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.
José Berríos‘ Slurve
When José Berríos is on his game, few starters have better stuff. The right-hander struck out Tommy Pham with this beautiful slurve that divebombs like a rollercoaster careening toward a canyon. Berríos walked away with six strikeouts, his fifth win of the season and a reminder of how nasty he can be.
Tylor Megill’s First Splitter
Tylor Megill brought his American Spork with him to his return to the mound on Monday. The makeshift splitter stuttered into and out of the zone, making former All-Star Andrés Giménez look like a Beer Leaguer. While the Guardians roughed up Megill in the first, he salvaged his night, striking out seven over five innings.
Tylor Megill’s Second Splitter
Finding the same pitch twice on Nastiest Pitches is rare, but Megill’s splitter left us no choice. Two innings after decimating Giménez with a splitter, Megill returned to the well and found an aquifer. Cylor Megill, indeed.
Taj Bradley’s Splitter
What’s better than two splitters? Three. Taj Bradley rivaled the American Spork with this sloping splitter that blew by Jarren Duran like the Road Runner. Though Bradley struck out 10 and elicited a staggering 22 swinging strikes, Boston wasn’t Wile E. Coyote. The Sox scored five against Bradley and handed him the loss.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s Slider
Remember Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s disaster of a first start against the Padres? Does it feel like a lifetime ago? Yeah, I agree. That first start looks even farther away when you watch pitches like this dovetailing slider that makes Joc Pederson start to mimic Yoshi’s strikeout animation in Super Mario Sluggers.
Andrés Muñoz’s Fastball
Swing-and-miss stuff is great. But let’s not forget the beauty of a pitch so nasty it locks a hitter up. Exhibit A: Andrés Muñoz’s fastball. The veteran made Aaron Judge as tongue-tied as a teen about to ask someone out to prom with this 101-mile-per-hour heater.
P.S. Kudos to Lance Barksdale for his theatrics behind the plate.
Chris Sale’s Slider
Jerseys across the nation can rejoice. Chris Sale is back, and his opponents are the only thing he intends to hurt. Jake Cronenworth found this out the hard way, reaching for a cross-body slider he could’ve only touched if he had a broom. Sale’s seven shutout innings and nine strikeouts coincidentally helped Atlanta avoid a four-game sweep against San Diego.
Raisel Iglesias‘ Slider
While Sale took Atlanta to mile 25, Raisel Iglesias put the team over the finishing line. Striking out Donovan Solano with this slider that seemingly went as wide as the Atlantic Ocean was just one of those final steps toward Atlanta’s 3-0 victory.
Jeremiah Estrada’s Slider
Let’s stick in Atlanta and rewind the clock. Before Sale could dominate in game two of the doubleheader, Jeremiah Estrada did some damage of his own. Watch the inside tail of this gem. It darts up and toward Matt Olson’s hands like a zig-zagging U-boat evading missile fire.
Ryan Weathers‘ Changeup
Aside from the sinking action that stumps Joey Wiemer, what makes this pitch nasty? For those who can find the audio, you’ll hear Wiemer loudly cuss himself for chasing. That’s why. If it’s any solace to Wiemer, Ryan Weathers struck out eight over seven innings pitched. Weathers had Milwaukee’s number, not just Wiemer’s. Unfortunately, there’s no solace for the prepubescent ears at LoanDepot Park. Mom and Dad will explain what that word means to you later.
Photos courtesy of Icon Sportswire
Adapted by Kurt Wasemiller (@kurtwasemiller on Twitter / @kurt_player02 on Instagram