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.

 

Blake Snell’s Curveball

 

https://gfycat.com/separatefancyasianlion

 

Snellzilla’s (kind of) back baby! Though his start as a whole was a bit wobbly coming off of the IL, this curveball is pure Blake magic and is surely going to keep Jorge Soler up tonight. Expect to see Snell featured here once again in his next start, which hopefully goes a bit better.

 

Steven Brault’s Slider

 

https://gfycat.com/sillyfatherlyfugu

 

Steven Brault fulfills the daily quota of fun, relatively obscure pitcher most people don’t think about very often. While it may not have meant much considering the thrashing the Pirates were on the receiving end of, Caleb Joseph is left looking like fellow Nashvillite Brandt Snedeker here at the end of the game.

 

A.J. Minter’s Fastball

 

https://gfycat.com/creamyopulentlabradorretriever

 

Sometimes a pitch doesn’t need freakish drop or ludicrous movement. Sometimes a beautifully placed heater does the trick, and A.J. Minter proves it here. Curt Casali’s helpless to do anything but flail at this perfectly placed and set up pitch.

 

Jordan Hicks‘ Changeup

 

https://gfycat.com/femaleadolescentcaracal

 

Is there any worse nightmare for pitchers right now than having to face off against Christian Yelich? Furthermore, is there a worse nightmare than facing him with the bases loaded, in the bottom of the ninth? Jordan Hicks laughs in the face of danger here, putting away the reigning NL MVP with a changeup that drops like RPC stock. Hicks got to face just one batter today, and he certainly made the most of it.

 

Justin Verlander’s Slider

 

https://gfycat.com/likelyslipperyant

 

Justin Verlander is 36 years young and still making hitters look positively foolish. This slider grabs the entire bottom of the zone en route to eliciting a comedic golf swing from C.J. Cron.

 

Blake Treinen’s Cutter

 

https://gfycat.com/candidneatiridescentshark

 

Even against as ineffective a batter as Patrick Wisdom (currently boasting the 10th-worst wRC+ in the majors among hitters with at least 20 plate appearances), this pitch is gorgeous. Like Minter’s, this pitch is one that’s not only nasty on its own but becomes even nastier when you watch the entire sequence of pitches that led up to the kill pitch. More fine work from one of baseball’s finest relievers.

 

Brad Hand’s Slider

 

https://gfycat.com/misguidedkeyblacklemur

 

I’m not sure what it is about Brad Hand’s slider that makes it look like it floats the whole way down into the corner, but whatever it is gives us a gorgeous strike here, drawing a huge cut from free-swinging catcher Jorge Alfaro.

 

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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