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 Nastiest Pitches of the Season 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.
Stephen Strasburg’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/VapidCheeryApe
Last night, we were treated to one of the greatest Division Series Game 5 matches you will ever see. In a Hollywood ending, the Nationals prevailed after an extra-inning, tie-breaking grand slam. But it wasn’t all about the offense last night. Both the Nats’ and the Dodgers’ starters pitched fine. Stephen Strasbug dished out seven strikeouts over six quality innings, which included this pitch that sneakily maneuvers itself away from Matt Beaty’s bat.
Patrick Corbin’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/DisloyalVelvetyAxolotl
Sticking with Washington, the Nationals sent out some solid relief arms to back up Strasburg’s performance. The Nationals even went with $140 million man Patrick Corbin in the eighth inning. Corbin was electric, striking out three of the four batters he faced on, you guessed it, sliders. His sickest pitch of the night was to MVP hopeful Cody Bellinger, who swung right above this filthy slider that Corbin buries in the dirt.
Walker Buehler’s Knuckle-Curve
https://gfycat.com/DependableThickArcticwolf
Moving on to the Dodgers, their starter last night was Walker Buehler. The young righty arm has been one of three aces for the Dodgers all year long, and last night, he gave it his all. Buehler fanned seven Nats over 6.2 innings and only allowed one to score. If it weren’t for the next guy on this list, perhaps Buehler would’ve been the hero in LA last night. In this GIF, No. 32’s reaction behind the Geico ad sums up Buehler’s night perfectly (also, the break on that curve is otherworldly).
Joe Kelly’s Knuckle-Curve
https://gfycat.com/HighQualifiedHorsemouse
Everything was working for Joe Kelly in the ninth. He threw his knuckle-curve 22 times and racked up seven swinging strikes, including this beauty that sends Matt Adams back to the Nats dugout. However, if you don’t know by now, Kelly faced some trouble in the 10th and allowed the slam that ended the season a few weeks earlier than the Dodgers hoped. Even though Kelly has a ring under his belt from last season, this one will weigh on his mind for quite a while.
Jack Flaherty’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/SecretPaltryAlpineroadguidetigerbeetle
On a lighter note, did you know there were actually two baseball games yesterday? I ask this because if the Dodgers-Nationals match was the exciting and wild Game 5 everyone was hoping for, the Cardinals-Braves matchup was anything but. The game was practically over before it started with the Cards putting up *checks notes* 10 RUNS in the first! Still, Jack Flaherty remained out on the mound for six stellar innings to send the Cardinals to the NLCS. Here, he uses his wicked slider to induce a swing-and-a-miss strikeout from Adam Duvall.
GIF of the Night
Which was your favorite pitch? Vote below, and the winner will be featured in the Nastiest Pitches of the Season GIF Tournament.
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