If there’s one pitch that looks great regardless of how bad the camera angle is, it’s a slider. It’s also become the go-to breaking ball across the league, especially for relievers.
Although the 2019 season is young there have already been a ton of wipeout sliders. In fact, we’re just sticking with sliders this round. No curves, gas, or pulling the string in this tournament. Sliders only. We started with 16, eight now remain.
Here are the rules:
- All GIFs were pulled from the first two and a half weeks of the season.
- You can only vote on a matchup once, so make sure you pick the one you absolutely want. No take-backsies (very strict policy).
- Voting will continue until 12:00 a.m. EST the following morning. This is the second round.
Here are the results for Round 1:
American Bracket
1. Chaz Roe defeated 8. Mike Clevinger
7. Edwin Diaz defeated 2. Anthony DeSclafani
3. Matt Boyd defeated 6. Adam Ottavino
5. Yusei Kikuchi defeated 4. Caleb Smith
National Bracket
1. Jordan Hicks defeated 8. Max Scherzer
7. Yu Darvish defeated 2. Dylan Bundy
6. Sean Newcomb defeated 3. Collin McHugh
5. Shane Greene defeated 4. Andrew Miller
Here are the matchups for Round 2:
American Bracket
1. Chaz Roe vs. 5. Yusei Kikuchi
3. Matt Boyd vs. 7. Edwin Diaz
National Bracket
1. Jordan Hicks vs. 5. Shane Greene
6. Sean Newcomb vs. 7. Yu Darvish
Watch the GIFs in the Links Below!
Chaz Roe vs. Yusei Kikuchi
Something says Yusei Kikuchi is going to do well with these tournaments going forward. But the Padawan still has a big test in from of him: Chaz Roe. The No. 1 overall seed is an everyday reminder that camera angles matter when it comes to viewing a baseball game. You could never fully appreciate this knee-buckler if the camera was well off to the side.
VS.
Which was the better pitch? Vote to decide which pitch advances to the next round!
[polldaddy poll=10297147]
Matt Boyd vs. Edwin Diaz
Edwin Diaz with the upset in the first round as the seven seed! He deserves it though. It’s not every day you fool someone that bad with a 3-2 count and the bases loaded. But back-to-back upsets might be tough. This Matt Boyd slider has a ton of depth. And it was a 3-2 pitch with a runner on third, for whatever that’s worth.
VS.
Which was the better pitch? Vote to decide which pitch advances to the next round!
[polldaddy poll=10297151]
Jordan Hicks vs. Shane Greene
Jordan Hicks is the only favorite that wasn’t knocked off on this side of the bracket. Everyone else pulled off the upset. With a swing like this from Corey Dickerson it’s hard to imagine anyone will get past him. However, Shane Greene created so much late movement he had his catcher jerking his mitt back and forth. That’s an accomplishment in itself.
VS.
Which was the better pitch? Vote to decide which pitch advances to the next round!
[polldaddy poll=10297156]
Sean Newcomb vs. Yu Darvish
This might be a first. Yu Darvish and Sean Newcomb went after one another’s teammates in this series, and it looks like things got ugly. No blows were thrown or anything, though these sliders are downright disrespectful. You could venture so far to say this is worse than a hitter bat-flipping right in a pitcher’s face after he sends a ball into another county. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed. (Note: These pitches aren’t from the same game. Not sure why that’s important, but figured someone might appreciate knowing without having to do a Google Search.)
VS.
Which was the better pitch? Vote to decide which pitch advances to the next round!
[polldaddy poll=10297161]