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 Second 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 Slider
https://gfycat.com/familiarrecklesseuropeanpolecat
Gerrit Cole put on a clinic against the lowly Orioles on Friday, striking out 14 of them over 7 innings of work, allowing just 1 ER. Since coming over from Pittsburgh, Cole has emerged as one of the premier strikeout artists in the MLB, leading the AL in K/9 last season and leading it again this year, with a 13.8 mark through 14 starts.
Zach Plesac’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/highlevelwarygaur
Things couldn’t be starting much better for Zach Plesac than they are right now, owning a 1.86 ERA through his first 3 career starts, including matchups against the Red Sox and Yankees. His next start should come against a Tigers offense dead last in scoring as of this writing, so it shouldn’t take too much for the talented righty to keep up this start.
Hector Neris’ Splitter
https://gfycat.com/perfumedwealthydragon
This isn’t the first time Hector Neris has made the nasty pitch roundup with this offering this season, and for good reason: it’s an absolute doozy to hit. The six-year veteran now owns a 1.95 ERA on the year, with an equally impressive 13.01 K/9 to match. It’s taken a while for Neris to nail down closing duties in Philadelphia, but he looks like he’s there to stay now.
Tyler Webb’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/unfoldedmixedalpineroadguidetigerbeetle
Lowering his season ERA to 4.05 with this 1 inning performance against the Cubs, Tyler Webb gave Carlos Gonzalez a spanking here that even a player who’s been around as long as CarGo has won’t soon forget. While it’s forgivable against a changeup that moves like this, even Johnny Utah would be impressed by this chase.
Cole Hamels‘ Curveball
https://gfycat.com/anycourteouskawala
Friday was an ultimately forgettable day for the Cardinals, but what wasn’t forgettable was the huge swing and miss that Cole Hamels elicited from Marcell Ozuna here. The 35-year-old hurler punched out 10 Redbirds over 8 innings of work on Friday, continuing his reputation of dominance against the squad: he owns a 2.29 career ERA in 16 matchups against the Cardinals. In fact, you have to go all the way back to June 21, 2014 for the last time Hamels allowed more than a single earned run against St. Louis (He allowed 2).
Brandon Woodruff’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/neighboringremorsefulgermanwirehairedpointer
Following Hamels’ example, Brandon Woodruff notched a 10 K game of his own on Friday, allowing 3 ER to the Pirates. The changeup has been an inconsistent offering for the 26-year-old thus far, but it had more than enough movement here to punch out Colin Moran.
Domingo German’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/saltyimpeccablecentipede
Domingo German has had a solid first season as a regular starter, with a 3.86 ERA and a 9.9 K/9 over 12 starts. He showed some of his best stuff here against Francisco Lindor, catching him in a huge swing and miss with this huge looping curveball.
GIF of the Night
Which was your favorite pitch? Vote below, and the winner will be featured in the GIF of the Second Quarter Contest.
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