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.
Taijuan Walker’s Splitter – Walker’s Split isn’t featured here often, and there may not be a more deserving one thrown all season. How it gets this much horizontal break is anyone’s guess.
Aaron Nola’s Fastball – Nola fanned a career high nine batters Monday without issuing a walk, due to a healthy mixture of lively Fastballs and big hooks. He was able to freeze right-handers with outside heaters all game, including this beauty to Derek Norris.
Jaime Garcia’s Changeup – Garcia absolutely dominated the Brewers yesterday, abusing them through the final out. His Changeup is vastly underrated, featuring late bite as it darts down and away from right-handers, and Keon Broxton didn’t stand a chance.
Hector Rondon’s Fastball – The Cubs completed a big comeback against the Reds after ruining Brandon Finnegan’s no-hit bid, and Rondon capped it off by striking out the side to seal the ninth. His first punchout came against Jay Bruce with this filthy 95 MPH Fastball that rides back over the plate.
Jerad Eickhoff’s Curveball – It was a fantastic outing for Eickhoff, fanning nine batters as he earned the Win against the Padres. His hook froze many batters, and this beauty to Wil Myers was particularly fun to watch.
Yordano Ventura’s Fastball – Ventura has one of the sharpest Curveballs in the game, but it was this riding Fastball that charged high and tight to Carlos Gomez that had us needing a shower. (Thanks to Redditor /u/g00dn1ghtm4r3 for the tip!)
Dellin Betances‘ Curveball – Tuesday night featured a tough matchup of the Blue Jays and Yankees, featuring many tense moments and excellent pitches. Betances came in to finish the 7th inning against the mighty Jose Bautista and got the job done with this fine hook. (Thanks to @MaxEPo and Redditors /u/Colossal89 & /u/puncturewound and for the tip!)
David Phelps‘ Fastball – Phelps was called upon to hold the Mets at bay in the later innings, and he shut the door on Alejandro De Aza with this perfectly executed frontdoor Fastball. (Thanks to Redditor /u/destinybond for the tip!)
Clayton Kershaw’s Curveball – Despite serving up a moonshot to Madison Bumgarner, Kershaw looked dominant against the Giants, allowing just 2 ER in eight frames. Brandon Belt sure hasn’t missed the ace southpaw as he watch this hook go from his head to knees.
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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