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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Ian Anderson’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/breakableeachgermanshepherd
Ian Anderson took the ball in game two of the NLCS and put forth a strong performance. While he did walk five, he managed to put up four shutout innings before giving way to a myriad of Atlanta relievers. To lead off the second he struck out Cody Bellinger on a curveball at the bottom of the zone.
Ian Anderson’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/thatfancyamericanbadger
Corey Seager fell victim to Ian Anderson’s changeup twice in two at-bats on Tuesday. In the second instance, Anderson gets Seager to chase the pitch as it tails away and out of the zone.
Tony Gonsolin’s Four-Seam Fastball
https://gfycat.com/fluidraggedairedaleterrier
Tony Gonsolin was sent out to start game two after Clayton Kershaw was scratched with a back issue. Apart from a Freddie Freeman home run, Gonsolin cruised through four innings before running into trouble in the fifth. He did end the night with seven strikeouts over his 4.1 innings, including this one of Nick Markakis, getting him to swing through an elevated fastball at 97 MPH.
Ryan Thompson’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/failingredharpseal
Ryan Thompson was the fourth pitcher used by the Rays on Tuesday, and found himself in a high leverage situation with two on and no outs in the eighth. He got the best of Alex Bregman as Thompson inundated Bregman with sinkers down in the zone before throwing a frisbee slider away to get the whiff.
Jose Urquidy’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/polishedwildchital
Jose Urquidy got the start in game three of the ALCS, and put forth a solid performance that allowed the Astros to stay in the game, although the Rays would put up five runs in the sixth to take a 3-0 series lead. Urquidy showed off his sharp breaking ball, like this one to Manuel Margot.
Ryan Yarbrough’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/devotedselfreliantbluefintuna
Ryan Yarbrough started game three for the Rays on Tuesday, limiting Houston to two runs over his five innings of work. While Yarbrough won’t light up the radar gun, he got Kyle Tucker to flail at this curveball to begin his at bat in the fourth.
Chris Martin’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/carefreejoyouscuscus
Chris Martin tossed one shutout inning of relief for the Braves on Tuesday. His lone strikeout came against Will Smith with a strong wipeout slider off the plate. (h/t to PL+ member burial)
Diego Castillo’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/theseshadowygroundbeetle
Diego Castillo shut the door for the Rays Tuesday, as he has become a lock down option at the back end of their bullpen. Castillo struck out a pair in the ninth, and began the inning striking out Josh Reddick with a back-foot slider. (h/t to PL+ member AetherJ)