Every morning we review the five best pitches from the previous day’s games in glorious HD GIFs. Don’t forget to vote for your favorite pitch and and check back this weekend to see if it will be in contention for the “GIF of the Week”. 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.
Mark Melancon’s Cutter – There were a boatload of excellent pitches last night with some solid offerings getting cut despite adding an extra two GIFs. One of the prettiest you’ll see is this Cutter from the Pirates’ closer as it sharply breaks at 91 MPH into Skip Schumaker’s knees. (Thanks to @ipickmynose for the tip!)
Chris Archer’s Slider – Some call Archer’s Slider the best of its kind, and it’s tough to argue against it. Early MVP candidate Josh Donaldson struggled against it all night, and just look at how far he was from making contact with this 89 MPH bender.
Dellin Betances‘ Knuckle-Curve – Before he imploded in the 9th inning, Dellin struck both batters he faced in the 8th including stunning Freddy Galvis with this big Knuckle-Curve. (Thanks to @edofthestate for the tip!)
Madison Bumgarner’s Slider – He’s the master of the sweeping Slider with his low arm-angle, and he gets Yonder Alonso to chase this one well out of the zone. One of the toughest pitches to resist.
Carlos Martinez’s Changeup – Okay, we have a small obsession with Carlos, but for good reason! Nearly every night he has GIFable pitches and last night was no exception. Here is his Changeup to Christian Yelich that had us giddy. (Thanks to @stlCupofJoe for the tip!)
Ken Giles‘ Slider – Giles is the expected future closer of the Phillies, and he asserted his dominance last night against the Yankees by striking out the side with his blistering heat and wipe-out Slider. Watch Alex Rodriguez’s bat miss this pitch by a foot. (Thanks to @comedydog for the tip!)
Mike Montgomery’s Curveball – In his fifth major league start, Montgomery pitched a CGSHO against the team that traded him in the famous Shields/Myers deal in 2012. He accrued 10 strikeouts along the way, including this one to Alex Gordon on a huge yacker down and away.
GIF Of The Night
Which was your favorite pitch? Vote below and the winner will be featured in this weekend’s “GIF of the Week” contest.
[polldaddy poll=8947919]