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!
Zack Greinke’s Eephus
https://gfycat.com/TestyFaroffChrysalis
Let’s start off with what was perhaps not the nastiest offering of the day, but undoubtedly the most, um…unique. Zack Greinke did the thing only he can do in yesterday’s matchup against the Padres, and threw a 54 mph eephus pitch to the red hot Trent Grisham. As you can see in the slo-mo, Grisham can only help but smile and hang his head, knowing he was bested. Greinke followed up this filthy offering with 89 mph paint to get Grisham looking for a called strike three.
Dylan Cease’s Fastball
https://gfycat.com/CoarseGloomyBellfrog
Okay, now that we’ve got that one out of the way, let’s move on to some pitches that we’re more used to seeing thrown in major league games. We go to the Crosstown Classic, where the Cubs faced off against the White Sox. Dylan Cease pitched well, throwing six quality innings and striking out five, including Jason Kipnis, who went down looking on this 99 mph heater for a called strike three.
Yu Darvish’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/UnlawfulCautiousAmericanalligator
Sticking in the Windy City, we now move to the home side of the matchup, as we feature what was undoubtedly the best starting pitching performance from yesterday. Yu Darvish was dominant, going seven innings, allowing only one run, and striking out ten. Here’s his final K of the day, a sweeping slider that fools Danny Mendick on what was Darvish’s 103rd pitch of the afternoon. Absolute filth.
Craig Kimbrel’s Knuckle-Curve
https://gfycat.com/EminentSatisfiedCero
And now we move onto the final pitcher that we feature from the White Sox-Cubs matchup, Craig Kimbrel. Kimbrel’s been struggling this year; however, yesterday’s performance could be a sign for some hope. Yes, Kimbrel walked two batters, but he also struck out both Tim Anderson and Yoan Moncada, the latter of whom goes down swinging through Kimbrel’s nasty knuckle-curve.
Miguel Castro’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/NiceAssuredBoilweevil
Only a select few pitchers can throw a changeup at 93 mph. Here, we highlight Orioles reliever Miguel Castro, who throws a filthy change that absolutely fools Rafael Devers for a swinging strike three. Everything about this pitch screams nasty: the velocity, the movement, the grunt from Devers as he realizes he’s been made a fool. This pitch was just pure filth, and there’s no other way to put it.
Carlos Carrasco’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/FlawlessClearBison
Next, we feature Carlos Carrasco, who struggled on the mound yesterday for the Indians. He allowed four runs over 3.1 innings, when he was pulled off the mound for the day. However, we still highlight Carrasco, because even though he made a lot of mistakes, he also threw some filthy pitches. This one was one of his four strikeouts of the day, a slider that gets Jorge Bonifacio looking absolutely silly (H/T to PL+ member Alex Tran).
Corbin Burnes‘ Fastball
https://gfycat.com/PerfumedSneakyDutchsmoushond
Corbin Burnes pitched decently yesterday afternoon for the Brewers, going 5.1 innings and striking out seven (he did allow three runs though). Burnes has a blazing fastball, and he featured it here, as he blasts a 97 mph heater right by Cole Tucker, who swings in futility at this rising beauty for a nasty strike three.
Luke Weaver’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/ImaginaryWickedGartersnake
Finally this Monday morning we go out West, where we feature two pitchers. First, we have Luke Weaver who throws a gorgeous front door changeup to freeze Alex Dickerson for a called strike three. Weaver finished the day with 5.2 innings under his belt, as he struck out five and only allowed two runs to cross the plate. It was a solid outing for Weaver, who started off the season on an ice-cold stretch and needs to pick it up fast.
Trevor Cahill’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/EnormousImaginaryLemur
As solid as Weaver’s outing was, Trevor Cahill’s was certainly far better. In 5.1 innings, Cahill struck out eight batters, while only allowing one run to score. Here, Cahill uses a back door sinker which darts over the outer edge of the plate to freeze Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker for a called strike three.
GIF of the Night
Which was your favorite pitch? Vote below, and the winner may be featured in our Nastiest Pitches tournament midway through the season.
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