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.
As a bonus for PL+ members, let us know about a pitch on the PL+ Discord in the Nasty Pitches Channel, and if your suggestion is included the next day, you’ll be entered into a weekly drawing for a free T-shirt!
Shane Bieber’s Knuckle-Curveball
https://gfycat.com/enchantedactualdeermouse
Guardians ace Shane Bieber induced 12 0-2 counts in his complete game, one-run outing against the White Sox yesterday. Bieber struck out seven and allowed just three hit in a dominant outing. This terrific 82 mph knuckle-curve to strike out Reese McGuire is Bieber at his very best.
Gerrit Cole’s Four-Seam Fastball
https://gfycat.com/leafyadmiredhagfish
Robbed of a win thanks to a complete collapse by Clay Holmes in the ninth inning, Gerrit Cole also put on a phenomenal display of pitching dominance yesterday. Cole fanned 11 through seven strong innings, allowing no runs on four hits. The heater was working for him all outing – this 99 mph four-seam fastball running away to strike out Joey Votto.
José Berríos‘ Curveball
https://gfycat.com/meanignorantalligatorgar
The ball was moving around with some venom for Blue Jays starter José Berríos in Toronto’s narrow win over the Phillies. This 84 mph curveball with extra cheese is the perfect example and far too good for Didi Gregorius.
Chris Sale’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/repulsivefewcivet
Welcome back Chris Sale! The Red Sox lefty returned from the injured list and produced a trademark performance to shutout the Ray through five innings. He also struck out five including this perfect 80 mph slider to fell Ji-Man Choi.
Spencer Strider’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/blissfulraregoldenretriever
The pitching sensation of the season, Atlanta’s Spencer Strider continues to rack up the strikeouts with his impressive, nasty stuff. Strider struck out eight over four and two third’s innings and this lovely 84 mph slider to punch out Mark Canha at a pressure point in the game was seriously good.
Emilio Pagán’s Splitter
https://gfycat.com/gargantuanlivideasternnewt
Twins handy reliever Emilio Pagán has knocked around ballclubs in the last few years but he still features in high-leverage situations because of his elite stuff. Here is his hard split fastball, perfectly located as it looks to move inside before nestling into Jace Peterson’s strike zone at a cool 89 mph.
Josh Hader’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/confusedwhoppingblueandgoldmackaw
Another performance of pure heat and excellent command, things that we have come to expect from Brewers closer Josh Hader, the most dominant ninth-inning arm in baseball. Hader struck out the side and Luis Arraez had no chance with this 98 mph sinker high and away, a pitch that ended the game in spectacular fashion.
Corey Kluber’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/pointedyellowishenglishsetter
And to finish, the veteran Corey Kluber with the most perfect back door breaking ball you will ever see – an 81 mph curveball that freezes Franchy Cordero and nicks the corner of the strike zone. You love to see it. We love baseball!
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns of Twitter)