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.
Gerson Garabito’s Changeup
Congratulations to Gerson Garabito, who earned his first career MLB strikeout with this filthy changeup. He only had a 14% CSW with the pitch on the day, generating only two whiffs on 14 thrown, but one pitch is all we need for our purposes and this was a gem.
Matt Moore’s Knuckle Curve
This pitch was filthy, but how the heck did Josh Naylor’s helmet hang on his head and not fall off? That thing nearly spun around 360 degrees after this swing. I’m utterly shocked.
Matt Carasiti’s Forkball
I’m in love with the forkball. Matt Carasiti has thrown one his entire career, but he didn’t pitch from 2020-2022 after injury and inconsistency. He returned for a brief cup of Joe last year before being called up by Colorado on Friday, and man is this pitch awesome. It’s got a super low spin rate (this one was only 822 RPM) and some crazy knuckling action. The Rockies’ broadcast also showed a great view of his grip, which is fascinating. The pitch is filthy and you’re going to be seeing a lot more of it here over the course of the season.
Chris Sale’s Slider
What’s Nastiest Pitches without Chris Sale? The man has been doing this for years and it’s so great to see him back out on the mound and pitching like the Chris Sale we’re all used to, throwing nothing but junk and striking dudes out. He’s the best.
Bryan Woo’s Changeup
I love to feature front door sinkers around here (more on that in a moment), but nasty front door changeups are a bit more difficult to find. He doesn’t hit his spot here, but Bryan Woo does paint the corner with a nasty offspeed offering that freezes CJ Abrams dead in his tracks.
Kyle Bradish’s Sinker
Bradish absolutely shoved on Sunday, striking out 11 against the punchless White Sox in a pitching duel against Garrett Crochet (who also struck out 11). A front door sinker is as pretty of a pitch as they come.
Michael Wacha’s Changeup
Michael Wacha’s changeup is the best pitch in baseball that nobody ever talks about. It’s almost like it’s an afterthought and it’s just so underappreciated I can’t take it. Enjoy this filthy pitch and the excellent slo-mo from Tampa Bay’s broadcast.
Ranger Suárez’s Curveball
Ranger Suárez has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season, but a road matchup against the Rockies presented a challenge that he couldn’t quite overcome. Suarez still struck out nine, but five runs allowed in the first two innings was too much for the Phillies to overcome.
Tanner Houck’s Slider
What a gorgeous backdoor slider by Tanner Houck for the backwards K. Houck twirled a gem, striking out seven over six strong innings. He’s pitching with confidence these days, which is obvious with the way he walks off the mound after this pitch.
Tyler Ferguson’s Sweeper
The A’s have some dudes with filthy stuff in that bullpen. Tyler Ferguson is the latest guy who’s caught my eye and I’ll be dipping my toes back in this well again.
Photos courtesy of Icon Sportswire
Adapted by Kurt Wasemiller (@KUWasemiller on Twitter / @kurt_player02 on Instagram