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!
Luis Castillo’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/differentsmoothflatcoatretriever
Luis Castillo hasn’t looked himself this year, struggling to the tune of a 7.44 ERA. He allowed three earned in five innings on Tuesday but took a step in the right direction, recording eleven strikeouts. One of the eleven to fall was Mike Yastrzemski in the first, who was way out in front of this changeup.
Hyun Jin Ryu’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/neighboringfastfugu
Enrique Hernandez was activated from the IL today and was rudely welcomed back by Hyun Jin Ryu. Hernandez hit the first pitch of the game foul, just missing a home run. He would go down swinging two pitches later on a nice breaking ball from Ryu.
Eduardo Rodriguez’s Cutter
https://gfycat.com/slimyshadowybarasinga
Eduardo Rodriguez took the mound opposite of Ryu on Tuesday, and the lefty couldn’t quite match the Jays’ pitcher’s line. E-Rod was hit around, allowing five runs on eleven hits in his five innings of work. He did record six Ks, however, including this back-door cutter to strikeout Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
Tommy Hunter’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/revolvingscholarlyasiandamselfly
The banged-up Mets opted to go with a bullpen game on Tuesday as seven Met pitchers contributed to the win. Tommy Hunter was the second Met to take the mound and picked up four strikeouts in his two innings. Here, he struck out phenom Ronald Acuña Jr. to end the third. (h/t to PL + member nvita)
Edwin Díaz’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/obviousfrayedgaur
The seventh and final Met pitcher of the night was Edwin Díaz. It can be an adventure sometimes with Díaz on the hill, but he had his A-game on Tuesday en route to the save. The first of two strikeouts came at the expense of Dansby Swanson, who was nowhere close to touching this slider. (h/t to PL + member nvita)
Brandon Woodruff’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/uglyeagerdeermouse
We saw a pitcher’s duel Tuesday night in Kansas City as the two clubs went scoreless through the first seven frames. The Royals finally prevailed after getting to Brandon Woodruff in the eighth. Woodruff was solid as always but took the tough-luck loss in the contest. He struck out Salvador Perez here to end the sixth with a perfectly placed changeup.
Zack Wheeler’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/phonydistantconure
Zack Wheeler allowed only one unearned run in his seven innings of work but left the game trailing as the Phillies offense struggled to manufacture any runs early on. The next inning, the Phillies would put up a seven spot on their way to an 8-3 victory. Wheeler cruised throughout his outing, compiling ten strikeouts, and took Miguel Rojas to a knee on this changeup.
Aroldis Chapman’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/evergreenhappygoluckyboa
Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman can still bring the heat. Despite giving up a double, Chapman struck out the side and recorded the save as the Yankees took down the Rangers 7-4. The final pitch of the game was a 103 mph sinker as Khris Davis looked on helplessly.
Patrick Corbin’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/nimblepotablegoldfish
Patrick Corbin’s up and down season continued on Tuesday as the lefty allowed a few early runs in the rain at Wrigley. He would depart after five innings allowing three runs and striking out four. His best of the night came on a great back-foot slider to Matt Duffy.
Spencer Turnbull’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/glamorousjaggedcicada
And last, but certainly not least, Spencer Turnbull rounds out our Nastiest Pitches. Turnbull tossed the fifth no-hitter of the season, and the Mariners were no-hit for the second time in a month. Turnbull had it all working as he continually limited hard contact and retired nine via the K. One of the nine to go down was Kyle Seager on this fantastic curveball. (h/t to PL+ member Alex Tran)
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns of Twitter)