Every week we review the nastiest pitches from the previous week 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.
Jeurys Familia’s Sinker – The Mets closer recorded his 24th save of the season Wednesday, still working to keep the haunting World Series memories at bay. Striking out Paulo Orlando with a filthy Sinker definitely helped his cause. (Thanks to Redditor kelly_ripa for the tip!)
Steven Wright’s Knuckleball – Boston’s knuckleballer went the distance, striking out six over nine innings Monday. He threw plenty of excellent Knuckleballs, but this one was so good you can count the seams all the way in as it doesn’t even make a full revolution. (Thanks to Redditor TheBrimic for the tip!)
Marco Estrada’s Curveball – Estrada left the game Tuesday after only 88 pitches due to tightness in his back. My back would probably give out too if I was throwing stuff like this wicked Curveball to Rickie Weeks. (Thanks to Redditor Funkagenda for the tip!)
Drew Storen’s Slider – Earlier in the season, Storen threw what was regarded as an early front-runner for GIF of the year. In case you forgot he had this weapon in his arsenal, this unreal breaker to Francisco Pena should do the trick. (Thanks to Redditor jay_xxii for the tip!)
Jose Fernandez’s Curveball – Call it what you want – Slider, Slurve, etc. – but Fernandez’s breaking ball is straight up nasty. Even Erick Aybar had no idea what this Curveball was when it moved in for the kill and crossed the plate. (Thanks to Redditor praeceps93 for the tip!)
Josh Osich’s Fastball – The Giants bullpen completely shut down the Pirates in a come-from-behind victory Wednesday. Osich pulled his weight, earning three strikeouts in just over an inning of work. This scorching, tailing Fastball got Andrew McCutchen all tangled up as it moved away from any potential contact. (Thanks to Reditors poor_merkle & AdumWanrit for the tips!)
Jerad Eickhoff’s Curveball – Eickhoff has returned to form over the past five starts, holding a 2.01 ERA and 27 strikeouts. He got the job yesterday in Minnesota, and used his beautiful hook to earn a strikeout against Max Kepler.
GIF Of The Week
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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