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.
Chaz Roe’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/GrizzledHollowCornsnake
Chaz Roe pitched important relief innings last night. The Rays are currently battling for a Wild Card spot as the clock on the regular season runs down, and Roe helped them pull out a victory by giving them 1.1 scoreless innings last night. Roe struck out three Yankees, including the mighty Aaron Judge, who fell victim to Roe’s ferocious sweeping slider.
Mike Clevinger’s Fastball
https://gfycat.com/FinishedAptAllensbigearedbat
While the Rays got a big win against the Yankees, their competitor for the second Wild Card spot, the Indians, routed the White Sox. Led by Mike Clevinger, the Tribe shut out the Sox 11-0. Clevinger picked up 10 strikeouts, and he used his fastball to finish seven of those, including this one that he just beams right by Leury Garcia.
Max Scherzer’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/PositiveOpulentArmednylonshrimp
It wasn’t exactly a quality start last night from Max Scherzer as the perennial Cy Young candidate allowed four earned runs over the course of six frames. Nevertheless, Scherzer fanned 10 opposing hitters, including Andrew Knapp, who swung at this offspeed pitch that Scherzer buries in the dirt.
Josh Hader’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/SimpleWhiteFunnelweaverspider
It was a big win for the Brewers last night, whose magic number fell to one after a win against the Reds and a Cubs loss to Pittsburgh. Here, Josh Hader closes out the game on a back-foot slider that fools Kyle Farmer to bring Milwaukee one game away from a trip to the postseason.
Gerrit Cole’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/EverlastingImpureGoat
Finally, we’ve got Gerrit Cole and his wicked slider. Cole racked up 14 strikeouts last night in seven innings, a feat that only he can make seem pedestrian. Cole’s strikeout dominance is unmatched in the majors today, as he has accrued well over 300 strikeouts now on the season (316 to be exact). Here, Cole uses his phenomenal slider to get J.P. Crawford falling down in the batter’s box on strike three.
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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