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 Second Half Contest, which will be live in November. 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.
Jake Junis’ Slider – Junis is turning into a mainstay on PitcherList using two pitches that break in opposite directions, his Two-seam Fastball and his filthy Slider. His Slider breaks under the hands of Eduardo Escobar with extreme horizontal movement, and Escobar ends up more than a little off balance.
Fernando Abad’s Eephus –Last week I commented on A.J. Griffin’s Curveball and how it’s one of the slowest pitches in the majors that are thrown on a regular basis. Well, Griffin’s Curveball is slow, but Abad’s Eephus is 10 MPH slower, and it’s hilarious to watch the pitch hang in the air before Adeiny Hechavarria still can’t wait long enough to make contact.
Yu Darvish’s Slider – Some were getting restless with Darvish’s performances as a Dodger, but he certainly pleased fans with seven shutout innings against the Giants. It’s hard to mention Darvish without bringing up his Slider and this one in particular to Ryder Jones was as filthy as you’ll see.
Jose Berrios’ Curveball – Berrios pitched well last night on a night when his Fastball control wasn’t at its best, and as always he threw a video game like Curveball to Jose Bautista for the swinging K.
Chaz Roe’s Slider – The legend of Chaz Roe’s Slider continues two years after winning the GIF tournament with the same pitch. Here we have another pitch that was taken for a ball, but let’s marvel as it traveled from one edge of the plate to the other in super slow motion. Incredible.
Aaron Nola’s Curveball – There were concerns that Nola would struggle once again as he faced the Marlins, but he quelled those fears with an 11 strikeout performance. The famous deuce scored 11 whiffs over the 30+ thrown, including making future hall-of-famer Ichiro Suzuki spin in the box trying to hit this hook.
Clayton Kershaw’s At-Bat – We don’t normally feature full at-bat GIFs, but we felt the need to show how Kershaw went “Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Goodnight” on Nick Hundley. Each of these three pitches are a different weapon from his Arsenal, getting ahead with his heater, earning another strike with his signature Curveball, then turning to his slide piece for the devastating blow. Simply beautiful.
Zack Godley’s Curveball – The Dbacks keep on winning, and Godley has turned into a top of the line starter out of the blue, including an 8 inning gem last night. Godley has great command, and is able to change eye levels well with his Curveball. Nolan Arenado sees a high Fastball before the ball breaks off the plate.
GIF Of The Week
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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