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.
Lucas Giolito’s Curveball – While the Mets were struggling, the top MLB pitching prospect made his debut for the Nats. While his starting spot was supposed to be temporary, he may have made a case for himself after allowing only one hit and two walks after four innings of work. While he didn’t rack up a ton of strikeouts, he did show off his excellent Curveball to Neil Walker. (Thanks to Redditor TheBrimic for the tip!)
Kyle Hendricks’ Changeup – Hendricks threw a career-high 117 total pitches Wednesday against the Reds. One of those pitches was this filthy Changeup that slid inside and totally ate up Jose Peraza. (Thanks to Redditor Gyro88 for the tip!)
Jon Gray’s Curveball – Even though he gave up a pair of homers, Gray struck out eight Blue Jays en route to a win Monday. This filthy Curveball to Edwin Encarnacion wasn’t a strikeout pitch, but its ridiculous bend still got our attention. (Thanks to Redditor wewlad_trump for the tip!)
Kevin Gausman’s Split-Change – Gausman was on top of his game against the Rays on Saturday, fanning seven across 7.2 innings. His Split-Change was on point, and got Jaff Decker to flail at this heavy pitch out of the zone. (Thanks to Redditor supermegaultrajeremy for the tip!)
John Lackey’s Fastball – Lackey featured excellent horizontal movement from his Fastball all night, but this rider to Asdrubal Cabrera was absurd to say the least. Watch it start at Cabrera’s chest before riding all the way to the outside corner. (Thanks to @mikequinn_ for the tip!)
Kevin Siegrist’s Curveball – Siegrist stayed out of trouble in his one inning of relief work Wednesday, walking one batter but recording no strikeouts. If he had saved this disgusting Curveball for a two-strike count on Eric Hosmer, he would have ended up with at least one K on the night. (Thanks to Redditor DontGiveUpTheDip for the tip!)
Chris Sale’s Slider – It’s hard to resist a good Sale Slider, but this one was fantastic as it stunned Darwin Barney for the strikeout. Notice how far it starts off the plate before gliding back across the outside corner for the punchout.
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.
[polldaddy poll=9461195]