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.
Sandy Alcantara’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/sameunsungherring
After appearing human in his last outing against the Mets, Alcantara rebounded to his lofty 2022 heights with a complete-game shutout against the Reds. However, he had only three strikeouts to show for his efforts — one of which was the result of this dotted 98-mph sinker.
David Robertson’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/seriouselaborateindianpangolin
David Robertson was having a resurgence with the Cubs in the first half of the season that made him a valuable trade piece at the deadline. The Phillies landed him and are already benefitting. He pitched a clean ninth with two strikeouts to earn his first save with his new club (or at least, newish club — he pitched in seven games for the Phillies in 2019).
James Karinchak’s Fastball
https://gfycat.com/foolishmeagercony
Karinchak missed the first 75 games of 2022 due to a shoulder injury, but his return on July 4th bolstered a Cleveland team that’s in the thick of the Wild Card race. Between Karinchak, Trevor Stephan, and Emmanuel Clase, the Guardians have one of the more underrated bullpens in the league. They hold the best FIP of any relief corps since July 4th, per Fangraphs.
Steve Cishek’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/honestwickedeland
These are dark days in Washington. The Nats own the worst record in baseball, just traded away generational talent, and found themselves down 8-0 to the division-leading Mets on Wednesday. After giving up a double to Jeff McNeil, Cishek recovered and gave fans something positive to cheer about with three straight strikeouts to escape the inning.
Luis Castillo’s Fastball
https://gfycat.com/glisteningpartialbluebreastedkookaburra
Seattle’s big trade deadline acquisition immediately delivered a 6.2 inning quality start against the best team in baseball. He gave up three runs, including a two-run homer to the light-hitting Kyle Higashioka, but his new teammates chipped in plenty of run support off Gerrit Cole and earned him the win.
Liam Hendriks‘ Slider
https://gfycat.com/differentparcheddeinonychus
Hendriks continues to vie with Josh Hader for the title of best closer in baseball. He slammed the door on Kansas City with this devastating slider for his 21st save of the season.
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns of Twitter)