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.
David Price’s Cutter – After a major clunker the outing before, Price rewarded owners with a 14 strikeout effort against the Braves. Everything was on point, including a Cutter that started at left-handed batters’ hips before sliding back over the plate.
Clayton Kershaw’s Curveball – I know, we might feature Kershaw’s Curveball more than any other pitch. Can you blame us though? Here he is silencing one of the most potent bats in the bigs (Giancarlo Stanton got his revenge later in the game) with Clayton’s signature pitch. The slow motion clip is simply too tasty to ignore. (Thanks to @MaxEPo for the tip!)
Chris Sale’s Slider – Like Kershaw, it feels like cheating using a Sale Slider in the roundup, but it’s just so good. The pitch demolished the Jays and left Matt Dominguez frozen at the bottom of the second inning with a pitch that barely scraped the outside corner. (Thanks to Redditor jay_xxii for the tip!)
Rich Hill’s Curveball – Hill can’t stop rolling as he cruised through the Tigers’ lineup Tuesday night. His Curveball was as good as ever, starting early as he struck out Justin Upton. The previous 1-1 pitch may have been even better, but unfortunately the feed cut into the pitch too late for a good look at it.
Johnny Cueto’s Fastball – It was Cueto in his prime, going the distance to shutout the Padres. He got excellent movement on his Fastball all night, including this front-door heater to Jemile Weeks that was called for strike three. Like Sale’s Slider, it was a borderline pitch, but close enough to earn a spot on today’s list. (Thanks to @bnbouzard for the tip!)
Tyler Lyons‘ Curveball – Lyons will not spend much time in these roundups during the season, and he got his taste last night after forcing David Peralta to coil in fear with this hook. It’s always fun watching a batter give up on a pitch so aggressively only for it to curl back onto the plate for a strike. (Thanks to Redditor iamadacheat for the tip!)
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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