Every morning, we review the nastiest pitches from the previous day’s games in glorious high-definition 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 Quarter Contest. Did we miss your favorite pitch? Send us a tweet next time @PitcherList, and we’ll GIF it up and give you a shoutout here in the article.
Aaron Nola’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/dearestagedladybug
Aaron Nola has a great curveball, and this GIF shows the side to side movement on the pitch that can take the ball away from a hitter’s bat. Albert Almora was left swinging at air this time.
Lucas Giolito’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/illfatedincomparableairedale
Lucas Giolito had the best outing of his career last night, using a three-pitch mix to keep the vaunted Astros lineup off balance and complete a shutout. This slider to Carlos Correa on pitch 105 shows how well Giolito was throwing throughout the win.
Jordan Lyles‘ Curveball
https://gfycat.com/illinformeddelayedbluebird
Jordan Lyles is throwing his curveball more than ever in the midst of a breakout year. Lyles is great at burying the pitch out of zone and getting hitters such as Trevor Story to flail at the ball.
Hector Neris’ Splitter
https://gfycat.com/clutteredverifiablefrogmouth
Hector Neris was in a bad spot with the first two hitters on and no outs with a 3-0 count to Jason Heyward. Neris battled back and was able to get Heyward to swing at a splitter dropping out of the zone. Heyward showed his frustration at failing by breaking his bat over his leg. Enjoy the slow-motion shot of the bat break and the splinters flying through the air.
Stephen Strasburg’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/unsteadywearydamselfly
Unfortunately, Stephen Strasburg’s leg gets in the way for some of this GIF, but I think we all can still appreciate the filthiness of this pitch. J.D. Davis fought off some tough pitches in this at bat, but Strasburg was able to finish him off with one of his many finishing options.
Edwin Diaz’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/happyellipticallemur
Edwin Diaz finished off the sputtering Nationals yesterday using mostly his exploding fastball, but this slider to end the game is always available to Diaz. Matt Adams had no chance to hit this disappearing 91 mph slider while gearing up for the fastball.
GIF of the Night
Which was your favorite pitch? Vote below, and the winner will be featured in the GIF of the First Quarter Contest.
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