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 Third 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.
Jose Berrios’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/weightybruisedcob-baseball
Jose Berrios carved up the White Sox last night in a convincing win for the Twins. Berrios had eight strikeouts, and like always, his pure stuff was straight out of MLB The Show. This Frisbee curveball was spotted perfectly down and the zone, and Ryan Goins couldn’t make contact with the pitch.
Jacob deGrom’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/generouscorruptastarte-baseball
Jacob deGrom had a relatively slow start compared with his Cy Young campaign of 2018, but he’s really turned it on over the past month and cut through lineups like a knife. deGrom’s slider is thrown so hard that it looks like a cutter to my eye, but the Statcast algorithm classifies the pitch as a slider even at 93 mph. Franmil Reyes swings like this pitch is a fastball in the outside third before it breaks out of the zone and away from his bat.
Joe Musgrove’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/nervoustepidheron-baseball
Joe Musgrove isn’t as well-known as his performance warrants because he plays for the underwhelming, penny-pitching Pirates. Musgrove’s breaking stuff is aesthetically pleasing, and the slow-motion shot of this pitch shows just how crisp the break is on this offering to Matt Wieters.
Max Scherzer’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/joyousremarkableduckling-baseball
Max Scherzer had an uncharacteristically short outing at only five innings, but he was still able to throw multiple pitches that could’ve ended up on this list. This slider to Charlie Blackmon had ridiculous tilt that Blackmon couldn’t handle.
Lucas Giolito’s Four-Seam Fastball
https://gfycat.com/gaseouslawfulbats
Lucas Giolito had a tough night against the superlative Twins’ lineup but was able to strike out seven Twins mainly with his fastball-slider combination. This fastball to Jorge Polanco is spotted perfectly to tie up Polanco’s hands. Polanco ends up without his helmet and almost falls over his own legs as he finishes his follow-through.
Wade Davis‘ Cutter
https://gfycat.com/jitteryunevenatlanticridleyturtle-colorado-rockies-baseball
Wade Davis‘ impressive repertoire has been wasted on a disappointing Rockies team this year. Davis shut down the heart of the Nationals lineup last night to close out a one-run win. This cutter has a sharp downward break, and while Anthony Rendon wasn’t happy with the call, the pitch is spotted perfectly on the outside corner.
Nate Eovaldi’s Four-Seam Fastball
https://gfycat.com/sleepycoldhylaeosaurus-baseball
The Red Sox blew out the Yankees last night, and Nathan Eovaldi was able to test himself against an upper-echelon lineup with some room to breathe as he eases into a bullpen role. Eovaldi froze Mike Tauchman with a 99 mph fastball right on the inside black that finished an effective appearance for Eovaldi. Sooner or later Eovaldi will be pitching high-leverage innings for the rallying Red Sox.
Jeff Hoffman’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/redsentimentalconey-colorado-rockies-baseball
Jeff Hoffman didn’t pitch very well last night, but the strikeouts he did earn were all impressive. Hoffman was able to get a slight flinch out of Hunter Dozier with his big over-the-top curveball. The pitch leaves Dozier stunned and unhappy with the correct strike call.
GIF of the Night
Which was your favorite pitch? Vote below, and the winner will be featured in the GIF of the Third Quarter Contest.
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