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.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s Curveball
Yamamoto had eight strikeouts last night against the Cubs at Dodger Stadium. This 81 mph curveball to Ian Happ bounced off the plate and forced an ugly swing from the switch hitter.
Keider Montero’s Knucklecurve
The Rockies on the road present a favorable matchup for any pitcher, and Keider Montero made sure to take full advantage. It was the best start of the right-hander’s career, as he pitched a complete game shutout with five punch outs.
Pablo López’s Sweeper
Lopez has been one of the hottest hitters in the game right now. He struck out a whopping ten Angels last night, including this one with his signature slider.
Blake Treinen’s Slider
The Dodgers were deserving of two selections today. Treinen came out of the bullpen and tossed a nasty 2-1 pitch to Cody Bellinger here that left him frozen in his tracks.
Rhett Lowder’s Slider
Lowder had just three strikeouts here, but this slider to Nolan Arenado was one of my favorites of the night. The left-to-right movement forced the veteran to take an ugly hack on a basically unhittable pitch.
Seth Lugo’s Curveball
Going into Yankee Stadium to face the Yanks would typically be an intimidating and difficult matchup, but Lugo decided to have one of his best games of the season last night. He struck out ten New York bats and allowed just three hits over seven innings of work.
Yu Darvish’s Changeup
Darvish took advantage of the Mariners’ high strikeout rate in this one. The veteran pitched just five innings but recorded a punch out in each. This one to Luke Raley was my favorite of his from the night.
Zac Gallen’s Slider
When Zac Gallen is on top of his game he is one of the best pitchers in the league. He struck out seven Rangers over just five innings while allowing just two hits. Semien wasn’t too pleased with his performance here.
José Alvarado’s Cutter
Alvarado came in for the eighth inning to hold the Rays at bay. He struck out two, including this 95 mph cutter to José Caballero. His cutter has been one of his best pitches this season.
Aroldis Chapman’s Fastball
And we will finish things off with the fastest pitch of the night, a 103 mph fastball from Chapman. This was the final pitch of the game, which secured the Pirates with a 6-4 win over the Marlins. I don’t think any hitter in the league would have an easy time with this pitch.