Every week we review the nastiest pitches from the previous week 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 First Half. 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.
Masahiro Tanaka’s Fastball – Tanaka was on fire against the Red Sawx during Sunday Night Baseball, and featured this Fastball that whizzed well more than any pitch should for an early strike against Brock Holt. (Thanks to @leftykevin and Redditor ClaytonKoufax for the tips!)
Cody Reed’s Slider – The 23-year-old rookie is still looking for his first MLB win, but his quality start against the Braves shows he has serious upside. He can still contribute in the strikeouts category by tossing dirty stuff like this back-foot Slider to Anthony Recker for the K.
Kyle Hendricks’ Changeup – The 26-year-old starter is not known for his velocity (his fastball barely reaches 90 mph on average), but who needs speed when you can throw filthy stuff like this Changeup that slides inside on Wilmer Flores?
Jeurys Familia’s Slider – It’s no secret that Familia has some of the nastiest stuff of any pitcher in the bigs. We often talk about his Sinker or Splitter, but don’t sleep on this Slider that moved like a slow Curveball at 87 mph to Cody Asche. (Thanks to Redditor Ryuuken1789 for the tip!)
Steven Wright’s Knuckleball – It was just one of those nights for Wright as his Knuckleball danced every which way to befuddle the Twins lineup. Miguel Sano let out his frustration after whiffing on this spin-less pitch, though I’m not sure how he expected himself to make contact as it darted down and away at the lat moment. (Thanks to @MokiChokey and Redditor ldkick for the tip!)
Corey Kluber’s Slider – Kluber was on fire Monday, tossing seven scoreless innings before exiting with a calf cramp. He struck out eight along the way, including Alcides Escobar, who couldn’t resist throwing his hands at this Slider that ran low and away from contact.
Aroldis Chapman’s Fastball – Under normal circumstances, we wouldn’t include a pitch that didn’t induce a strike, but Chapman threw this ball so hard we had to include it as a bonus. This scorching Fastball reached 105.7 mph before crossing the plate, tying Chapman’s MLB record for hardest pitch thrown. How J.J. Hardy even saw this pitch, we may never know
Jake Arrieta’s Slider – Arrieta returned to form Tuesday in a pitcher’s duel against Noah Syndergaard. The Cubs ace struck out eight batters, including Alejandro De Aza, who had no chance against this perfectly placed 88 mph Slider.
GIF Of The Week
Which was your favorite pitch? Vote below and the winner will be featured in the GIF of the First Half contest.
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