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!
Emmanuel Clase’s Cutter
https://gfycat.com/orderlyterrificgannet
Emmanuel Clase has the filthiest cutter in the league and it’s not even close. 101 MPH paint for a called strike three is simply unfair.
Anderson Espinoza’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/bleakecstaticgiraffe
Anderson Espinoza was the #16 prospect in the league according to Baseball America in 2016, and then he was traded by the Red Sox to the Padres for Drew Pomeranz. Many of us Boston fans were not happy, especially after Pomeranz struggled in the rotation for much of the rest of the season. Pomeranz ended up developing into a lights-out reliever, but Espinoza’s career derailed to the tune of two (TWO!) Tommy John surgeries over the next few years. He returned to the mound this season, and yesterday he made his MLB debut. He flashed mid-90s heat and a devastating curveball, so the talent is still there. I’ll be rooting for Espinoza throughout his career and hopefully, this isn’t the last we see of him in Nastiest Pitches.
Devin Williams‘ Changeup
https://gfycat.com/scentedthesebasil
This filthy changeup from Devin Williams starts on the outside corner of the plate and ends up six inches down and in on Christopher Morel. That’s disgusting.
Kyle Gibson’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/heavylamebats
Kyle Gibson was doing work with his slider on Monday, earning a 35% CSW with the pitch and keeping batters off-balance for most of the day. Gibson may not be known for his filth, but he’s shown that he has it in him from time to time and this was one of those times.
Zac Gallen’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/crazyangelicasianconstablebutterfly
Zac Gallen had Ozzie Albies completely fooled with this nasty changeup out of the zone.
Logan Webb’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/blondvapidflyingfox
Logan Webb struck out ten Phillies on Monday over eight superb innings, but unfortunately, he didn’t factor into the decision. His changeup did most of the work with a 47% CSW, but Philadelphia’s camera angle robbed us of any useful changeup GIFs. This slider is as good as it gets, though.
Ryan Feltner’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/acidicsarcasticalpaca
Jesús Sánchez hit a 496-foot bomb earlier in the game, so Ryan Feltner had to get a little creative to prevent that from happening again. This will do.
Aaron Ashby’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/greedyignorantgnat
Aaron Ashby is an ace in the making, and I had numerous pitches to choose from out of his six-inning, 12 strikeout start in Chicago last night. This slider made the cut because it’s spotted perfectly and is different from anything else you’ll see here today. It’s simply perfect.
Pablo López’s Cutter
https://gfycat.com/weirdeveryblueandgoldmackaw
When I watch a Pablo López start, I’m usually looking for his filthy changeup. This time around, however, we got a nasty cutter that zipped across the zone for a whiff.
Josh Hader’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/blindunfoldedhapuka
It’s fitting that we close this article out with a closer who earned two saves yesterday. Josh Hader is as filthy as it gets in the National League and he proved it once again on Monday.
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns of Twitter)