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.
Jared Jones‘ Slider
Let’s start Monday’s article with a pitch so good even your mom probably saw it on Good Morning America. There’s not much to say when a pitch speaks for itself and makes Brice Turang look like he’s playing and failing at a game of Twister.
Jared Jones‘ (Other) Slider
Jones’ slider is so nice that we’ll show it twice. This time, we’ll rewind to the first inning, back when Jones’ domination was just an assumption. Sal Frelick can only golf at this one, but like most Milwaukee hitters, he came up empty. Jones conjured a night-high 25 whiffs while striking out seven over his six innings on Monday, making it four straight starts of at least seven punch outs. Jones isn’t just the real deal — He’s the destroyer of worlds.
Tarik Skubal’s Changeup
Jones wasn’t the only young gun sowing on Monday. Tarik Skubal came out firing in Tampa Bay early, dropping this changeup to Isaac Paredes for his third of the night. Even Tigers play-by-play man Jason Benetti couldn’t contain his reaction. “Oh, man,” indeed. Skubal wasn’t as flashy as Jones, but the left-hander recorded nine strikeouts over six scoreless innings for his third win.
Mason Miller’s Fastball
There are fastballs, then there’s Mason Miller’s fastball. The 25-year-old unleashed this meteoric 103-mile-per-hour beauty that made even Juan Soto look like an elementary schooler yet to pass tee ball. Soto wasn’t the first or last to fall to Miller’s fastball. Anthony Volpe proceeded Soto while Aaron Judge succeeded him with strikeouts of their own for Miller’s fifth save of the season. The A’s might not have much, but they have a gas factory closing games for them.
Aroldis Chapman’s Sinker
From one reliever to another, let’s return to Pittsburgh. Aroldis Chapman started his night with this 102-mile-per-hour sinker that moves like a UFO captured by a jet fighter’s camera. While Pittsburgh and Chapman faced trouble later on, pitches like these will earn a spot on this list.
Brandon Pfaadt’s Sweeper
The Cardinals might be going through it, but no one can blame Iván Herrera for chasing this nasty sweeper from Brandon Pfaadt. Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno barely has to move his glove. All that’s asked of him is the opening and closing of his mitt.
A.J. Minter’s Cutter
It’s hard to embarrass Luis Arraez, the reigning batting champion, but that’s what A.J. Minter did Monday night. This cutter runs from the middle of the zone to its boundary and then well past it, carrying Arraez’s bat with it. Minter cruised through the rest of the inning before passing the baton to Raisel Iglesias for a three-out save.
Chris Paddack’s Changeup
How about some love for Chris Paddack, Monday’s strikeout leader? Granted, anyone could be the strikeout leader when pitching against the 3-19 White Sox, but few go seven scoreless against them. The last pitcher to do that was Spencer Turnbull… last Friday. Alright. Let’s rephrase things: Few pitchers can punch out 10. and even fewer can drop changeups like this that leap into the middle of the zone before disappearing into its outside corner.
Dylan Cease’s Slider
The same caveats that applied to the White Sox apply equally to the Rockies, who entered Monday 5-17. Despite that, any hitter on any team would fall for a slider this gnarly from Dylan Cease. Cease earned his appointment on Monday, striking out seven others and allowing just one hit over seven innings.
Photos courtesy of Icon Sportswire
Adapted by Kurt Wasemiller (@kurtwasemiller on Twitter / @kurt_player02 on Instagram
Wow, what a day for nasty pitches! Chapman’s sinker and Miller’s fastball might have been the 2nd and 3rd best pitches I have seen all season. And neither got my vote because the best was Jared Jones’ slider