The Nastiest 16 Pitching GIFs of April 2019—Finals

It’s time to crown the first monthly GIF winner of 2019. The first month of the MLB season was filled with a load of impressive pitches that were part of even more pitching performances. But only one among them can be named the best pitch of April.

The best 16 from the first month have been pulled aside and ranked. Now it’s on you, the voter, to decide which stands above the rest. After plenty of blood, sweat and tears, only two pitchers remain. It’s now time for you to vote on who will win the ultimate award any pitcher can receive on a monthly basis.

Here are the rules:

• All GIFs were pulled from the month of April, along with one from Opening Day in March.
• You can only vote on a matchup once, so make sure you pick the one you absolutely want.
• Voting will continue until 12:00 a.m. EDT the following morning. This is the final round.

 

Here are the results from Round 1:

 

American Bracket

 

1. Jordan Hicks‘ Slider defeated 8. Jameson Taillon’s Curveball
2. Jose Alvarado’s Sinker defeated 7. Joe Musgrove’s Curveball
3. Max Fried Curveball’s defeated 6. Charlie Morton’s Curveball
4. Jorge Lopez’s Two-Seam Fastball defeated 5. Jeurys Familia’s Sinker

 

National Bracket

 

1. Luis Castillo’s Two-Seam Fastball defeated 8. Jordan Lyles‘ Curveball
2. Yu Darvish Slider defeated 7. Tyler Glasnow Curveball
3. Chaz Roe’s Slider defeated 6. Clayton Kershaw’s Curveball
4. Trevor Bauer’s Slider defeated 5. Domingo German’s Curveball

 

Here are the results from Round 2:

 

American Bracket

 

1. Jordan Hicks‘ Slider defeated 4. Jorge Lopez’s Two-Seam Fastball
2. Jose Alvarado’s Sinker defeated Max Fried Curveball’s

 

National Bracket

 

1. Luis Castillo’s Two-Seam Fastball defeated 4. Trevor Bauer’s Slider
2. Yu Darvish’s Slider defeated 3. Chaz Roe’s Slider

 

Here are the results from Round 3:

 

American Bracket

 

2. Jose Alvarado’s Sinker defeated 1. Jordan Hicks‘ Slider

 

National Bracket

 

1. Luis Castillo’s Two-Seam Fastball defeated 2. Yu Darvish’s Slider

 

Here is the finals matchup:

 

Finals

 

1. Luis Castillo’s Two-Seam Fastball vs. 2. Jose Alvarado’s Sinker

 

Watch the GIFs in the Links Below!

Luis Castillo’s Two-Seam Fastball vs. Jose Alvarado’s Sinker

 

It took until the semifinals for us to witness our first upset of the tournament. (That’s superior bracketeering if you ask me.) Though, Jose Alvarado’s sinker might’ve been the best No. 2 seed any of these tournaments have produced. But is his gas enough to steal the crown that’s now Luis Castillo’s to lose? Something worth considering that even I lose sight of in the course of this tournament: Who would wear the crown better? It’d have to be Alvarado, right? Or is Castillo dripping with so much swag that he’d pull it off perfectly? If you have a hard time picking between the two, that’s definitely something you should consider.

 

https://gfycat.com/pleasingslighthorsechestnutleafminer-baseball

 

VS.

 

https://gfycat.com/littleunripeethiopianwolf-alvarado-fb-4-16-19-baseball

 

Which was the better pitch? Vote to decide which pitch takes the crown!

 

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