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!
Sixto Sanchez’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/flawedafraidcrane
Sixto Sanchez burst onto the scene in his MLB debut Saturday night, and you can read all about it in Nick Pollack’s GIF Breakdown. He’s got a ton of confidence on the mound and for good reason – he’s got great stuff and this likely isn’t the only time his changeup will be featured in Nastiest Pitches.
Zack Wheeler’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/groundedpositivebasil
Zack Wheeler struck out eight on the night while allowing two runs on five hits over seven innings. He strikes out Johan Camargo here, who seems to find his way into these articles via strikeout fairly often whenever I’m on duty. I wouldn’t say that’s a good thing, but then again he’s a major league player and I sit at a computer for a living so I can’t really talk. It’s still a great pitch from Wheeler and most batters in the league would have looked silly in their attempt to swing at it. (H/T PL+ member kewlz3)
Zac Gallen’s Cutter
https://gfycat.com/belatedglasserin
Zac Gallen had a tough first inning, walking the first three batters of the game before giving up a run on a double-play ball. It was the only run he gave up on the day, but it was a meh outing for Zac and not what we’ve become accustomed to out of him. Everyone has off days though, and here’s to him bouncing back in his next outing.
Max Scherzer’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/lamefrightenedilsamochadegu
Mad Max Scherzer struck out Matt Joyce on this nasty curveball that’s perfectly located low and away. It just barely nicked the corner of the zone, but still would have been called a strike in all likelihood. Scherzer had yet another off day, giving up four runs over 4.2 innings and he just hasn’t quite been himself this season. He was hit in the right shoulder by a line drive off the bat of Jesus Aguilar to end the first inning; Luckily it wasn’t too hard, because Scherzer shrugged it off and kept pitching, but it still had to hurt and I imagine it bugged him for the rest of the outing. Get well soon, Max!
Josh Lindblom’s Splitter
https://gfycat.com/partialheartyalaskajingle
This nasty splitter from Josh Lindblom drops out of the zone at the very last second, generating a very defensive whiff from Erik Gonzalez. Lindblom gave up three runs and struck out four while earning the loss, so it wasn’t what you wanted out of him if you ended up streaming him like I did. It was just an off day for Lindblom, which I feel like I’ve already said a few times in this article. Yeah, it was an off day for a lot of pitchers. So what? We still got to watch baseball. I’ll watch meh outings 10 times out of 10 over not having baseball. No complaints here.
Kyle Freeland’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/harmfulpessimisticivorybackedwoodswallow
This slider from Kyle Freeland early in the first inning twisted Justin Turner all up. I want to point out the catcher in this GIF – look how easily he catches this ball. He barely even moves his glove, let alone his body. Sure, the stakes are low since there’s nobody on base, but he made it look effortless. I’m pulling at straws here. It was yet another meh outing on the night, but Freeland earned the quality start and struck out six, and I think most fantasy managers will take that for their teams.
Hyun-Jin Ryu’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/cheeryforcefulfrogmouth
This Hyun-Jin Ryu changeup falls off the face of the earth, just under the bat of Mike Zunino. Ryu gave up only one run on three hits in five innings, but he needed 94 pitches to last all five. Not ideal, but he got the job done. Tampa Bay would go on to win it in extras, but it likely wouldn’t have gotten that far had Ryu not done his job in keeping Toronto in the game.
Dustin May’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/waryobedientcrossbill
This pitch from Dustin May was only thrown 87 MPH, but it looks much faster than that and I’m sure Garrett Hampson would agree. The sharp, downward break near the end of the pitch is untouchable, and paired with his 100 MPH sinker he’s going to be a lot of fun to watch for a long time to come.
Triston McKenzie’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/energeticeasygoingasiansmallclawedotter
Triston McKenzie also made his long-awaited MLB debut Saturday night, and our own Andy Patton did a fantastic job with his GIF Breakdown of the start. His changeup wasn’t his most effective pitch on the night, but this one was perfectly located down and away and I could feel the wind off Jeimer Candelario’s whiff from here. Well, it may just be the breeze coming in through my window, but it’s the butterfly effect, right? Either way, good stuff from McKenzie tonight and I’m looking forward to seeing what he looks like his next time out.
Sixto Sanchez’s Fastball
https://gfycat.com/fancyshabbyindianskimmer
Of course it’s Sixto again. This 100 MPH dart against Juan Soto was too good not to include, and Sixto is obviously the winner of the GIF Sandwich tonight. I’m sure Phillies fans are really hoping the team signs J.T. Realmuto to a long term deal, because the return the Marlins got for him suddenly looks a lot better than it did 24 hours ago. (H/T PL+ member Alex Tran)
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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