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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Luis Garcia’s Cutter
https://gfycat.com/euphoricmeaslybrownbutterfly
Luis Garcia’s cutter was the star Friday night and there were more than a few cutters that could have made this list. You could tell me Garcia’s cutter in the upper eighties is a slider and I wouldn’t know any better. This one is spotted perfectly just out of the zone to induce the swing before the ball spins away from Bogaerts’ flailing bat.
Kendall Graveman’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/antiquepleasingdutchsmoushond
Kendall Graveman made it interesting, and he took forever doing it, but he was able to do enough to get through the eighth inning and pass the baton to Ryan Pressly to finish off the win. Graveman’s best pitch was this sinker that may be a touch under the strike zone but is thrown hard and with subtle movement that the slow-motion cut is able to capture a little more clearly.
Tanner Houck’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/gregarioustensebluetonguelizard
Tanner Houck started off the critical eighth inning the Astros stretched the lead and shut the door on any chance of a late Red Sox comeback to add to their lore. Houck was able to spot his hard sinker at ninety-four MPH low and in on righties. Houck’s sinker movement is reminiscent of some pitchers’ changeups.
Nathan Eovaldi’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/femaleraggedamericancreamdraft
Nathan Eovaldi’s gutsy postseason continued Friday night and Eovaldi has nothing to be ashamed of despite the “L” next to his name on the scorecard. Eovaldi mixed in all of his pitches in an effort to keep the Astros hitters off balance as best he could. This slider was his best one of the night. Martín Maldonado was taking all the way and watched as Eovaldi placed this pitch perfectly on the outside corner after it sweeps through the strike zone.
Adam Ottavino’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/farflungpepperygreatargus
Before Kyle Tucker ruined Adam Ottavino’s night and started the celebration in Houston, Ottavino did throw a nasty pitch or two. It’s no consolation to him, or Red Sox fans, but it’s something.
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns of Twitter)