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.
Nick Martinez’s Changeup
Nick Martinez was the tough luck loser on Friday, throwing eight very strong innings of one-run ball in Chicago. However, all it took was that one run, as Cubs pitching twirled a gem of their own to hold the Reds scoreless. This changeup seems to hang in the air forever before finally dropping off the plate at the last moment.
Garrett Crochet’s Cutter
We were once again teased by elite Crochet, only to have him pulled before even coming close to sniffing a quality start or a win. Here’s to hoping we get a more polished Crochet with more innings and a drip of win potential in 2025.
Max Fried’s Sweeper
Max Fried dominated the Royals top to bottom on Friday, nearly throwing a complete game in a shutout of the Royals. The sweeper was his ace in the hole, earning a 46% CSW over 24 thrown. As Atlanta tries to hold off the Mets and D-Backs for a wildcard birth, this was exactly the start they needed out of their ace.
Nick Pivetta’s Fastball
The Red Sox may be eliminated from playoff contention, but that didn’t stop Nick Pivetta from showing up looking like a man with something to prove. The stare-down of Yandy Díaz after painting this fastball on the corner to get out of the inning is a thing of beauty.
Nick Pivetta’s Sweeper
This sweeper from Pivetta nearly makes Junior Caminero check swing out of his shoes.
Porter Hodge’s Sweeper
Another nasty sweeper comes from Chicago’s closer, Porter Hodge who sat down the Reds in the ninth with relative ease to secure the victory.
Ronel Blanco’s Changeup
Ronel Blanco flirted with a no-hitter through the first four innings of this game, but he was inefficient and his pitch count was elevated as a result, leading to him being pulled after only five innings. Oh, and he gave up a hit. That typically disqualifies you from throwing a no-hitter.
Taj Bradley’s Splitter
Young Taj Bradley has been inconsistent at best this season, but his splitter has been a consistent whiff pitch for him this year. That was no different on Friday, as he earned 4/12 whiffs with the pitch in Boston. This one to Connor Wong has some excellent late movement that helps it miss Wong’s bat for the strikeout.
Trevor Williams‘ Sinker
We cap off this final Friday of the regular season with two pitches from Trevor Williams. First, this 86 MPH sinker runs in on Alec Bohm and eats him for dinner…
Trevor Williams‘ Changeup
Then, in the next inning, Williams locates this changeup perfectly off the edge of the plate to strike out the dangerous Bryce Harper. Williams flirted with danger early on but survived to earn the win in a solid outing against the NL East champions.
Photos courtesy of Icon Sportswire
Adapted by Kurt Wasemiller (@KUWasemiller on Twitter / @kurt_player02 on Instagram