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.
Ben Joyce’s Fastball
Ben Joyce reached 103 on this 0-2 fastball to Bobby Witt Jr. Six of his pitches went over 100 mph, including two that clocked in at 105 mph. He made quick work of the three batters he faced in this one.
Robbie Ray’s Slider
Robbie Ray’s resurgence continued, as the former Cy Young award winner had a strong outing against the White Sox. He recorded nine strikeouts over six innings of work against Chicago.
Jake Cousins‘ Slider
Cousins had some nasty breaking balls last night. This one had as much movement as you will see on a slider. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to hold off the Guardians, who went on to win 9-5.
Jake Cousins‘ Slider
Cousins was so nasty that I had to include him twice. This pitch made Steven Kwan, an elite contact hitter, take an ugly hack. The movement on this pitch could make just about any hitter in baseball miss.
Bailey Ober’s Changeup
Ober has been one of the most dominant pitchers of late, and produced a decent outing last night against the hottest team in baseball. He struck out five Padres over six innings, including this nasty changeup to Jurickson Profar.
Bryce Miller’s Changeup
Anytime you can strikeout Shohei Ohtani you know it was a great pitch. Miller had a tall task against a tough Dodgers lineup on the road, but he only allowed two runs over his four innings.
Devin Williams‘ Changeup
Williams came in to close out the ninth and had success here against Paul Goldschmidt. Not even everyone on their feet at Busch Stadium could stop Williams from doing what he does best.
Joey Estes‘ Sweeper
Estes doesn’t get a lot of love, but he had one of his better outings against the Rays, who have all but quit on the season. The righty had five punchouts over seven innings in this one last night.
Mitch Keller’s Sweeper
Keller had one of his best outings of the season last night against the reigning champs. He allowed just three hits over seven innings while punching out nine Rangers. This sweeper to Josh Jung was on point.
Reynaldo López’s Curveball
And finally, Reynaldo López struck out ten Phillies in a highly impressive outing at Truist Park. This curveball to Kyle Schwarber was about as unhittable as it gets.