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.
Matt Bush’s Fastball – Bush has been electric inside the Rangers’ pen, and even though this pitch is a ball, it’s crazy good movement at 98 mph warrants a second look. Or ten. (Thanks to Redditor swissflamdrag for the tip!)
Bryan Holaday’s Knuckleball – There were plenty of position players getting their chance to take the hill last weekend, and this Holaday pitch to Eduardo Nunez was far and away the best to represent the crew. (Thanks to Redditors tallrangerfan and Gyro88 for the tip!)
Aaron Sanchez’s Fastball – The Toronto starter has gone eight innings with only one earned run in back-to-back starts now. It’s easy to see why he’s been so successful lately when his strikeout pitches are on point. This Fastball starts off on a path to the opposite batter’s box, totally fooling Whit Merrifield.
Chris Sale’s Slider – While 4 ER isn’t typical Sale, nine strikeouts in a given outing sure is. His best may have been this slide piece to Carlos Gomez, who may be more a regular member of these roundups than we’d like, yet we can’t see a reason to omit this valiant attempt.
Jeurys Familia’s Fastball – It’s no secret that I’m in love with Familia’s Sinker and this might be the best one he’s thrown all year. Not only does it start well on the plate at 97 mph before falling into the right-handed batter’s box, but it also induces a swing from former NL MVP Bryce Harper. I could watch this one for days (Thanks to Redditor bmd4567 for the tip!)
Ian Kennedy’s Fastball – Kennedy had all three of his pitches going Wednesday against Toronto, striking out 10 Blue Jays on the night. A staple of his repertoire is his blazing Fastball, which can leave opposing batters like Russell Martin in the dust when Kennedy nails his spot.
Patrick Schuster’s Slider – Schuster had a rough night in his first outing since being called up; in one inning he gave up three earned runs. The good news is that he threw a wicked Slider that fooled Robbie Grossman then poured salt in the wound by hitting him in the thigh. (Thanks to Redditor CoryGM for the tip!)
Bartolo Colon’s Fastball – The Big Apple did his thing against the Cubs over the weekend, using his Fastball to stun batters like Anthony Rizzo with its incredible horizontal movement.
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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