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.
Shota Imanaga’s Splitter
We will kick things off today with the most-viral pitch from yesterday’s slate of games, this splitter from Shota Imanaga on Xander Bogaerts that got the Cubs out of a sixth-inning jam. The combination of the crowd all on their feet, Miguel Amaya’s celebration, and Imanaga’s spin move make this the best strikeout from yesterday. Imanaga has the lowest ERA in the majors at just 1.08.
Bailey Ober’s Changeup
It’s hard to move on past Imanaga, but anytime you make a guy’s helmet almost come off you know you threw a nasty pitch. Ober had a solid outing here against the Mariners, striking out seven over five innings while surrendering just two runs. It was the Minnesota bullpen that blew things up in the late innings, allowing eight more runs for a final score of 10-6 in favor of Seattle.
Trevor Williams‘ Changeup
Am I the only one surprised at how well Trevor Williams has pitched this season? He has a 1.96 ERA which ranks seventh in the National League. He also just had his best outing of the year against Baltimore of all teams. The right-hander struck out a season-high eight Orioles over five innings of work. Here he gets Adley Rutschman to chase on a changeup that looks like it’s going to be right down the plate but breaks to the right at the last moment. Rutschman takes an ugly hack.
Reynaldo López’s Slider
I was not expecting Lopez to be one of my favorite pitchers to watch this season, but the 30-year-old is seemingly always making an appearance in a Nastiest Pitches segment. The slider has been Lopez’s best pitch this season. He throws it 29.9% of the time and averages 84.5 mph. Lopez held Boston to just one run over five innings in this one.
Patrick Sandoval’s Changeup
This might be my favorite pitch from yesterday. The camera angle at PNC Park is elite and we here can see the insane movement the Sandoval has on his changeup. I respect Bryan Reynolds as a hitter and fooling him this hard means the left-hander did something right. Sandoval had his best outing of the year in this one. He allowed just three hits, no runs, and punched out seven Pirates over seven innings.
Zac Gallen’s Knuckle Curve
I love it when we get a knuckle curve appearance. It’s rare, but I love it. This pitch was just 78 mph from Zac Gallen but it fell below the plate, forcing Tyler Stephenson to swing and miss. Gallen bounced back after a couple of poor outings to hold Cincinnati to zero runs. The right-hander also punched out six Reds in this one.
Luis Gil’s Slider
I swear this one could be a Wiffle ball. Jose Altuve is known for not striking out at a high clip in his career, so to fool him this badly is impressive. I’m sure not too many casual baseball fans know much about Luis Gil but pitches like this will put him on their radar. He throws mainly fastballs but mixes in a changeup and slider at 24.2% and 17.2%, respectively.
Trevor Megill’s Fastball
This was the only fastball to make the cut today, and Trevor Megill painted the corner about as good as you possibly could. The Brewers’ closer froze Maikel Garcia, who accepted his defeat without a complaint. Megill has a 25% strikeout rate on the season while Milwaukee waits for Devin Williams to return from the IL to their closer role.
Andres Muñoz’s Slider
When Muñoz takes the mound, you can almost lock in a win for the Mariners. Here he ends the game with an 89 mph slider that forces Manuel Margot to swing at air. The 25-year-old averages 88.4 mph on his slider which ranks 15th amongst qualified relievers.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s Splitter
We will bookend today’s Nasties Pitches article with the other Japanese-born Splitter specialist. Both Imanaga and Yamamoto rank in the top four in splitter percentage and this one to Jake Burger from last night was certified nasty. Yamamoto has been as steady as they come in his first season in the States, striking out at least five batters and pitching at least five innings in every start this season. He also hasn’t surrendered more than three runs in any start.