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 @ThePitcherList and we’ll GIF it up + give you a shoutout here in the article.
Aroldis Chapman’s Fastball – This is the pitch that should have ended yesterday’s game, but was ruled a foul ball instead of a hitting Russell Martin – which would have been called a strike since the Jays’ catcher swung right through the 101mph pitch. We’ve seen batters get hit and still whiff on breaking balls, but a Fastball?! Wow.
Taylor Rogers‘ Curveball – We don’t feature Rogers a whole lot, but there’s no denying he has some great breaking stuff. Check out this hook from the lanky southpaw that never stopped falling away Yonder Alonso’s bat. (Thanks to @Pburg34 for the tip!)
Kendall Graveman’s Fastball – It was a tough evening for Graveman, who struggled mightly against the Twins. However, he showed off his lively Fastball early, getting a big whiff from Max Kepler on a 95mph with a ton of life.
Andrew Miller’s Slider – It’s too bad Miller is planted in Cleveland now as its home camera angle does Miller’s slide piece no favors. Detroit is slightly better and we got a decent look at his wipeout Slider on Wednesday night as he fanned Mikie Mahtook in the seventh.
Jeff Samardzija’s Curveball – Shark had one of the best starts of his career against the Dodgers, allowing one unearned run and fanning eleven across eight frames. His stuff was working across the board, like this Curveball in the third to opposing pitcher Julio Urias that went from nose to toes.
Joe Biagini’s Fastball – Biagini was called on in a tough jam with the bases loaded and got the job done. The whole context of this pitch – 3-2 count with the bases juiced and up by only one run – makes it even more impressive, let alone the great movement at 97mph to nip the outside corner. Beautiful pitch. (Thanks to Redditor ithrew88 for the tip!)
Charlie Morton’s Curveball – Another start, another excellent strikeout performance from Morton who started strong by striking out the side in the first frame. The final punchout came on this Curveball that traveled across the entire plate to duck under Joey Gallo’s bat.
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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I have such a hard time with curveballs with lots of glove-side horizontal movement. I always think they’re sliders. Any tips on recognition?
I had trouble with them too. Also, hard sinkers. In fact anything with movement. A lot of hitters would tell you that you have to read the seams. But that’s only if you can see them in the first place. I wasn’t blessed with great vision and most major league hitters have 20/20 or better.
Most of the time, you can go off velocity and movement. Sliders are faster and have tighter movement, while curveballs are normally sub-80 mph pitches that have a lot more loose, vertical drop to them.
Yes, from a viewer perspective (TV) its easier to see. As a hittet, against a good pitcher, everything looks the same at release, and when you recognize the pitch, often its too late. Its all about the rapidity of your recognition + your reaction.