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!
Jhoan Duran’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/belovedyellowbaldeagle
Duran nearly left the mound before this beautiful paint job was ever thrown. The first pitch he threw in the inning came back and hit him in the leg, leaving him hobbled for several minutes. Thankfully for all of us, he was able to stay in the game — and he promptly struck out Bo Bichette on four pitches. This was the prettiest of the bunch, dotting that outside corner like a fine brushstroke.
Jakob Junis‘ Sinker
https://gfycat.com/clearcutcourteousadmiralbutterfly
Junis put together his best start of the season on Sunday, striking out eight batters in six innings of two-hit, one-run ball. This elegant sinker put a period on his first punchie of the day. Garrett Cooper may not have earned much credit for arguing with the call, but with a pitch like that, what else can you do?
Mike Clevinger’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/agilecapitaldotterel
Kolten Wong had the opposite reaction after being eviscerated to this darting change from Clevinger. That’s a man that knows he’s been bested. Ironically, it came just two innings after Wong tagged Clevinger for a leadoff homer on his second pitch of the game (that time, a sinker). Clev learned his lesson, giving him a steady diet of off-speed offerings in this sequence. The toe stomp/head nod combo says it all.
Devin Williams‘ Changeup
https://gfycat.com/vagueornateachillestang
It doesn’t feel quite right to be talking about changeups in a Brewers game without acknowledging that Williams exists — and, in fact, he pitched yesterday. He actually struck out the side in his inning of work, sitting down Luke Voit and Eric Hosmer on fastballs before returning to his bread-and-butter here to nab Ha-Seong Kim. This pitch is nothing new for Williams, but it sure doesn’t get old to watch.
Alex Lange’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/keenoptimalhen
Lange didn’t have the best command in Sunday’s loss to the Yankees, allowing a run on two hits and two walks in less than two innings, but his stuff was all there. Here he locks up Joey Gallo on three consecutive heaters, the last of which sends him back to the bench seeing stars.
Charlie Morton’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/cloudyspeedyjohndory
Morton didn’t have his best command either, walking three and allowing four runs over five laborious frames. But the 18 whiffs don’t lie — he was dirty. And there are few pitches in baseball as deadly as Morton’s curve, which he deploys so effectively here that it actually knocks Ryan McMahon off balance and Travis d’Arnaud receives a backswing to the noggin. Ouch!
Michael King’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/widequerulousharrierhawk
King was all kinds of dirty in this one, striking out the side in the top of the 10th to set up New York’s extra-inning victory. He showed off his full arsenal, punching out Derek Hill with a sinker, getting Willi Castro with a changeup, and finishing off Spencer Torkelson with a wicked curve. But this 0-1 change with 21 inches of horizontal break was my personal favorite, mostly because of the absurd swing it induced from Castro.
Luis Castillo’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/waryweakkodiakbear
Finally, I was torn between two pitches from Castillo. The batter after this was a guy named Juan Soto, and he struck him out with a filthy changeup. But when I think Castillo, I think fastball; and this sinker to Lane Thomas was all kinds of dangerous. The rise up and in at 97 works perfectly to the pitcher’s advantage, leaving Thomas (presumably) feeling like he just got ambushed by a howitzer (hence the “swing”). 10/10, no notes.
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns of Twitter)