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.
Jake Odorizzi’s Splitter
https://gfycat.com/comfortableinbornlacewing
Jake Odorizzi put up his 12th win of the season last night against the Marlins as he led the Twins to a 2-1 victory. Every win matters more now for a team that will be competing against an Indians team that just added Yasiel Puig and Franmil Reyes to make a run at the AL Central. It should be a fun ride to the finish line.
Yu Darvish’s Fastball
https://gfycat.com/thoroughshamefulbellfrog
An absolute dart here from Yu Darvish. Darvish is known for combining an upper 90s fastball with a nasty slider, and here it’s all about the heat. 98 mph causes Jose Martinez to freeze up, but it’s all he can do against a pitcher who had his stuff working last night. Then again, it’s not all that bad for St. Louis. The Cards edged out the Cubbies 2-1 to take a one-game lead in the NL Central.
Justin Verlander’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/ecstaticinconsequentialfattaileddunnart-justin-verlander-sl-7-30-19
Justin Verlander’s resurgence in Houston has probably put his name well into consideration for the Hall of Fame. Last night, JV put up an astounding 13 strikeouts against the Indians. He even was able to strike out a burning hot Jose Ramirez three times. Here’s just a small taste of what JoRam was facing yesterday, in the form of a curveball from Houston’s ace.
Noah Syndergaard’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/pastelquickachillestang
Will they or won’t they? We have about seven more hours until we find out whether Thor and his mighty hammer are on the move, but if Noah Syndergaard wanted to prove he belonged in New York, he did so last night. Thor struck out 11 White Sox hitters and gave up just one earned run in what was a truly phenomenal performance.
Craig Stammen’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/vigilantgiantkoalabear
OK, I’ll admit the Padres-Orioles game was probably only the second-most important thing to happen in San Diego baseball yesterday. But to dissect the trade here would take far too long, so instead, let’s all just appreciate this Craig Stammen sinker that zips into the zone to strike out Chris Davis.
Dinelson Lamet’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/legitimateacrobaticguppy
Finally, Dinelson Lamet went out and pitched five respectable innings for the Padres to start yesterday. He allowed only three runs over five innings and struck out five. Lamet uses his primary knockout pitch here, his slider, to fool Jace Peterson into thinking he’s got a walk just before the lefty hitter is sent back to the dugout by the umpire.
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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