Every morning, the We Love Baseball crew reviews the Nastiest Pitches from the previous day’s games in glorious high-definition GIFs. We want to bring you the highest caliber of nastiness possible, so if you see a nasty pitch, please tell us about it. You can tweet @PitcherList to let us know and we’ll give you a shout-out here in the article if your tip makes the cut.
As a bonus for PL+ members, let us know about a pitch on the PL+ Discord in the Nasty Pitches Channel, and if your suggestion is included the next day, you’ll be entered into a weekly drawing for a free T-shirt!
Tyler Glasnow’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/ThoughtfulDependentIndianspinyloach
Tyler Glasnow was on fire on the mound yesterday. The mix of his blazing heater and his wicked curveball earned him 11 strikeouts over eight scoreless innings. Here, we’re featuring this nasty hook that fools Carlos Santana for a swinging strike three.
Aaron Nola’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/AggressiveFrenchAfricanrockpython
Aaron Nola was solid on the mound last night for the Phillies, tossing six innings and striking out six. Here, Nola throws a filthy changeup past the bat of Corey Dickerson for strike three.
Carlos Rodon’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/DimpledSpotlessIrishsetter
Carlos Rodon has been having himself an insane season. Between tossing a no-hitter and accumulating a 1.29 ERA, it’s really been a banner year for Rodon, and last night was more of the same. He tossed six innings of 1-hit ball (although that one hit was a home run) and struck out 10. Here, you can watch him use his filthy slider to set Justin Williams down on strikes (h/t to PL+ member Matthew Q).
Trevor Bauer’s Fastball
https://gfycat.com/TimelyActualDore
Trevor Bauer is used to having better nights than he had last night, but he still was solid on the mound. Bauer only struck out three hitters, yet he still went for six quality innings. Here, he just blasts a heater past Taylor Jones, who swings through it for strike three.
Michael Pineda’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/NiftyTinyGrosbeak
Michael Pineda has been one of the few bright spots for the Twins during their early-season struggles. Pineda brought his ERA down to 2.62 on the season, following six frames of one-run ball. He picked up eight strikeouts, including this one, a nasty slider that gets Trey Mancini swinging.
Devin Williams‘ Changeup
https://gfycat.com/CrispUnluckyAsiaticlesserfreshwaterclam
Whenever Devin Williams, pitches he’s an immediate lock to be featured in our Nastiest Pitches articles. That’s because his changeup is the most ridiculous pitch in baseball. Here, it’s an absolute beauty of an Airbender from Williams, who tosses this pitch past Tommy Pham for a swinging strike three and then struts all over Pham.
Mike Minor’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/GeneralHealthyJay
Mike Minor was getting whiffs left and right over his five innings on the mound. While he did give up four walks, he only allowed one run and struck out nine. Here, he throws a nasty curveball to Mike Zunino, who swings at a pitch that drops out on him.
Joe Ross‘ Sinker
https://gfycat.com/CreepyTinyDesertpupfish
Joe Ross‘ start was shortened by a rain delay that turned into a suspended game, but it was solid while it lasted. Ross racked up four strikeouts in as many innings and didn’t let a run cross the plate. Ross isn’t overpowering with his heat, but he compensates for that with some wild movement. Here he uses a sinker that breaks late to strike out Nick Castellanos.
Craig Kimbrel’s Knuckle-Curve
https://gfycat.com/FocusedMiniatureKitty
Craig Kimbrel shut the door on the Pirates last night for the Cubs. He threw one clean inning and lowered his ERA to 0.86 on the season, notching his 11th save of the 2021 campaign. Here, Kimbrel uses a filthy knuckle-curve to get Bryan Reynolds swinging out of the zone for strike three.
Triston McKenzie’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/BreakableLankyChimneyswift
Triston McKenzie has struggled early on this year, but yesterday he pitched five scoreless innings and picked up five more strikeouts. His ERA is still just a drop below six, but this start was certainly a step in the right direction. Here, McKenzie throws a filthy changeup past Niko Goodrum for a swinging strike three.
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)