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 GIF of the First Quarter Contest. 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.
Gerrit Cole’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/AgilePotableCarpenterant
Though he lasted only five, Gerrit Cole was dominant over those five innings of work, striking out seven and walking one. This outing lowered Cole’s ERA on the year to 3.56, with a sparkling 13.8 K/9 to boot.
Diego Castillo’s Cutter
https://gfycat.com/GregariousGorgeousIndianpangolin
It’s not the high heat we’re used to seeing Diego Castillo make headlines with, but the crazy drop on this cutter is more than enough to have Gio Urshela flailing.
Kyle Crick’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/ExaltedOpenAmericanratsnake
Despite coming into this at-bat red hot (he hit a home run earlier in the game), Franmil Reyes was neutralized by Kyle Crick with a filthy slider. In fairness to the budding Padres slugger though, the 15 MPH difference between Crick’s fastball and slider is more than most hitters could manage, let alone someone as green as him.
Max Scherzer’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/SpryFalseDunnart
This season hasn’t quite gone as well for Max Scherzer as many hoped, with his 3.72 ERA being far above what owners expected from him this season. He still has nasty, nasty stuff though, and is a bi-weekly feature in this nasty pitch articles. This gorgeous slider to embarrass Willson Contreras should be enough to hold us over until his next start.
Trevor Richards‘ Changeup
https://gfycat.com/MediumDeadlyBlackrussianterrier
For a team that is historically putrid on offense, it’s a relief for Marlins fans to have seen some watchable starting pitching this season, particularly from the duo of Trevor Richards and Caleb Smith. Richards hasn’t had nearly the season Smith is having but has had flashes of brilliance, as well as the nasty stuff pictured above.
Jose Alvarado’s Cutter
https://gfycat.com/PracticalTartAnole
Like Castillo, Jose Alvarado usually makes this list with some ridiculous, moving triple-digit fastball. However, this cutter that drives inside on recent acquisition Kendrys Morales is just as dirty as the high heat we’ve come to love and expect from the Rays’ fireballer.
GIF of the Night
Which was your favorite pitch? Vote below, and the winner will be featured in the GIF of the First Quarter Contest.
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Those Tampa cutters look like sliders to me. Wouldn’t cutters exhibit more horizontal movement? These pitches are dropping, especially Diego’s. How can that be a cutter?