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!
Miguel Castro’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/flickeringwigglycaribou
This pitch is BANANAS. Not only is it nearly triple digits (99.4 MPH) but it literally moves like a banana. Except this banana you can’t peel and it probably tastes like rosin and sunscreen and will stick to your teeth worse than a box of Milk Duds. The key with Milk Duds is to suck all of the chocolate off and lightly chew on the caramel like you have no gums. They’re a top-3 Halloween candy and you can’t tell me any different.
Gerrit Cole’s Fastball
https://gfycat.com/negligibleyearlyeelelephant
This pitch doesn’t get as much movement as Castro’s sinker but it’s close. And this is a four-seamer, not a sinker. Say whaaaat? Yeah, you heard me. Or read me. You should turn on text to speech for the rest of this article. I promise it will be worth it.
Blake Treinen’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/babyishkindlyappaloosa
The BOAT may have won Blake of the Year a few weeks ago but my Blake of the Year is none other than Blake Treinen. He overhauled his slider in the offseason and it’s been the filthiest pitch all season. I can’t wait to put together a compilation at the end of the year with all of his nastiest ones.
Kevin Gausman’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/meekwarmheartedamericanmarten
I can’t help but think that Rich Hill wants nothing to do with batting in games he pitches in. He really has no business being at the plate trying to hit Kevin Gausman’s filth. This isn’t nearly as fun as slinging curveballs up and down, left and right all over the place all day long, which is what I imagine he does to keep the pitch in tip-top shape at all times.
Paul Fry’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/aliveassureddogfish
Paul Fry’s slider is sneakily one of the nastiest pitches in the AL. That slider drops completely off the table after looking like it was heading straight for the glove. Nasty stuff.
Frankie Montas‘ Splitter
https://gfycat.com/barrenlittleizuthrush
Last year I often did a little thing called a GIF Sandwich. I haven’t been doing them this year because I simply haven’t had the time. I’ve also eaten all the sandwiches before I could share them with you. What do you want me to do? I get hungry late at night. Anyway, here’s a GIF sandwich from Frankie Montas‘ outing on Monday. Watch it before I eat it.
It's always a pleasure seeing Frankie Montas pitch in a ballpark with a good camera angle pic.twitter.com/RS3jssaHS4
— Ben Brown 🌻 (@BenBrownPL) August 17, 2021
Collin McHugh’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/faractualivorybackedwoodswallow
Collin McHugh has come out of nowhere to have a really good season for Tampa Bay. I say come out of nowhere, he’s probably been really good and on everyone’s radars all year. I’m over here in GIF land having no clue who’s been good and who hasn’t this season. Honestly. Is Kenta Maeda gonna win the Cy Young?
Juan Minaya’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/forkedinsecuregalago
Did you really think we were going to go an entire Nastiest Pitches article without a changeup? Come on, who do you think I am? Every time I watch Juan Minaya’s changeup I’m more and more impressed. I’m on the verge of calling him Baby Airbender. He’s not there yet but he’s on his way. Minayairbender? I think I need to go to bed.
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns of Twitter)