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.
Chris Sale’s Slider
We will kick things off with the most dominant pitcher in baseball this season. Sale put up nine more strikeouts in this one to bring his total to 136, the fourth-highest in baseball. This signature slider to Alek Thomas looked practically unhittable.
Ryan Pepiot’s Changeup
This changeup from Pepiot completely fools Juan Soto. He even almost fell over on his way back to the dugout. Pepiot had a strong start against a tough Yankees lineup, totaling seven punchouts over just five innings.
Yusei Kikuchi’s Slider
Kikuchi had one of his most dominant starts of the season last night against the Giants. The lefty had a whopping 13 strikeouts over his seven innings in this one. Three of those strikeouts came from the slider, including this one to Matt Chapman.
Dean Kremer’s Changeup
Kremer did not have a good outing in this one, but he still delivered some pitches worthy of a highlight reel. This was a perfect changeup to Cody Bellinger that caused the Cubs’ slugger to swing at nothing but air.
Nick Lodolo’s Curveball
Lodolo was on pace to put up a huge game against the Rockies before Mother Nature ruined his chances. I guess we’ll never know if the extended rain delay killed his momentum but I think it had a big effect. He struck out the side in the first including this curveball to Brendan Rodgers. It looks more like a slider to me but I will trust the broadcast!
Jake Cousins‘ Slider
Most may not know of Yankees’ reliever Jake Cousins, but the 29-year-old has a 1.86 ERA from the bullpen this season. Jose Siri was fooled by this nasty slider.
Zac Gallen’s Curveball
I love a good Zac Gallen curveball. His arch-game is unmatched. He didn’t have a great game overall against a tough Braves lineup, but this curve to Austin Riley is a satisfying watch.
Logan Gilbert’s Curveball
Gilbert had yet another quality start this season, this time against the Padres at Petco Park. Gilbert showed why he was deserving of Seattle’s only All-Star selection with this nasty curveball to David Peralta.
Brayan Bello’s Slider
Bello can be erratic at times, and we saw all of that in this start against Oakland. He struck out 11 batters but also surrendered nine hits including a 457-foot homer to Lawrence Butler. However, the 11 punchouts were a sign of the upside a guy like Bello can bring to the table. This slider to Shea Langeliers was one of my favorites.
Ronel Blanco’s Changeup
We will close with a changeup from Blanco that forced Jazz Chisholm Jr. to take an ugly hack. The only man with a no-hitter this season proved it wasn’t just a fluke with another impressive outing here against the Marlins.