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 to see if it made it in the Nastiest Pitches of the Season GIF Tournament. 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.
Aroldis Chapman’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/ethicalfakeasianlion
Aroldis Chapman pitched very well in the bottom of the ninth inning to take this game to extras. The only fault in Chapman’s performance was it took him too many pitches to retire the side, and he was limited to only one inning of work. Chapman fooled Carlos Correa with this slider that was set up by the 0-2 slider before this one that was spiked in the dirt.
Roberto Osuna’s Fastball
https://gfycat.com/warpedmiserablegoitered
Roberto Osuna was able to elevate this fastball to Gary Sanchez a tad while throwing out close to the outside black. At 98 mph, the slumping Sanchez looked overmatched.
Tommy Kahnle’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/blackamusedbunting
Tommy Kahnle had one of the biggest outings of his career throwing 2.1 innings of scoreless ball after Adam Ottavino gave up the lead in the fifth inning. Kahnle got out of the fifth by placing this filthy changeup at a ridiculous 93 mph down in the zone.
James Paxton’s Knuckle-Curveball
https://gfycat.com/ickyshadydiamondbackrattlesnake
James Paxton wasn’t terrible last night, but the difference between the Astros and Yankees is so slim that Aaron Boone knew the Yankees had little margin for error. Paxton’s command was a bit erratic, and a couple of hard-hit balls were enough for Boone to go to the bullpen in the third inning. Paxton was able to get some swings and misses in his limited action, including this beauty of a knuckle-curve to get out of the second inning.
GIF of the Night
Which was your favorite pitch? Vote below, and the winner may be featured in Nastiest Pitches of the Season GIF Tournament.
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