Every morning, the We Love Baseball crew reviews the Nastiest Pitches from the previous day’s games. If you see something you think should be included here be sure to tweet @PitcherList to let us know. Or, if you’re a PL+ Member and part of our Discord, shout it out in the Nastiest Pitches channel.
Gerrit Cole’s Knuckle-Curve
As Gerrit Cole ramps up after his long stint on the injured list, the stuff is starting to return to the elite levels we expect. This lovely 83 mph knuckle-curveball to strike out Ceddanne Rafaela was one of eight strikeouts.
Joe Ryan’s Sweeper
A brilliant eight strikeouts from Joe Ryan against a dangerous Astros lineup was the perfect tonic for the Twins as they won 9-3. This nasty 83 mph sweeper was his pitch of the day to fell Yainer Diaz.
Tyler Anderson’s Changeup
A phenomenal eight scoreless innings from Tyler Anderson as he shut out the Cubs for his eighth win of the season. Anderson struck out Dansby Swanson three times and the final one in the eighth inning was a terrific 80 mph changeup.
Taj Bradley’s Splitter
Taj Bradley was sensational through six innings, allowing two runs on five hits with five strikeouts, all thanks to the split-finger fastball. Bradley has one of the most aggressive, high-velocity splitters in the game and this 91 mph dart to punch out Corey Seager was simply breathtaking.
Hunter Greene’s Four-Seam Fastball
One of the best outings of the year from young Hunter Greene, who struck out seven across seven shutout frames, allowing just three hits. You can see the moment he rips the soul out of Riley Greene on this vicious 99 mph heater.
Logan Allen’s Sweeper
A beautifully executed 81 mph sweeper from Logan Allen to strike out Heliot Ramos was one of nine Ks from the unheralded Guardians starter. He managed 4.1 innings before making way with a 4-3 lead.
Yariel Rodríguez’s Slider
The emotion that pours from Yariel Rodríguez after perfectly executing his 86 mph hard slider to end the fifth inning with his fifth strikeout tells you how important this pitch was. A fabulous outing and his first win of the season. Well done, sir!
Spencer Schwellenbach’s Splitter
Spencer Schwellenbach won this outing thanks to some big pitches with two outs at the end of innings. This 85 mph split-finger fastball was perfectly located to strike out David Dahl to end the fourth.