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. 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 Slider – Chapman is the highest paid closer in the game for a reason, and got some good work in last night in a non-save situation. Here he uses a 90MPH slider to finish off Brad Miller on an 0-2 pitch that starts on the outside corner and breaks laughably far away from the zone.
Lance McCullers’ Curveball – Pure stuff has never been the issue with McCullers, but he does at times show an over reliance on his plus curveball that can in turn hurt his ability to finish off lefties. But when he keeps the curveball down it can strike out anybody including Nelson Cruz last night.
Greg Holland’s Slider – It seems like forever ago that Greg Holland was finishing games for the Royals in the playoffs. Now in Colorado after a year of rehab off Tommy John surgery, Holland looks back to his old self. Here he uses his out pitch slider to strike out Hernan Perez to finish off the Brewers.
Justin Verlander’s Fastball – Verlander was an elite starter for the last 4-5 months of 2016 with a whip of even 1 for the year. Here he shows great command of a two-seam fastball to sneak a strike in the front-door on Melky Cabrera to start the 4th inning.
Carlos Carrasco’s Slider – When healthy Carrasco shows a four pitch mix that makes him the ace of the Indians staff. Here he uses the slider to strike out Rougned Odor and get out of a jam.
Zach Putnam’s Splitter – Putnam is no household name, but with a 9.88 K/9 in 2016 Putnam has shown to be an effective reliever. Here his splitter fades way off the zone and Tyler Collins can’t hold up his swing for the strikeout.
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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