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 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.
Congrats to Kelvin Herrera’s Slider for winning GIF of the Week! Hard not to love the action on Herrera’s breaking ball.
Chris Archer’s Changeup – It was a plentiful weekend of filthy pitches with many excellent offerings missing the cut simply because we could only feature so many. Archer leads the way with a Changeup that featured crazy good late bite to dive underneath the bat of Michael Saunders.
Cesar Vargas‘ Slider – Vargas may not be a name that you know, but you forget the perfect command of this Slider to Justin Turner. It may be one of the most underrated pitches of today’s roundup, as the angle doesn’t fully display how this pitch looked to be heading for Turner’s hip before falling right on the inside corner for the punchout. (Thanks to Redditor couchmeister for the tip!)
Zack Greinke’s Curveball – He may not be known for his hook, but this Greinke Curveball to Carlos Gonzlaez featured a ton of drop, going from nose-to-toes and earning the strikeout.
Max Scherzer’s Changeup – We often don’t get good angles to view Scherzer’s elite stuff, which makes this look of his top notch Changeup a welcome sight. Matt Carpenter didn’t have a chance against the beautiful fading action The Scherz gets with his slow ball.
Carlos Rodon’s Slider – Sale isn’t the only southpaw with a deadly Slider in Chicago. Rodon froze All-star Manny Machado with this excellent comeback slide-piece to earn the backwards K on Friday night.
Tyler Duffey’s Curveball – Duffey has found his way back into the Twins rotation, which means we get some great looks at his fantastic bender. This pitch is a prime example of its deceptiveness, freezing big-time slugger J.D. Martinez on a Curveball that ends up getting a decent amount of the plate.
Stephen Strasburg’s Changeup – My favorite pitch of Strasburg has always been the Changeup, and it has looked incredibly good to start 2016. It’s a big reason for his early success and watching it simply fall off the table to Aledmys Díaz is all you need to see.
Corey Kluber’s Slider – It may be a Curveball, Brooks Baseball calls it a Slider, but whatever it is, this breaking ball from Kluber fools Ryan Howard badly for the strikeout and everyone rejoiced. Excellent tight break down and in, away from Howard’s bat.
Clayton Kershaw’s Curveball – I initially refused to feature another Kershaw Curveball, but it’s just…so…good…He trounced the Padres and froze Brett Wallace with the signature pitch to lead off the 9th. (Thanks to Redditors CoveredSquirrel and Llort2 for the tip!)
Chris Sale’s Slider – Speaking of pitches we feature here often, Sale’s Slider is back for another edition in the Roundup, but it’s a special occasion, marking the first batter who has struck out on a slider that hit him. Poor Mark Trumbo. (Thanks to brownmagician for the tip!)
GIF Of The Weekend
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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