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 First Half Contest. Did we miss your favorite pitch? Send us a tweet next time @PitcherList and we’ll GIF it up + give you a shoutout here in the article.
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Aaron Nola’s Changeup – Nola was absolutely dominant against the Marlins, striking out 7 over 7.1 innings. He had good movement on all his pitches but generated a superb 37% whiff rate on his slider like this one that sent Brian Anderson to his knee.
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James Paxton’s Cutter – Sadly, Paxton ended up with a no-decision in a game the Mariners would go on to lose – despite the 16 Ks he racked up. Stephen Piscotty gave this one his best swing but he had no chance and was nearly by the pitch in the process. (Thanks to @BrandonGriffin8 for the tip!)
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Stephen Strasburg’s Curveball – This beautiful curve had a nice finish – dropping nearly to the dirt after crossing the plate. Strasburg racked up 11 Ks in his victory and you can see why with pitches like this.
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Craig Kimbrell’s Fastball – Nope. Not fair. Really Kimbrell? You are not hitting this fastball. Period. 98 MPH up and in. Time to go home Whit Merrifield.
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Carlos Martinez’s Slider – Martinez looks like he exerted little effort on this 82 MPH slider that started inside before diving down and away with a big whiff.
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Lucas Giolito’s Curveball – Giolito’s bender was ugly – but only if you are Tommy Pham who was helpless against this one. I mean it at least looked like a strike at one point, right?
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Luis Severino’s Fastball – 99MPH paint on the outside isn’t even fair. It’s no wonder Severino logged his first career complete game AND shutout against the lethal Astros lineup. He was plain filthy. (Thanks to @Low_rax for the tip!)
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Fernando Romero’s Changeup – Romero made his major league debut in grand fashion, putting up zeros for 5 2/3 innings. This dive bombing changeup was just gorgeous.
GIF Of The Night
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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