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!
Zack Wheeler’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/tallveneratedflycatcher
This delicious 96 mph two-seam fastball from Zack Wheeler to strikeout C.J. Cron was so nasty that the strike zone was too scared to even show on screen. Elite.
Nick Martinez’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/dismalthinhoki
After a rough couple of outings against Atlanta and the Dodgers, promising Padres starter Nick Martinez brought the goods in five solid innings to pick up the win against the Reds. This delightful 82 mph changeup to fell Jake Fraley was as nasty as they come.
Tyler Mahle’s Splitter
https://gfycat.com/appropriateambitiousappaloosa
Veteran Tyler Mahle was on the opposite site of the mound against Martinez and was equally impressive through five innings. Let’s not talk about the sixth, though. Before he departed, this vicious 86 mph split-finger completely bamboozled Jorge Alfaro.
Freddy Peralta’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/diligentremorsefulfawn
Ooh, I would love this Freddy Peralta curveball to become a swing-and-miss pitch going forward. The Brewers starter has only thrown the pitch 13% of the time so far this season but this disappearing 78 mph breaking ball was far too good for the hard-to-strikeout Bryan Reynolds.
Patrick Corbin’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/agilesaltycaudata
For the first time this year, Patrick Corbin looked like a frontline starter in his outing against the Marlins. Brian Anderson had no chance with this lovely 82 mph slider, which we get a good look at out of the hand.
Jonathan Loáisiga’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/windyspitefulastrangiacoral
It’s what Jonathan Loáisiga does best – painting the edge of the strike zone with pure heat. This wonderful 98 mph sinker starts outside and away before angling back down touching the bottom of the zone to ring up Trey Mancini.
Bruce Zimmermann’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/ambitiousflickeringcoyote
Bruce Zimmermann has shown good improvement so far in 2022 and his plus changeup is looking like a real winner when it comes to whiffs – this perfectly located 85 mph changeup had Josh Donaldson swinging at fresh air.
Tarik Skubal’s Knuckle-Curveball
https://gfycat.com/fluffysophisticatedcrane
If there’s a way to start an outing by completely outsmarting a hitter, this is it – Tarik Skubal with a 12-6 77 mph knuckle-curveball that drops from the sky and baffles Jorge Polanco to no end.
Justin Verlander’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/scrawnyfixedcockroach
Or you could just start a game by doing what you’ve been doing for years and striking out hitters with your elite slider – Justin Verlander and his trademark 88 mph hard slider to down Rangers’ leadoff man Kole Calhoun.
Kyle Wright’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/rewardingrightbuckeyebutterfly
The latest young golden boy to come out of Atlanta’s farm is Kyle Wright, and he showed us just how dominant he could be with a masterclass across seven innings to earn the win against the Cubs. This beautiful 86 mph curveball, which could also be a variant as it behaves more like a slider, was one of eight strikeouts.
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns of Twitter)