The 3 nastiest pitches from Opening Day 2025 ft. Sandy Alcantara’s wicked 95mph whiffle ball

One of the biggest perks of Opening Day is getting to see the best pitchers from every team take the mound. As expected, Opening Day 2025 did not disappoint from that standpoint, with some excellent pitching performances on display.

Let's take a look at three of the best pitches from Opening Day of the 2025 MLB campaign.

3 nastiest pitches from Opening Day 2025

3 nastiest pitches from Opening Day 2025 (Image Source: IMAGN)

#3) Ryan Helsley (Minnesota Twins v. St. Louis Cardinals)

Ryan Helsley stepped onto the mound to close the game with the Cardinals carrying a two-run lead over the Twins going into the ninth inning. The burly right-hander faced switch-hitting second baseman Willi Castro for the first at-bat.

Helsley worked a 1-2 count in his favor before dishing out a 102 mph pitch located precisely on the lower inside corner of the strike zone. Castro was left completely frozen by the heater and kept looking towards the pitcher as he walked to his dugout.

The Cardinals' closer eventually ended up striking out the Twins in the ninth to record his first save of the campaign.

#2) Sandy Alcantara (Pittsburgh Pirates v. Miami Marlins)

Sandy Alcantara made his return to the MLB against the Pirates following his Tommy John surgery in 2023. The Marlins flamethrower posted a solid outing, which included a three-pitch strikeout of Endy Rodriguez in the fifth inning.

Alcantara opened the at-bat with a 95 mph sinker that had an astonishing 26 inches of horizontal break in addition to 17 dropping inches. The pitch started way inside for the left-handed Rodriguez before finding the upper part of the zone.

The Marlins ace pitched 4.1 innings and struck out seven Pirates batters, but gave up a couple of earned runs off two hits and four walks.

#1) Zack Wheeler (Philadelphia Phillies v. Washington Nationals)

Zack Wheeler made his second straight Opening Day start for the Phillies as they started their season on the road against the Nationals. He punched out five batters in the first three innings, including one of Nathaniel Lowe on a nasty breaking ball.

In the second inning, Wheeler dropped a looping 82 mph curveball on Lowe in a 0-2 count. The left-hander seemed to be expecting a slow pitch but still couldn't stop from swinging at a pitch that landed on the dirt before reaching the catcher.

It was a glorious performance on the day from the Phillies ace, who pitched six innings and gave up just one run while notching eight strikeouts.