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.
Grayson Rodriguez’s Changeup
Let’s open Monday’s list with a battle in the Bronx between the Yankees and the Orioles. Grayson Rodriguez got the nod for the O’s and ran with it, pitching five and two-thirds scoreless innings. While Rodriguez only struck out three on the night, this changeup to Aaron Judge is worthy of the opening spot for its late-breaking action.
Clarke Schmidt’s Cutter
Clarke Schmidt surrendered a leadoff homerun to Gunnar Henderson in the first. He took that personally and failed to falter again. Schmidt was stupendous throughout Monday, allowing just three hits while striking out five and summoning 11 swinging strikes. This cutter cruised outside the zone, past Anthony Santander, and made the veteran look as lost as Pedro Cerrano in “Major League.”
Luis Severino’s Changeup
Luis Severino’s no-hit bid started with a bang. The right-handed reclamation project opened his Monday outing with this gorgeous fluttering slider to Mike Tauchman that disappears toward the bottom corner of the zone and into catcher Tomás Nido’s glove. Severino kept it up in the innings that followed, retiring the first 11 batters and making the Cubs look like the Bad News Bears.
Héctor Neris‘ Splitter
Severino might’ve been near-perfect, but Héctor Neris and the Cubs walked away with the win on Monday night. With two men on and trouble brewing, Neris deployed this barrel-rolling splitter that narrowly avoided the dirt but created a massive game-sealing whiff from Brett Baty. Neris’ splitter sent a message to Severino’s no-hit bid and the Mets: Shove it.
Trevor Rogers‘ Changeup
Saturdays are for the boys, and Mondays are for the changeups. Trevor Rogers kept the streak going down in Miami with this changeup to Jesse Winker that evaded capture like Xenophon and the Greeks. It doesn’t get much bigger than this: Runner on second, full count, two outs, already down to two runs. Moments like these are where games keep close or float away. Rogers did his part, but the Marlins failed to do theirs, surrendering four runs in the seventh and securing another loss.
Joe Ryan’s Sweeper
The 6-22 White Sox doubled their wins this weekend with a three-game sweep against the Rays. Joe Ryan aimed to stop the buck with him on Monday night. But first, he had to sit Paul DeJong down and silence Chicago’s threat with two men on. Ryan’s weapon of choice was this sweeper that seeps into the heart of the plate only to dip toward catcher Christian Vázquez’s outstretched glove. DeJong swings and misses; Ryan walks away victorious.
Bryan Hudson’s Fastball
Not every nasty pitch has to be a swing-and-miss. Sometimes, a nasty pitch can be a fastball that travels from a pitcher’s arm side to the outside corner of the zone. Exhibit A: Bryan Hudson’s fastball to Richie Palacios. At 93 miles-per-hour this pitch isn’t exactly screaming toward Palacios like a sonic boom, but the horizontal movement sends shockwaves nonetheless.
Max Fried’s Curveball
Just because Max Fried had a 4.97 ERA entering Monday doesn’t mean he’s no longer Max Fried. Mad Max took to the bump in Seattle and reminded everyone of that with this curveball that rose and fell like the Roman Empire. Fried’s reminder is not a victimless crime, however. Just ask Ty France.
Ryan Pepiot’s Curveball
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Rays might have developed another pitcher into a frontline starter. Ryan Pepiot bamboozled the Brewers, striking out seven and allowing just two hits over his six innings pitched. Though Pepiot rode his fastball for five of his seven strikeouts, this curveball to Joey Ortiz stood out. Pepiot’s now down to a 1.00 ERA over his last three starts. Sorry, baseball, Tampa did it again.
Photos courtesy of Icon Sportswire
Adapted by Kurt Wasemiller (@kurtwasemiller on Twitter / @kurt_player02 on Instagram