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 September Nastiest Pitches 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.
Blake Snell’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/difficultimpassionedfairybluebird
Pitching in his second game since going on the injured list in July, Blake Snell threw just 52 pitches in his 1 2/3 inning start against the BoSox. Even before his injury, this was far from the 2019 season Snell and the Rays were hoping for, as going from a 1.89 ERA to a 4.21 isn’t exactly ideal. At the very least, he’s striking out batters at a career-best rate, but that’s also come with a career-worst HR/9.
Brian Johnson’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/flashycomfortablecricket
The bullpen has been a problem area for the Red Sox the last few years, and Brian Johnson certainly hasn’t helped their cause this season. Over 38 2/3 IP he’s allowed a 6.05 ERA, which his abysmal 12.1 H/9 is mostly responsible for. There’s a reason the 28 year-old has yet to hit two years of service time. He does manage to throw a nice curve to get Travis d’Arnaud here though.
Ryne Stanek’s Splitter
https://gfycat.com/detailedgentleamericantoad
Ryne Stanek’s season has been a tale of two teams. He owned a 3.40 ERA over 41 appearances for the Rays, but a 6.27 ERA since being traded to the Marlins in the Trevor Richards‘ deal. Richards, meanwhile, has a 1.93 ERA as a Ray, after a 4.50 mark in Miami. Truly, South Beach is truly a whirlpool of suck, making everything that lands there worse. Luckily, Miami finally has some talent in the far, but it’s going to be a long few more years.
Tyler Kinley’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/excitablesecondhandeelelephant
Tyler Kinley has been respectable out of the pen for the Marlins, posting a 3.78 ERA over 50 appearances. His 5.09 FIP though betrays his solid surface level stats, and indicates that Kinley has been about as bad as most everyone else in Miami. That 6.5 BB/9 REALLY needs to come down.
Steven Matz’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/academictemptingdodobird
Steven Matz has quietly been solid for the Mets over 29 starts, with a 4.37 ERA that looked much better before allowing 6 ER against the Marlins on Monday. He’s remained as prone to the longball as ever, but otherwise has been perfectly serviceable. The 28 year-old was a hyped prospect at one point, but that star potential appears to have fizzled out along with the Mets themselves.
Javy Guerra’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/kaleidoscopictamecarp
Javy Guerra was a very good reliever at one point in his career, but the 33 year-old has been remarkably mediocre over the last couple of season. He’s posted a 4.20 ERA since being claimed off waivers by the Blue Jays, who were apparently impressed enough by his 4.65 ERA to use a roster spot on him. At the very least, we can enjoy this crazy changeup and forget everything else he’s done this season.
GIF of the Night
Which was your favorite pitch? Vote below, and the winner will be featured in the September Nastiest Pitches GIF Tournament.
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