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!
Charlie Morton’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/impracticalwelloffarieltoucan
Hoooooo diggity. This filthy curveball to strike out Rio Ruiz was the nastiest pitch of the night for Charlie Morton, who earned a win in Baltimore with his five innings of one-run ball. The pitch earned a 32% CSW on the night and induced seven whiffs, including this one for a swinging strikeout.
Jeurys Familia’s Splitter
https://gfycat.com/wigglydisgustingbirdofparadise
This splitter by Jeurys Familia had me jumping out of my seat when I saw it. Look at how this pitch starts in the middle of the plate, heads that way for the first 40 feet through the air, then darts low and away in the final few feet as Ozzie Ablies whiffs over the top of it. Unreal.
Pablo Lopez’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/hairysecondhellbender
Pablo Lopez dropped this insane changeup low and away to Luis García for a flailing strike. Lopez struck out seven in 5.1 innings while earning a win while his changeup earned a 29% CSW on the night. (H/T PL+ member Eric Wolfe)
Trevor Bauer’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/inferiorjoyfuldrever
Trevor Bauer limited the playoff-bound White Sox offense to two runs in seven innings of work on Saturday night, throwing sliders 36% of the time including this nasty paint on the outside corner to Yasmani Grandal. Grandal tried to foul it off at the last second but the ball was practically in the glove before he made up his mind.
Corbin Burnes‘ Curveball
https://gfycat.com/selfassuredfragrantcockroach
Corbin Burnes pitched one heck of an outing on Saturday, striking out nine over six innings of work against Kansas City. The cutter was the star of the show with a 40% CSW on the night, but the curveball looked pretty darn good too. Burnes is on fire lately, allowing only one earned run in September. Boomshakalaka!
Jesus Luzardo’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/maddisastrousbooby
Jesus Luzardo pitched six solid innings on Saturday, allowing five hits without a run while striking out seven. This curveball to Evan Longoria nearly ended up in the dirt, but it looked like a strike for 95% of the time it was in the air. Luzardo is a stud and he’s quickly becoming one of my favorite pitchers to watch.
Corbin Burnes‘ Cutter
https://gfycat.com/majesticbiodegradabledungbeetle
As I mentioned earlier, Burnes’ cutter was the star of the show in his outing on Saturday and this is just one example of it. He was painting corners and getting whiffs left and right with the pitch, including this one against professional hitter Alex Gordon.
Clayton Kershaw’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/halfmassivefattaileddunnart
The appropriately named Cooperstown Curveball is a nastiest pitches mainstay, and I will never stop including it as long as Kershaw pitches on my assigned nights. I could watch this every day until the day I die. Such a beautiful pitch.
Devin Williams‘ Changeup
https://gfycat.com/queasysleepyammonite
Here’s another pitch that I will include every time I can. Devin Williams‘ changeup has burst onto the scene this year and quickly became one of the best pitches in the entire league. He dropped this one into the bottom of the zone for a called strike three, effectively freezing Nick Heath in place.
Hyun Jin Ryu’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/dismalgoldencopepod
We finish off the night with one more pretty curveball, this one from Hyun Jin Ryu that actually nearly breaks Jean Segura’s ankles. Ryu earned a tough luck loss on Saturday, allowing two earned runs over six innings while striking out eight in the process. It was an unfortunate result for an otherwise solid night, but at least we got this pitch to remember the outing fondly.