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 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.
Edinson Volquez’s Fastball – While his command can be inconsistent at times, Volquez has the stuff to strike out major league hitters when needed. He completely froze Carlos Santana with this front-door Fastball for the backwards K.
Mike Leake’s Slider – Leake has been dealing lately, racking up double-digit strikeouts in his last two starts. Even the Padres’ hot-hitting Wil Myers had no chance against the new and improved Leake, who got him to chase the Slider all night long. (Thanks to @stlCupofJoe for the tip!)
Aaron Nola’s Fastball – Nola took a step in the right direction Monday, tossing six innings of scoreless ball against the Marlins. He was removed as a precaution after being hit by a line drive, but before that he was able to strike out five batters, including Christian Yelich, who got locked up when this Fastball came his way.
Jose Fernandez’s Fastball – Fernandez tied his career high with 14 strikeouts Monday against the Phillies. One of those K’s came on this painted 98 mph Fastball that left Peter Bourjos stranded.
Corey Kluber’s Slider – Kluber was on fire Monday, tossing seven scoreless innings before exiting with a calf cramp. He struck out eight along the way, including Alcides Escobar, who couldn’t resist throwing his hands at this Slider that ran low and away from contact.
Aroldis Chapman’s Fastball – Under normal circumstances, we wouldn’t include a pitch that didn’t induce a strike, but Chapman threw this ball so hard we had to include it as a bonus. This scorching Fastball reached 105.7 mph before crossing the plate, tying Chapman’s MLB record for hardest pitch thrown. How J.J. Hardy even saw this pitch, we may never know
GIF Of The Night
Which was your favorite pitch? Vote below and the winner will be featured in the GIF of the Second Half contest.
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Christopher Chase Edmunds is a writer for Pitcher List. He is currently working on a Master’s in Journalism from the University of Alabama. He grew up in Birmingham, perfecting the knuckleball in the backyard. He can be found streaming Colorado Rockies games and avoiding any association with the Atlanta Braves.