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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Chris Bassitt’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/LeftMammothCow
Monday’s slate of ALDS games was full of run scoring, but that doesn’t mean that there was a shortage of filthy offerings from the guys on the mound. In the Houston-Oakland game one matchup we start with Chris Bassitt, and although he allowed nine hits, he still got some nasty swings and misses. Most notably, he got Jose Altuve swinging at this filthy curveball that gets some insane drop. Check out that slo-mo, it’s a beauty.
Lance McCullers’ Sinker
https://gfycat.com/WelloffFabulousDipper
On the other side of the Astros-A’s game Lance McCullers was on the mound, and much like Bassitt, he mostly struggled, allowing five runs over his four innings pitched. McCullers was able to strike out five though, and ultimately the Astros pulled away with a game one win. Here McCullers bends a nasty sinker over the outside edge of the plate to freeze Mark Canha for a called strike three.
J.B. Wendelken’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/SerpentineAcrobaticBat
Now, moving on to the bullpen, we’re featuring a guy who pitched 0.2 innings and allowed four runs. Yes, I’ll give J.B. Wendelken a bit of a break, because none of those runs were earned, but still, he allowed three hits which led to four Astros runs. When Wendelken faced Carlos Correa though, he got the power hitting shortstop to reach at a nasty curveball that makes for a redeeming moment in an otherwise upsetting outing.
Gerrit Cole’s Fastball
https://gfycat.com/BreakableJollyLeopard
Moving on to last night’s AL East matchup, we got to see Gerrit Cole face off against the Tampa Bay Rays. And while Cole wasn’t at his best, he certainly had an impressive night. Cole pitched six quality frames and tossed eight strikeouts. Between his fastball and curve, there were a few Cole Ks up for contention, but I’m going with this blazing hot 100 mph fastball that Cole absolutely forces past Manuel Margot.
Blake Snell’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/IllfatedPolishedChuckwalla
Now onto Cole’s opponent on the mound, Blake Snell. Snell pitched five innings, in which he struck out four, but he also allowed four runs (on three homers). It wasn’t the best day on the mound for Snell, but he still got some nasty pitches in. Usually Snell’s heater or curve is his best stuff, but here he got Luke Voit swinging on a filthy back foot slider, which earns him a Nastiest Pitches shoutout.
Chad Green’s Fastball
https://gfycat.com/BriefReadyBufeo
Finally today, we tip our caps to Chad Green and his heater. Green pitched a clean inning in relief for the Yankees, in which he allowed just one walk, and struck out a single batter. That hitter was Austin Meadows, who stood no chance at hitting this 97 mph fastball that paints the lower-outside corner for a swinging strike three.