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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Framber Valdez’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/PinkAjarAbyssiniangroundhornbill
Last night we were treated to game one of the 2020 ALCS, as the Houston Astros faced off against the Tampa Bay Rays. Framber Valdez started for the defending AL champs, and he threw six innings in which he allowed two runs and struck out eight. Valdez came out of the gate on fire, striking out the side in order in the first. For the first of those three Ks, Valdez brought the hammer down on Mike Brosseau with a filthy strike three curve
Blake Snell’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/FirstMasculineLamprey
It was a solid night for Blake Snell, who ran up the pitch count early, and thus was pulled after only five frames. However, Snell allowed only one run to cross the plate while on the mound, as he held a fearsome Astros lineup in check. Here we highlight Snell’s filthy slider, which he uses to get George Springer swinging for one of the two Ks Snell threw all night.
Ryan Thompson’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/WanBouncyCleanerwrasse
Ryan Thompson entered in the seventh to pitch an inning in relief for the Rays, and Thompson got the job done. He threw a clean inning and struck one hitter out on a nice slider. But this morning we tip our hats to Thompson’s sinker, which he bends right past the bat of Martín Maldonado for a swinging strike.
Enoli Paredes‘ Slider
https://gfycat.com/ShowyMedicalDalmatian
Finally tonight, we feature Enoli Paredes, who pitched to just two batters in relief last night for the Astros. Both of those guys went down on strikes and here we feature the first of those two batters, Randy Arozarena. Arozarena, who hit an important home run earlier in the game for the Rays, went down swinging on a disgusting offering that is placed perfectly for strike three.
(Photo by Doug Murray/Icon Sportswire)