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.
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Hayden Wesneski’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/klutzypertinentguineapig
Hayden Wesneski made his MLB debut on Tuesday night and chose to show off his filthy wipeout slider for his first career strikeout. Wesneski was the player the Cubs got in return from the Yankees in the Scott Effross trade, and he appears to have a bright future if his stuff is any indication.
Jordan Hicks‘ Sinker
https://gfycat.com/jampackedfantasticbobcat
Wesneski may have gotten the lead for his MLB Debut, but this perfect sinker from Jordan Hicks might have been the nastiest pitch of the night. Good luck ever hitting that if that’s a strike.
Bryan Montes de Oca’s Cutter
https://gfycat.com/icysecondhandankolewatusi
Bryan Montes de Oca throws gas. I had never heard of him before tonight, and I wasn’t overly impressed by the movement on his pitches. However, this cutter up and out of the zone had some nasty movement on it and totally fooled Michael Chavis. That’ll play.
Dillon Tate’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/whichverifiablecamel
Dillon Tate has some of the nastiest stuff around, and it’s always a joy to watch him take the mound. As a lover of all things changeup, I certainly appreciate a good one down and in on a hitter. Tate accomplished that feat with ease against Teoscar Hernández.
Aaron Nola’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/lankymeaslyabyssiniancat
Aaron Nola struck out 10 in yet another fantastic outing for the Phillies’ ace. His nasty front door sinker claimed yet another victim in Joey Wendle.
José Quintana’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/mediumpointedamericanwarmblood
José Quintana has been one h*ck of a redemption story this season. After struggling for years after his trade across Chicago, Quintana has stepped up to be a key piece in the Cardinals’ rotation this season. Fantastic stuff.
Chad Kuhl’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/periodicdangerousalaskajingle
Chad Kuhl had an up-and-down start in Coors Field on Tuesday. Well, actually, it was mostly down. He gave up five earned runs over 4.1 innings, including an absolute monster shot to Christian Yelich that sailed 499 feet through the thin Colorado air. On the bright side, though, he had this nasty curveball to strike out Garrett Mitchell, so it wasn’t all bad!
Félix Bautista’s Splitter
https://gfycat.com/scientificfeminineafricanmolesnake
Can anyone hit Félix Bautista? That’s a rhetorical question, you don’t have to answer that, because we all know the answer is no.
Paolo Espino’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/remotevaguehartebeest
There’s just something about a gorgeous 12-6 curveball that simply hits different. This one from Paolo Espino was one of the slowest pitches of the night across the entire league, and yet it still elicited a wicked whiff.
José Alvarado’s Cutter
https://gfycat.com/secretsecondaryblackbird
From a slow ball to a fast one, José Alvarado’s cutter is as frustrating of a pitch to hit as there is in the league. Just ask Miguel Rojas, who threw his bat to the ground after failing to make contact with this filth.
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns of Twitter)