Every morning, the We Love Baseball crew reviews the Nastiest Pitches from the previous day’s games. If you see something you think should be included here be sure to tweet @PitcherList to let us know. Or, if you’re a PL+ Member and part of our Discord, shout it out in the Nastiest Pitches channel.
Spencer Turnbull’s Sweeper
Spencer Turnbull was a Pitcher List darling a few years ago prior to his Tommy John surgery, but he never quite put it together. He’s come back in 2024 with a nasty sweeper that’s been getting outs, and it got the job done here against a hesitant Vidal Brujan.
Yu Darvish’s Sinker
Yu Darvish shoved on Sunday, punching out seven over seven strong innings versus a Dodgers lineup weakened by the absence of Shohei Ohtani. His slider did most of the damage, earning a 46% CSW across 24 thrown, but this backdoor sinker was too nasty to not include here.
Albert Suarez’s Changeup
Albert Suarez may have lost his rotation spot when Kyle Bradish returned from injury, but Suarez is still slinging filth from the ‘pen. His changeup is out of this world, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. couldn’t help but chase after this one.
Colten Brewer’s Curveball
It looked like Andrew McCutchen may have hurt himself on this swinging attempt at a nasty curveball from Colten Brewer.
Dean Kremer’s Sinker
What if I told you Dean Kremer struck out 10 Diamondbacks while still earning the loss? He had the sinker working, earning a whopping 48% CSW on 21 thrown, but that was almost entirely called strikes, as he generated only one whiff with the pitch. Either way, this backdoor sinker for the backwards K was perfectly spotted.
Hector Neris‘ Splitter
Hector Neris hasn’t been as lights out with the Cubs as he was with Houston last year, but his splitter is still elite, earing a 34.8% whiff rate.
Justin Verlander’s Fastball
Who doesn’t love a nice weekend project around the house where you slap a fresh coat of paint on the walls to freshen things up? That’s exactly what Justin Verlander did with this fastball.
Braxton Garrett’s Slider
Braxton Garrett returned from his second IL stint of the season, allowing five earned runs in a no decision versus Philadelphia. His slider was not good, earning only a 20% CSW but this one was all we needed for our purposes.
Ryan Helsley’s Slider
Ryan Helsley has been nothing short of lights out this year, and he omnce again entered the gsme and shut out the lights on the Brewers today. This slider is as good as it gets.
Michael Soroka’s Slider
We finish off with Michael Soroka, who has successfully eaten innings for the White Sox this season but not much else. He doesn’t exactly have what I’d call a nasty repertoire, but this slider was particularly nice.
Photos courtesy of Icon Sportswire
Adapted by Kurt Wasemiller (@KUWasemiller on Twitter / @kurt_player02 on Instagram