Chris Sale has turned many hitters into human pretzels with his knee-buckling slider, that much has been well documented.
And the now the lefty’s slider officially has been bookmarked as the “nastiest pitch” in baseball, as voted on by big league hitters in a poll conducted by MLB.com that surveyed 85 players.
Sale received 16 votes, beating out Oakland A’s hurler Blake Treinen’s sinker and Cleveland Indians ace Corey Kluber’s slider. Craig Kimbrel’s knuckle-curveball also received seven votes.
How many times have you gone back and re-watched Sale make Manny Machado fold like an envelope to clinch Game 5 of the World Series? It’s okay to admit it. The slider busted out by the lanky lefty spun like a frisbee and will forever be a part of Red Sox history. And it perhaps was the most stunning rendition of baseball’s best pitch.
Go ahead, watch it one more time.
