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.
Corbin Burnes‘ Slider
Corbin Burnes took the hard-luck loss on Wednesday as his offense was shut out en route to a 2-0 defeat. Burnes did his part, striking out six in as many innings and got Aaron Judge to chase the slider below the zone in the first.
Clay Holmes‘ Slider
Clay Holmes closed out the Yankee victory in Baltimore, recording the final five outs, three by way of the strikeout. His first came on a nasty slider to sophomore sensation Gunnar Henderson.
Shota Imanaga’s Splitter
Shota Imanaga’s incredible run to begin his major league career continued Wednesday tossing seven shutout innings to lower his season ERA to a miniscule 0.78. He struck out seven Mets hitters and put away Pete Alonso on a fantastic splitter.
Mason Miller’s Slider
Mason Miller allowed two runs in his season debut on March 30th but has been near unhittable since. In the month of April, he struck out 27 opposing hitters while not allowing a run.
He began May in the same fashion, as he closed out an Oakland win with a shutout inning, striking out Henry Davis along the way.
Joe Musgrove’s Curveball
Joe Musgrove took the mound on Wednesday, coming off his worst start of 2024 last Friday. He bounced back in a big way, striking out a season-high nine, and leading the Padres to a 6-2 win. He sent Luke Maile back to the dugout in the third after flailing over a breaking ball.
Patrick Sandoval’s Sweeper
After a few rough outings, Patrick Sandoval appeared to right the ship on Wednesday afternoon, punching out 10 over only five innings. His offense would not do its part, however, and the Angels fell 2-1. Sandoval struck out the side in the first, including Kyle Schwarber here.
Chris Sale’s Slider
The Mariners are the major league leader in strikeouts a month into the season and added to that dubious title on Wednesday as they faced Chris Sale. The lefty struck out nine Mariner hitters, eight of which came on his slider, as the veteran cruised to a win in the series finale. Sale put away Dylan Moore here on a filthy slider that dove out of the zone.
Emerson Hancock’s Changeup
Opposing Sale in the matinee was Mariners’ youngster Emerson Hancock. Hancock did not find the same success as his counterpart from Atlanta, but still managed four Ks, and ended the first on a great changeup to Marcell Ozuna.
Photos courtesy of Icon Sportswire. Adapted by Kurt Wasemiller (@KUWasemiller on Twitter / @kurt_player02 on Instagram)