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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Drew Rasmussen’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/elatedicyarrowana
Rasmussen absolutely dominated the Tigers through five innings. He finished his night with seven strikeouts and 19 whiffs without allowing a run.
Corbin Burnes‘ Cutter
https://gfycat.com/brokenwideeyedbeetle
Burnes did not have the cleanest outing on Wednesday as he gave up four runs on seven hits over six innings, including dingers by Austin Riley and Marcell Ozuna. Even so, he managed 5 Ks and 19 whiffs. Watching his cutter freeze hitters never gets old.
Kyle Freeland’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/hollowwelllithellbender
Freeland is not known as a high-strikeout pitcher, but he racked up eight in six innings of work against the Giants. Just another reminder that even the average pitchers in the MLB have nasty stuff.
JP Feyereisen’s Fastball
https://gfycat.com/palatablerespectfulasiandamselfly
Wednesday’s one-inning outing puts Feyereisen at 18.1 innings pitched without giving up an earned run in 2022. He was one of only six pitchers who had pitched at least 10 innings without allowing a run going into Wednesday’s games.
Jordan Lyles‘ Changeup
https://gfycat.com/welldocumentedoptimalitalianbrownbear
Lyles gave up three runs in the first inning (one unearned) against the Yankees, but struck out Joey Gallo to limit the damage and then kept the Bronx Bombers’ bats quiet for the next six innings. Those three runs ended up being enough to down the O’s, but Lyles’s eight strikeouts and 12 whiffs were impressive nonetheless.
Zack Wheeler’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/questionablepoliteladybird
Wheeler scattered four hits across seven innings with nine strikeouts and 19 whiffs along the way. José Alvarado and Corey Knebel followed him to complete the shutout and earn the Phillies a 3-0 win over the Padres. Wheeler’s had some shaky outings in 2022, but he was in prime 2021 form on Wednesday.
Josiah Gray’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/prestigioushideousafricanrockpython
Gray turned in a strong six-inning, three-run performance against the Marlins with seven strikeouts. He earned six of those seven Ks with his slider. As it’s currently returning a 40% CSW rate, it’s easy to see why it’s his go-to pitch.
Gerrit Cole’s Fastball
https://gfycat.com/whimsicalangelicfrogmouth
This pitch in isolation is just a great four-seamer with good run that dots that outside corner of the zone. The sequencing that followed was brilliant — Cole’s next pitch was a cutter that Odor fouled away, and the third was a sharp knuckle-curve that earned Cole a strikeout (albeit with a little help from Blue). Cole is still looking for his peak form, but he turned in a strong seven innings with five Ks on Wednesday.
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns of Twitter)