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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Lance Lynn’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/completeuntidyasp
Talk about a pitch that passes the “Oof” test. I didn’t know that Lance Lynn even threw a sinker. Apparently he threw it 18 times on Monday night for a… 6% CSW. Yeah, not great Bob. The pitch clearly needs some work but I think there’s something there…
Tim Mayza’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/familiarwideheterodontosaurus
Tim Mayza allowed three earned runs in the 11th inning against the Rays, but not before this screwdriver-inducing slider to get Kevin Kiermaier to go down on strikes. It was his best pitch on this otherwise forgettable afternoon.
Spencer Turnbull’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/shockingboringkestrel
Spencer Turnbull didn’t exactly follow up his no-hitter with another no-hitter, but he pitched well enough in this one for fantasy managers to remain excited about the young Tigers’ hurler. This nasty sinker totally fooled José Ramírez into thinking it was a ball, right up until the very last second when it cut back over the plate for a strike. Filthy stuff.
Ross Stripling’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/evergreenyellowishgoldeneye
This slider from Ross Stripling started on the inside of the plate and ended up halfway into the other batter’s box. Absurd. Stripling came on in relief after Trent Thornton allowed five runs in the first inning, and boy did Stripling deliver. He threw seven innings of two-hit ball, allowing no runs and striking out seven. That’s pretty hard to believe considering the Rays scored fourteen runs in this one. His fastball had a 41% CSW on the day but this slider was filthy.
John Means‘ Curveball
https://gfycat.com/impartiallividisabellineshrike
Man, this ball really hung in the air for what felt like forever. John Means once again pitched like the ace he’s proven himself to be, and he gave the Orioles a chance to win in this one by giving up only five hits and two runs in seven strong innings. 6/14 CSW with the curveball is deadly, and this one was especially filthy.
David Peterson’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/sizzlingmetallichamster
This was the third time in two at-bats that David Peterson caught Raimel Tapia swinging at a slider down and out of the zone, and Tapia couldn’t believe that he fell for it again here. To be fair, I fall for the slider ten out of ten times in MLB The Show. It’s impossible to hit, so I feel for you Raimel.
Bryan Garcia’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/smoggyorangehoneybadger
I want to see this pitch with a better camera angle. This changeup from Bryan Garcia flutters in the wind and moves a ton, and while the camera angle leaves a lot to be desired, this is still a nasty pitch.
Ryan Yarbrough’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/cornysarcasticcommabutterfly
This game was a slugfest, with Tampa Bay scoring fifteen runs and winning the game in extras, but Ryan Yarbrough pitched pretty well. He allowed three runs (three solo home runs) over six innings. Those three home runs were his only hits allowed on the day, so it was a little unlucky for fantasy managers who started him on Monday as he pitched well but his few mistakes were hit a very long way. This curveball got Bo Bichette to swing out of his shoes and almost to the ground.
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns of Twitter)