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.
Blake Snell’s Curveball
We obviously have to start with the man who completed eight innings in a game for the first time in his career. Mr. Five Innings himself, Blake Snell. Oh, and he pitched the ninth as well. And didn’t allow a hit. That one’s kind of a big deal.
Aroldis Chapman’s Fastball
100 mph down and away with a tad bit of movement at the end is simply unhittable.
Frankie Montas‘ Cutter
Frankie Montas‘ first CSW pitch of the game was this nasty cutter in on the hands of CJ Abrams. I was not expecting to see this when I fired this game up, and I don’t think Abrams was either.
Gavin Stone’s Changeup
Gavin Stone corkscrews Lawrence Butler all the way to the dugout. We also almost get Butler’s helmet to fall off. Honestly, we should start counting this as a stat.
Javier Assad’s Sinker
Friday’s Cubs-Cardinals matinee didn’t have much in the form of nasty pitches (I was hoping for something out of Erick Fedde), but this front-door sinker was certainly good enough to make the cut.
Cole Ragan’s Changeup
Cole Ragans vs. Tarik Skubal was the pitching matchup of the night, and one of the reasons you buy MLB.TV for the season is to tune into games like these. Until it’s on Apple TV… In all seriousness, I’m sure a lot of you missed this game due to the fragmented nature of sports streaming in 2024 and that’s a darn shame. Neither pitcher was at his best, ace-level stuff, but both were still good and the Royals won a fun one in Detroit.
Spencer Schwellenbach’s Sweeper
Spencer Schwellenbach’s sweeper. Try saying that five times fast…
Justin Martinez’s Splitter
Justin Martinez is one of my favorite relievers in the game. His 100+ mph sinker has elite movement and his splitter… well, his splitter is just disgusting. Michael A. Taylor has been in this league for a long time and I’m not sure he’s looked this ridiculous swinging at a pitch very often.
Emmanuel Clase’s Cutter
Arguably the best pitcher in all of baseball this season, Emmanuel Clase’s cutter is probably the most unfair pitch in the game. 100+ mph junk with insane movement that cuts in on lefties in the blink of an eye isn’t fair.
Tarik Skubal’s Changeup
As I mentioned earlier, this wasn’t the pitcher’s duel we all really wanted to see, but Tarik Skubal pitched much better than his final line would indicate. Two of his five earned runs came after he left the game, while the Royals were in the midst of nine consecutive hits to open the game wide open. This changeup, however, was so good that even Salvador Perez had to laugh and congratulate Skubal for the pitch.
Photos courtesy of Icon Sportswire
Adapted by Kurt Wasemiller (@KUWasemiller on Twitter / @kurt_player02 on Instagram