May was a big month for pitchers. Mike Fiers threw another no-hitter, and other pitchers are starting to come to full form. Most importantly, some absurd GIFs emerged in May. So ridiculous that the list of honorable mentions from this month probably would have made most other tournaments in the past. Now it’s time to crown the best pitching GIF of them all from May.
The best 16 from May were pulled aside. Eight were eliminated on Tuesday. Four more were knocked out on Wednesday. Now it’s on you, the voter, to decide which pitches move on to the Finals. Here are the rules:
- All GIFs were pulled from the month of May.
- 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. eastern the following morning. This is the third round.
Here are the results from Round 1:
American Bracket
1. Chaz Roe’s Slider defeated 8. Marcus Stroman’s Changeup
7. Zach Wheeler’s Slider defeated 2. Gerrit Cole’s Curveball
3. Chris Sale’s Slider defeated 6. Justin Verlander’s Curveball
4. Chaz Roe’s Slider 2.0 defeated 5. Homer Bailey’s Splitter
National Bracket
1. Adam Ottavino’s Slider defeated 8. Justin Verlander’s Fastball
7. Kyle Hendricks‘ Changeup defeated 2. Jordan Hicks‘ Fastball
6. Trevor Bauer’s Curveball defeated 3. Joakim Soria’s Curveball
5. Jose Alvarado’s 2-Seamer defeated 4. Zack Greinke’s Curveball
Here are the results from Round 2:
American Bracket
1. Chaz Roe’s Slider defeated 4. Chaz Roe’s Slider 2.0
3. Chris Sale’s Slider defeated 7. Zach Wheeler’s Slider
National Bracket
5. Jose Alvarado’s 2-Seamer defeated 1. Adam Ottavino’s Slider
7. Kyle Hendricks‘ Changeup defeated 6. Trevor Bauer’s Curveball
Here are the matchups for Round 3:
American Bracket
1. Chaz Roe’s Slider vs. 3. Chris Sale’s Slider
National Bracket
5. Jose Alvarado’s 2-Seamer vs. 7. Kyle Hendricks‘ Changeup
Watch the GIFs in the Links Below!
Chaz Roe’s Slider vs. Chris Sale’s Slider
This is a difficult decision. On the one hand, Chaz Roe’s slider is so darn ridiculous, Austin Barnes couldn’t even pull the trigger. At the same time, Chris Sale essentially bullied Gleyber Torres into taking this hack with his slider. But they both have some depth and move a foot. Either way, no one is getting a hit off these sliders when they’re thrown like this.
https://gfycat.com/dimwittedbabyishirishwaterspaniel-baseball
VS.
https://gfycat.com/barrensophisticatedadder-baseball
Which was the better pitch? Vote to decide which pitch advances to the next round!
[polldaddy poll=10336766]
Jose Alvarado’s Fastball vs. Kyle Hendricks‘ Slider
Not to dwell too much in the past, but it’s shocking to see Jose Alvarado’s fastball blow past Adam Ottavino’s slider — in this event, of course. That matchup may end up being the most important of the entire tournament. It’s a sign of the times and almost like a passing of the torch moment. (So special.) Seeing Kyle Hendricks make it this far is almost as surprising. Hooks generally destroy changeups in these tournaments. That must be an illustration of how nasty this changeup truly is.
https://gfycat.com/skinnydelayedherald-baseball
VS.
https://gfycat.com/dapperevenafricanparadiseflycatcher-baseball
Which was the better pitch? Vote to decide which pitch advances to the next round!
[polldaddy poll=10336767]