Nastiest Pitches in MLB History
Greg Maddux’s Two-Seamer
Where Nolan Ryan was the king of heat, Greg Maddux was the king of control. Maddux wouldn’t overpower you with his velocity. At his peak, he only reached 93 mph and steadily declined throughout his career. Rather, he would outwit you with his masterful command of the strike zone. His durability, efficiency, and deep understanding of the game fueled his incredible Hall of Fame career.
He could throw any of his seven pitches wherever he wanted, mowing down hitters even when his fastball only reached 86 mph. He featured a four-seam fastball, a cutter, a slider, a changeup, a splitter, and a curveball. However, the two-seamer was his bread and butter.
The two-seam fastball is commonly utilized pitch in the majors. Its combination of speed and tail-like movement makes it a useful weapon for any pitcher. However, Maddux’s two-seamer was a weapon of mass destruction.
First of all, the movement on his two-seamer was absurd. As the pitch approached the plate, it would tail and sink so sharply that it almost looked like a screwball. In fact, many consider Maddux’s two-seamer as the closest thing to the Japanese “shuuto” pitch. Second of all, Maddux could manipulate the pitch in any way he saw fit. He could tie up lefties by dropping on the inside-corner, jam righties by throwing it in on their hands, or simply buckle anyone’s knees by dropping it over the plate with that insane movement.
Maddux is perhaps the best control pitcher in MLB history. He is the only pitcher ever to have over 300 wins, 3,000 strikeouts, and less than 1,000 walks. He had one of the most dominant stretches from 1992-1995, where we went 75-29 with a 1.98 ERA and a sub-1 WHIP. He won the NL Cy Young in all four of those seasons. When he was on the mound, he dictated the pace of the game. He could dizzy batters with a plethora of pitches, but he could always get you out with that disgusting two-seamer.