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 to see if it made it in September’s Nastiest Pitch GIF Tournament. 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.
Kyle Hendricks‘ Changeup
https://gfycat.com/willingdeterminedcockatoo
Kyle Hendricks is a joy to watch when he’s got it going because of the precision of his command and the way he sets up hitters so well. Hendricks gets Dexter Fowler looking at this pitch that drops from Fowler’s happy zone down to the bottom of the strike zone.
Jordan Lyles‘ Curveball
https://gfycat.com/glitteringearlydiplodocus
Jordan Lyles has pitched very well of late and is probably in line for a playoff start if the Brewers manage to make it to the divisional round. Lyles’ old friend is his curveball, and he drops this one on Luis Urias for the backward K.
Mike Clevinger’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/oilythoroughhydra
Mike Clevinger is a pot of energy that seems ready to boil over at any moment. Clevinger is in constant motion as he paces in place before beginning his motion seamlessly and firing toward the plate. Clevinger’s pre-pitch movement may be out of the ordinary, but it seems to be working quite well, as Greyson Greiner can attest.
Jack Flaherty’s Fastball
https://gfycat.com/grizzledrawbuckeyebutterfly
Jack Flaherty is primed for a nice postseason run as the Cardinals’ ace with his three-pitch mix of a straight fastball and two devastating breaking balls. Flaherty spots this four-seamer perfectly on the outside corner here to even the count against Wilson Contreras.
Masahiro Tanaka’s Splitter
https://gfycat.com/caringparchedhornet
Lindsey Adler of The Athletic has chronicled Masahrio Tanaka and the adjustments he had to make with the new baseball. Tanaka lost his splitter completely early in the year, but with a new grip, he has increased his splitter usage in the second half. Tanaka still primarily uses his slider to finish hitters, but his splitter is again a weapon. This one is perfectly placed, and the movement is a great sign for Tanaka’s performance going into the playoffs.
Keone Kela’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/bothhopefulflamingo
Keone Kela is in line for saves for the pitiful Pirates because of his big fastball and sharp curveball. Kela buckles Austin Nola here with this 12-6 at-bat ender.
Joe Musgrove’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/frequentfaroffanchovy
Joe Musgrove has great horizontal movement on his signature slider. The movement is reminiscent of slider deity Chaz Roe’s version. Musgrove is able to get Nola to buckle at a different breaking ball. Tough night for Nola.
GIF of the Night
Which was your favorite pitch? Vote below, and the winner may be featured in September’s Nastiest Pitch GIF Tournament.
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