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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Devin Williams‘ Changeup
https://gfycat.com/livelysillyaidi
I mean, of course we’re going to start off with Devin Williams and his absurd changeup tonight. This pitch is the best in the majors right now and he had a few beauties on Saturday night. Kris Bryant knew it was coming but still couldn’t stay away from this filth.
Rich Hill’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/blandunequaledinsect
It was a vintage Rich Hill game as he struck out seven over five innings, and his curveball was on all night long. He had a solid 34% CSW on 44 thrown and earned the win on the night. He’s still not what he was a few years ago but it was a nice glimpse into the past on Saturday night.
Miguel Castro’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/sarcasticphonybrocketdeer
This is the first of two pitches from Miguel Castro’s seventh inning that will grace this article, as both are deserving and I couldn’t pick just one. This changeup to get Travis Shaw clocked in at 94 MPH, which is insanely high for a change, and the movement is absolutely ridiculous. (H/T PL+ member nvita)
Blake Treinen’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/limpingscalycanary
This power sinker is so much fun to see. Blake Treinen has rarely thrown on nights that I do these articles so I was psyched to see that he had gotten in the game. He did not disappoint. This pitch is absolutely untouchable and Alex Bregman cowered in fear as he thought it would zoom in and hit him.
Ian Anderson’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/wellmadeunkemptanchovy
It is the night of the changeup and we’ve got another beautiful one here by Ian Anderson. Juan Soto could not believe his eyes as the pitch painted the corner just enough to be called strike three. Anderson struck out nine on the day, earning the win in a seven-inning one-hitter. It was easily his best start of the year as the young righty just keeps getting better and better.
Seth Lugo’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/niftybouncygemsbok
Seth Lugo earned the loss on Saturday despite only allowing three runs in 5.1 innings. The Mets couldn’t do anything against any of the Blue Jays’ pitchers and poor Lugo deserved better. Cavan Biggio stood no chance against this perfectly placed curveball to end the inning.
Miguel Castro’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/sardonicklutzyleonberger
Here’s the second Miguel Castro pitch, a devastating sinker that just barely nips the edge of the zone for a strike. Guerrero would end up striking out on a slider that was also filthy, but three pitches from one guy would have been too many. The Mets have something special in Castro and hopefully he can blossom into a dominant reliever for them. (H/T PL+ member Shwebsi)
Dean Kremer’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/livelywelltodolamb
Dean Kremer has burst onto the scene in his two starts against the Yankees, striking out 14 and only allowing two runs in 11 innings. He’s got a nice four-pitch mix and I almost included one of his cutters instead, but this curveball had a nasty amount of spin and poor Brett Gardner had no chance of making contact with this one.
Zach Plesac’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/bountifulreliablehadrosaurus
Zach Plesac doesn’t hit his spot here but that doesn’t matter – Josh Donaldson still swings right through this nasty changeup. Plesac earned the loss on Saturday, giving up five runs over seven innings and he didn’t look terribly sharp for most of the night.
Eric Yardley’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/windingmeagerbighorn
It’s not every day you get to see a sidearm slider, and as I was jumping through this game to get to Devin Williams I ended up watching Eric Yardley’s appearance. I liked what I saw, and while his 13.2% O-Swing on this pitch is definitely not great, it just barely grazes enough of the zone to earn a called strike. I love sidearm pitchers (shoutout the GOAT, Byung-Hyun Kim) and I’ll definitely be watching some more of Yardley in the future.