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.
Zack Wheeler’s Curveball
Mastery from Zack Wheeler as he blanked Atlanta with seven shutout frames. The Phillies ace allowed just four hits and struck out seven for his 13th win of the campaign. This devastating 82 mph curveball was far too good for Michael Harris II.
Max Fried’s Four-Seam Fastball
It was tough for Max Fried to take the loss with Wheeler excelling opposite him on the mound. The crafty Atlanta lefty still worked seven stellar innings with four Ks. 97 mph paint on his heater to jelly-leg Nick Castellanos.
José Berríos‘ Sinker
Try and find a nastier comebacker than this phenomenal 93 mph two-seam fastball from Blue Jays star José Berríos, who enjoyed a big lead throughout his six frames. He cruised to his 14th win of a solid campaign for the underperforming Toronto ball club.
Yusei Kikuchi’s Changeup
We might be seeing the best of Japanese star Yusei Kikuchi since he entered Major League Baseball in 2019. Yesterday’s sensational 12 strikeouts in seven brilliant innings was undoubtedly his best outing in the USA. Kikuchi worked his pitch mix to perfection, with this vicious 84 mph changeup to dismiss Paul DeJong a particular standout.
Cole Ragans‘ Changeup
Speaking of mesmerizing changeups, here’s Cole Ragans with a beauty!
Tarik Skubal’s Slider
An unfair 92 mph hard slider from Tigers ace Tarik Skubal drew a vocal scream from me watching this live. Elite!
Shane Baz’s Curveball
Young, exciting pitchers throwing nasty curveballs. We like this stuff from Rays young gun Shane Baz. Nasty, unfair, but oh so beautiful.
Javier Assad’s Sinker
Cubs surprise package Javier Assad was pumped to finish up the inning with this vicious 93 mph sinker that came from waaaaay outside for the K. Filthy!