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.
Charlie Morton’s Curveball
Charlie Morton achieved 2000 career strikeouts last night. He’s had an incredible career and tends to get overlooked. Anyway, this curveball to Michael Conforto was one of my favorites of the night. The 40-year-old had eight punchouts on the night in San Francisco.
Nestor Cortes‘ Changeup
“Nasty Nestor” I like to call him. He fits perfectly for this article. He was also quite nasty against the lowly White Sox, recording seven innings shutout with nine strikeouts. This changeup to Luis Robert Jr. was one of his best of the night.
Tarik Skubal’s Fastball
This strikeout from Skubal just barely missed triple digits. There was nothing Victor Robles could do besides walk slowly back to the Mariners dugout. This was the second game in a row that Skubal reached nine punchouts.
Gavin Stone’s Changeup
This changeup from Stone had quite the movement on it. Joey Ortiz was fooled on this pitch that landed beneath the zone. This was one of the best outings of the season from the 25-year-old.
Yusei Kikuchi’s Slider
This was a battle between two people who were traded at the deadline. I almost didn’t recognize Dylan Carlson in that Rays uniform. Either way, Kikuchi continued his dominant ways against the Rays, with the help of this nasty slider.
Michael King’s Slider
This one had some insane movement. Ke’Bryan Hayes just barely went around to secure the punch out for King. He was the king last night with a royal performance that included 10 strikeouts against the Pirates.
George Kirby’s Knucklecurve
I think George Kirbys needs to throw knuckleballs more often. This knucklecurve was one of the lone bright spots of the night for Kirby, who ended up with 11 earned runs on his scorecard.
Hunter Greene’s Slider
Greene was fired up after this slider to Willson Contreras. It’s been quite the stretch of dominance from Greene, who has allowed just six runs over his last eight starts.
Shane Baz’s Curveball
Baz has only made seven starts this year, but he has shown many signs of potential. This was his longest outing of the season, going seven innings and 97 pitches. This curveball to Victor Caratini was perfectly placed.
Joe Boyle’s Fastball
We will finish things off with a triple-digit punch out from Joe Boyle. The A’s don’t have much going for them this year, but young guys like Boyle who can top 100 mph make them at least a bit exciting.