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!
Michael Wacha’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/difficultgivingbudgie
It is usually “All Rise” for Aaron Judge, however, in the Yankees’ 3-0 defeat to the Red Sox, the slugger was “Bending The Knee” to veteran arm Michael Wacha, who rolled back the years with a virtuoso performance to stifle the empire and throw seven strong scoreless innings, in which he only gave up two hits. Wacha’s beautiful 85 mph changeup to strike out Judge was a ripper.
Blake Snell’s Four-Seam Fastball
https://gfycat.com/wearythisbetafish
It hasn’t been the smoothest transition for Blake Snell in San Diego, however the fiery starter has found a groove recently by winning six of his last seven starts. This command has improved significantly, as shown by this perfectly located 96 mph heater to strike out Luke Voit.
Shane Bieber’s Cutter
https://gfycat.com/optimisticwarmindianspinyloach
We were robbed of extra angles of this phenomenal 88 mph cut-fastball from Shane Bieber to K Teoscar Hernández – sometimes the world is just plain cruel. Watch and admire what we did get to see.
Drew Rasmussen’s Four-Seam Fastball
https://gfycat.com/identicalunsightlyimago
Let’s stay with the heat and go to Tampa Bay where Drew Rasmussen flirted with a perfect game, falling short with just three outs to get. Still, his electric performance was littered with tons of nasty pitches. My personal favorite was this 97 mph four-seamer that painted the corner of Cedric Mullins‘ strike zone.
Chris Bassitt’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/milkyhandsomedugong
We are just about pushing the lines of the nasty pitches rules with this Chris Bassitt slider but the late movement is too good to leave out. It is also a great example of a veteran pitcher calling the bluff of a young hitter. Bryson Stott knows it’s coming outside but still fails to lay off this 74 mph slider wide and disappearing away from him. Elite.
Brady Singer’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/liquidillinformedbangeltiger
There hasn’t been a better starter with command of his fastball over the past month than Royals young buck Brady Singer. Singer’s two-seam fastball has consistently taken down the best hitters in the league thanks to its movement and velocity. This 97 mph sinker gets the better of Trea Turner. Nasty stuff.
Alexis Díaz’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/comfortableeachcoelacanth
An almost-carbon copy of his brother Edwin, young Reds closer Alexis Díaz struck out four with his devastating slider to earn an impressive five-out save against the Cubs. Coming in with the Reds in a mess in the eighth inning with only one out and the bases loaded, Díaz laid waste to the top of the Cubs order before sweeping up the rest in the ninth. This 88 mph hard slider the best of the bunch to fell Nelson Velazquez.
Bryce Elder’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/costlydistinctaidi
Atlanta’s pitching conveyer belt continues to produce the goods – unheralded young starter Bryce Elder showing out through seven innings of elite command and pitch mix. Elder struck out 10, and this 91 mph sinker was perfectly located to fell young Peyton Burdick.
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns of Twitter)