinkers have been filthy and his sliders have been disgusting, and here’s yet another one that gets a ton of break en route to striking out Jason Heyward.
Anthony Bender’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/alienatedfrayedfritillarybutterfly
This is the first major league strikeout for Anthony Bender, a former 20th round pick in 2016 for the Kansas City Royals. Per his Fangraphs prospect write-up, he’s a sinker/slider guy who leans more into the slider than the fastball. I’m curious to see if he’ll stick and succeed because if he does, I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of him around these parts.
Max Fried’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/carefreeagilediplodocus
Here’s a beautiful curveball from Max Fried to induce a spinning strikeout of Starlin Castro. Fried avenged his loss to the Nationals earlier in the season, earning the win while striking out six in five innings pitched. (H/t PL+ member Eric Wolfe)
Adbert Alzolay’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/tastysecondhanddunnart
Adbert Alzolay ended up leaving the game after five innings and the Cubs’ broadcast speculated that it may have been due to injury. I haven’t seen anything since, so maybe it was nothing but speculation. Regardless, Alzolay pitched very well on Wednesday while going toe-to-toe with Walker Buehler. This sinker to strike out Mookie Betts in the first inning was a ball right up until the very last second, and it was gorgeous.
John Means‘ Changeup
https://gfycat.com/givingdescriptiveasiantrumpetfish
The man of the hour will be the butt of many puns today, but there is nothing to laugh at in a 12 strikeout, complete game shutout. Oh, and it was a no-hitter for John Means. The only baserunner he allowed was on a third strike passed ball, and that pitch was also filthy. There were plenty of options to choose from in this outing, but this changeup in the seventh inning to get Ty France whiffing definitely takes the cake.
Logan Webb’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/charmingkindeasternglasslizard
Logan Webb struggled in Coors, allowing six runs in only 3 2/3 innings, but his slider did earn a 50% CSW% on the day which is pretty dang good. Unfortunately, it’s the only pitch he had working all day, and this one to Trevor Story was the best of the bunch. Here’s hoping this start was only a small bump in the road for the up-and-coming youngster. (H/t PL+ member Ben Murillo)
Shohei Ohtani’s Fastball
https://gfycat.com/dirtycolossalarabianhorse
Shohei Ohtani dazzled on the mound Wednesday night, striking out seven while only allowing one hit. He did walk six batters, which helped lead to his early exit after only five innings, but he was in line for a win before the bullpen would go on to blow it. Ohtani threw a bunch of sinkers that were worthy of inclusion but the painted fastball that froze Brandon Lowe was too good to leave out.
Sonny Gray’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/bitesizednimblejanenschia
This pitch exploded out of Sonny Gray’s hand and looked much faster than the 93 MPH it was clocked at. Leury García tried and failed to put wood on the ball but had no chance at catching up with this one. (H/t PL+ member AnOldOldWoodenShippy)
Aroldis Chapman’s Fastball
https://gfycat.com/majesticexemplarycavy
Aroldis Chapman earned the save against Houston on Wednesday night, pitching two scoreless frames while striking out two. One of those strikeouts was on this pitch, where he caught Yordan Alvarez staring off into space as a 101 MPH dart whizzed by to clip the corner of the plate. Chapman no longer hits 104 MPH as he did in his prime, but 101 is still pretty darn good.
Marcus Stroman’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/friendlyterribleasianwaterbuffalo
Marcus Stroman took the loss in this one, allowing all four runs (two earned) over five innings of work. He did have a 35% CSW% with the slider, which is pretty dope, but everything else in his arsenal simply wasn’t clicking. He’s one of the most fun pitchers to watch on the mound, though, and this start was still a blast to watch.
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns of Twitter)