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!
Justin Dunn’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/slimevilanemonecrab
No, that’s not Chaz Roe. That’s Justin Dunn throwing a ridiculous slider with a ton of late horizontal break. Jose Abreu is no stranger to whiffing at sliders on the outside part of the plate, but there wasn’t a chance in h*ck that he was going to make contact with this pitch. Mr. Roe has some competition for nastiest pitch of the week. (H/t PL+ member Matt Nielsen)
Stephen Strasburg’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/incomparableeacheeve
Speaking of nastiest pitch of the week, this filthy changeup by Stephen Strasburg would have led this article had Matt not shouted out the last pitch in our Discord. Strasburg turned back the clocks a bit in this one as he posted six solid innings of one hit ball with eight strikeouts. He didn’t earn the win, but he also pitched much better than his last time out. Here’s hoping he can stay healthy for the majority of the season and keep delivering this filth.
César Valdez’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/likelyagreeableafghanhound
It seems like every year a ridiculous changeup bursts onto the scene as the filthiest pitch in the league. 2019 was Luis Castillo, 2020 was Devin Williams, and 2021 is already the year of César Valdez. Valdez earned the win on Wednesday, pitching 2 1/3 innings while striking out three. Look out folks, the Baltimore Orioles are leading the AL East. eyes emoji
Jordan Hicks‘ Sinker
https://gfycat.com/delightfulvioletbassethound
Let’s turn up the heat a bit after those two changeups. Jordan Hicks came in firing darts and hit 102 MPH on this disgusting sinker. Despite missing his spot, Hicks still got a wicked whiff out of opposing batter Jon Berti en route to locking down a Cardinals victory.
Shane Bieber’s Knucklecurve
https://gfycat.com/colorfulshadowyfox
The reigning AL Cy Young winner once again struck out a dozen batters, his second time in as many games this season. The man is absolutely on fire and there’s nothing I can say here that you don’t already know. Enjoy this filthy knucklecurve that strikes out impressive rookie Kyle Isbel.
Josh Hader’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/miserlyphonyanemone
This backdoor slider is vintage Josh Hader, but the rest of Hader’s outing was anything but. Hader was all over the place on Wednesday and barely squeaked out of the 9th inning unharmed. At one point he sailed a ball up over the catcher’s head, which allowed the runner to advance to 2nd. Both he and Devin Williams struggled with command on the day, but still ended up throwing absolute filth at some point anyway.
Brandon Workman’s Knucklecurve
https://gfycat.com/breakablesinfulbluebottle
Brandon Workman dropped this dime in for a called strike three against Christian Yelich, who was 3-3 in the game coming into this at-bat. Workman took the loss by giving up three runs in the top of the 10th, including Lorenzo Cain’s second home run of the day. Hopefully there will be better days ahead for the former Red Sox and Phillies closer.
Kyle Hendricks‘ Changeup
https://gfycat.com/mediumlargeitalianbrownbear
Now it’s time for some pitcher-on-pitcher crime. First, here’s a sick changeup from Kyle Hendricks to the free swinging Brandon Woodruff, one of Hendricks’ six strikeouts on the day.
Aaron Nola’s Knucklecurve
https://gfycat.com/remoteperfumedbarbet
And here’s a gorgeous knucklecurve from Aaron Nola to Mets’ starter David Peterson. Peterson showed some hustle on a grounder later in the game, but he also showed some confusion on this filthy pitch. Nola wasn’t particularly sharp on Wednesday, lasting only four innings and missing out on a win, but he did allow only one run while striking out five.
Kevin Gausman’s Splitter
https://gfycat.com/whimsicalsadherring
Kevin Gausman has carried over the momentum from his stellar 2020 season into his first two starts of 2021. He gave up only four hits and one run in seven strong innings against one of the league’s best offenses. The splitter was once again the star of the show with a 39% CSW on the day. Gausman is an ace and you can’t tell me otherwise. (H/t PL+ member Ben Murillo)
Brandon Woodruff’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/oilyunfitdeer
Shane Bieber may have dominated with his 12 strikeouts on the day, but if you ask me, the real man of the day was Brandon Woodruff. He took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and was incredibly efficient, throwing only 74 pitches in his outing. At this point in the bottom of the 7th, he had only thrown 65 pitches. 65! He was filthy from beginning to end and Cubs’ hitters were mystified all day.
Nathan Eovaldi’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/totalsoftgiantschnauzer
Nathan Eovaldi has been the ace the Red Sox have needed in the absences of both Chris Sale and Eduardo Rodriguez. Here’s a really pretty curve that he threw in for a strike. He had seven strikeouts in his seven strong innings, earning the win in spectacular fashion. He’s a joy to watch with his fast pace and sick pitches.
Devin Williams‘ Changeup
https://gfycat.com/inexperiencedcalculatingamericanindianhorse
What’s a Nastiest Pitches article without a Devin Williams‘ changeup? That’s it. That’s the blurb.
Kyle McGowin’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/enlightenedilliteratedinosaur
I’ll be honest; I don’t know who Kyle McGowin is. What I do know is nasty pitches, and this slider is one. Nice to meet you, Mr. McGowin. I’ll be looking for more of you in the future.
Luis Castillo’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/fragrantpitifullaughingthrush
Finally, we end the night with a little bit of old faithful. You didn’t really think I forgot about Luis Castillo, did you? His changeup has lost a bit of vertical movement since 2019, but it’s still one of my favorite pitches in all of baseball. Castillo also turned back the clock on Wednesday and picked apart a weak Pittsburgh offense while keeping his pitch count down the entire day. Welcome back, Luis!
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns of Twitter)