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.
Corbin Burnes‘ Slider
Another fine day at the office for Burnes dropped his ERA to 2.28, his lowest since the 2.11 he posted during the 60-game 2020 season. He registered 19 whiffs including this gem of a swing from Derek Hill, who whiffed on the next pitch.
Corbin Burnes‘ Changeup
A wicked changeup with some serious arm-side fade from Burnes had Josh Smith rethinking his decision to swing about halfway through. Like Hill, Smith had no chance and K’d on the next one, a slider in the dirt.
Carlos Rodón’s Slider
My condolences if you started Rodón for fantasy purposes. You were rewarded with a tall pile of Blue Jay droppings that Jeff Goldblum would admire. Dinos and birds are related, or so I’ve been told. Nevertheless, Rodón still piled up 19 swings and misses, including this lovely backfoot slider to Davis Schneider for his first strikeout.
Ryan Walker’s Slider
I can’t get enough of this man’s slider. It’s certified unhittable and visually appealing to the nth degree. Walker unleashed a perfect backdoor slider to strike out Ian Happ and did his job stranding the go-ahead runner on second and keeping the game tied through eight.
Chris Sale’s Slider
I have a hunch, not many prognosticators called for a 1-0 White Sox victory. But that’s what we got. A first-inning dinger from Luis Robert Jr. turned out to be all that was needed. Sale, meanwhile, was otherwise superb racking up 11 strikeouts through seven. This mean slider to Eloy Jiménez in the fourth helped set up a double play, erasing a leadoff single from Robert.
Zack Wheeler’s Curveball
It looks like Nick Gordon might’ve been anticipating the express but instead bent the knee on an 81 mph curveball from Wheeler for his fifth and final strikeout of the afternoon. Wheeler had a shutout rolling in the seventh before being chased by two consecutive two-out singles sparking a four-run Marlins rally against bullpen ace Matt Strahm.
Jack Flaherty’s Knuckle Curve
Flaherty took the loss, allowing dingers to Miguel Sanó, Willie Calhoun, and Luis Rengifo. Still, his knuckle curve was a bright spot returning eight whiffs on 11 swings, including this hook to Logan O’Hoppe for his second strikeout.
Jordan Hicks‘ Splitter
A three-run rally in the Giants half of the sixth allowed Hicks to escape with a no-decision. Still, Hicks had a pretty decent start, ending with this filthy splitter to Seiya Suzuki for his seventh strikeout.
Ben Joyce’s Fastball
Few can light up the radar gun like the Angels’ right-hander out of Tennessee. He picked up where Davis Daniel left off and needed nine pitches to get the final three outs of a 5-0 Angels win.
Luke Little’s Sweeper
Luke Little, a fourth-round pick by the Cubs in 2020, has struggled with walks. However, he’s got a devastating sweeper that has returned a whiff rate of 51.7%. As a tall lefty with a unique arm slot, Little could be a key fixture in the Cubs bullpen if he can iron out his control. As we saw yesterday afternoon, Austin Slater can attest to the nastiness of his sweeper.