Every morning we review the nastiest pitches from the previous day’s games in glorious HD GIFs. Don’t forget to vote for your favorite pitch and check back this weekend to see if it will be in contention for the GIF of the Second Half Contest. Did we miss your favorite pitch? Send us a tweet next time @ThePitcherList and we’ll GIF it up + give you a shoutout here in the article.
Luis Castillo’s Fastball – This was Castillo’s final pitch of Thursday’s affair, throwing a blistering 95mph Fastball that traveled from one side of the plate the the other. No wonder Tucker Barnhart couldn’t catch this ball.
Sonny Gray’s Curveball – After being acquired from the Athletics, Gray has looked like the pitcher the Yankees were promised in his first two starts for the Pinstripes. He was tasked with shutting down the Jays last night and used all his pitches well to allow just 2 ER through six. Our favorite was this hook to Russell Martin that was so filthy that, like Barnhart, Gary Sanchez couldn’t handle it.
Danny Salazar’s Changeup – Salazar has been a new man since returning from his minor league stint and fanned eight batters while allowing just 1 ER to the Rays on Thursday evening. The first strikeout of his night came to Lucas Duda on a filthy Split-Changeup with excellent tumbling action.
Tyler Skaggs‘ Curveball – Saturday’s return from the DL didn’t go as planned for Skaggs, but he looked like his best self against the Mariners last night. Skaggs lives and dies with his Curveball and it was all kinds of pretty when he fanned Nelson Cruz to end the first frame.
Yu Darvish’s Slider – Darvish has been nothing short of dazzling in his two starts for the Dodgers, collecting double digit strikeouts in each game. There are plenty of pitches to point to for his consistent strikeout production, though ask Brandon Drury about his Slider movement and you’ll find your answer.
Brad Peacock’s Fastball – Peacock was set out to wash away the memories of his last outing that including 7 ER and did a fantastic job of holding back the White Sox through six innings. It’s hard to normally see the amount of movement he gets on his Fastball with the Houston camera angle, though pitching in Chicago last night got us a great look at his Two-Seamer horizontal ride. Notice how this pitch originally was headed for Leury Garcia’s hip before ending in the middle of the plate.
Wade Miley’s Curveball – It’s one thing to throw a big breaking ball that falls from shoulders to feet and garners a heavy swing-and-miss. It’s another to do so while making the batter lose their bat in the process. (Thanks to @TheRealestNoah for the tip!)
GIF Of The Night
Which was your favorite pitch? Vote below and the winner will be featured in the GIF of the Second Half Contest.
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