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!
Jose Berrios’ Curveball
https://gfycat.com/clearreadyfoxhound
Much has already been written about Jose Berrios‘ curveball around these parts, so I’m not going to bother trying to enlighten you with some nugget that may or may not even mean anything. If you’re reading this, watch this pitch again. Then watch it again. Then again. It’s almost hypnotizing, It was tough trying to find a pitch that competes with this one, but I think we’ve got a pretty competitive race for the nastiest pitch of the evening. Sit back and enjoy the ride.
Codi Heuer’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/similarfantasticafricancivet
Codi Heuer pitched an inning of scoreless ball and announced his arrival to the big leagues in spectacular fashion with this unhittable sinker. Max Schrock, in the first at-bat of his career, had no choice but to take this called strike three because it was literally a ball up until the very last moment. This was a special pitch and I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of Codi Heuer here in the future if he continues slinging this stuff around.
Kevin Gausman’s Splitter
https://gfycat.com/fastbelovedbarracuda
This is just one of the many splitters that Kevin Gausman threw on Saturday that were straight-up filthy, leading to his first-ever GIF Sandwich award. The pitch earned a 42% CSW rate and he struck out an unreal 11 total batters on the day. He was a bit wild in the first inning, but he settled down and had the splitter working the rest of his outing. Stephen Piscotty wasn’t the only Athletic to swing out of his shoes at a pitch that disappeared out of the zone, he just happened to be the one to look bad in this space today and for that, Stephen, I apologize.
Aaron Nola’s Knuckle Curve
https://gfycat.com/untriedmiserablehorseshoecrab
It was Nola day on Saturday as Aaron Nola allowed only five baserunners in his seven innings of work against the Mets. The knuckle curve, in particular, was on fire, earning an unbelievable 58% CSW on 26 thrown. This strikeout of Amed Rosario was one of eight on the day for Nola in the Phillies’ 6-2 win over the Mets.
Jake Odorizzi’s Fastball
https://gfycat.com/impartialordinaryfruitfly
This defensive swing by Adalberto Mondesi was too little too late because the ball was already pretty much past him by the time he decided to swing. Jake Odorizzi had a solid day on the mound, striking out six before giving up a two-run shot to Maikel Franco and getting the quick hook immediately after. The ERA wasn’t great, but the WHIP and Ks were nice, and it was overall an enjoyable start to watch. (H/T PL+ Member Tristall)
Danny Duffy’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/nextcomplexantarcticfurseal
Danny Duffy had a nice outing against the Twins on Saturday, allowing only three baserunners and two runs (one earned) in his five innings of work. The Twins may be without Josh Donaldson, but that lineup is still capable of wreaking havoc on opposing pitchers, and Duffy did a good job of keeping the ball out of play with his eight strikeouts. This filthy slider to Jake Cave is all kinds of nasty.
Shane Bieber’s Two-Seam Fastball
https://gfycat.com/hugehelplesscicada
Another day, another 11 Ks from Shane Bieber. He’s now at 54 strikeouts on the season and at this rate he should top 100 strikeouts by the end of the season. It’s been nothing short of pure dominance, and when his two-seamer is moving like this one does there’s nothing that can stop him.
Sergio Romo’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/scarcecompassionatehare
Sergio Romo has been around for what seems like forever, and while his slider isn’t as effective as it once was, it can still be a nasty out pitch at times. Jorge Soler went 0-6 with six strikeouts in Saturday’s doubleheader against the Twins, and he got got by Romo in this at-bat. Here’s to better days for Soler soon.
Trevor Rosenthal’s Fastball
https://gfycat.com/weakverifiableasianwaterbuffalo
Trevor Rosenthal was washed up and no longer an effective major league pitcher not that long ago, but he has completely turned it around for the Royals in 2020. Rosenthal is the closer and is back to hitting spots and pumping 100 MPH gas for strikes, and it’s a beautiful sight to behold. He struck out Eddie Rosario with this gorgeous fastball to earn his fourth save of the season and lower his ERA to 0.90 on the year. Welcome back, Trevor!
Max Fried’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/fabulousnegativebangeltiger
We end the night with one of the prettiest pitches in the majors. This perfectly located curveball on the corner of the zone is untouchable, and Max Fried continued his fantastic 2020 season with another 7 strikeouts in a scoreless outing in Miami. It may not be the nastiest pitch of the night, but it is one of the best executed and most enjoyable pitches to watch. Hats off to Fried for another stellar outing.
GIF of the Night
Which was your favorite pitch? Vote below, and the winner may be featured in our Nastiest Pitches tournament midway through the season.
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