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!
Phil Maton’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/cornyamplebufflehead
You the reader get to vote on the nastiest pitch of the night, but on a night without much going on in the nastysphere, I think we all know this was the filthiest pitch we saw in this game. Phil Maton struck out three batters in his two innings of work, thanks mostly to a 59% CSW on his fastball. This was, surprisingly, the only whiff he generated with the slider, but boy was it filthy.
Phil Maton’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/tightquaintannelida
Maton also has a nice curveball, and he dropped this one into the bottom of the zone just under the bat of Eddie Rosario. Atlanta had a chance to put a run on the board in the fifth inning but Maton wasn’t having any of that.
Chris Martin’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/sadmiserlyleafcutterant
There’s nothing quite like a nasty demon sinker, and Chris Martin certainly has one going for him. This thing exploded out of his hand and darted straight toward Jose Altuve’s feet. Altuve swung at ball four, but it’s an especially impressive pitch considering it started middle-middle. Good luck catching up to that thing.
A.J. Minter’s Cutter
https://gfycat.com/mediumprecioushoverfly
Finally, we wrap things up with a cutter from A.J. Minter against one of the best postseason hitters of 2021. For an 89 MPH cutter, this thing sure moves a lot. Unfortunately, Minter let the game get away from him in the fifth inning, but that only means he’ll be champing at the bit to get back at the Astros in Game 6 on Tuesday.
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns of Twitter)