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 have been pulled aside and ranked. Now it’s on you, the voter, to decide which stands above the rest.
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. EST the following morning. This is the first round.
Here are the matchups for Round 1:
American Bracket
1. Chaz Roe’s Slider vs. 8. Marcus Stroman’s Changeup
2. Gerrit Cole’s Curveball vs. 7. Zach Wheeler’s Slider
3. Chris Sale’s Slider vs. 6. Justin Verlander’s Curveball
4. Chaz Roe’s Slider 2.0 vs. 5. Homer Bailey’s Splitter
National Bracket
1. Adam Ottavino’s Slider vs. 8. Justin Verlander’s Fastball
2. Jordan Hicks‘ Fastball vs. 7. Kyle Hendricks Changeup
3. Joakim Soria’s Curveball vs. 6. Trevor Bauer’s Curveball
4. Zack Greinke’s Curveball vs. 5. Jose Alvarado’s 2-Seamer
Watch the GIFs in the Links Below!
Chaz Roe’s Slider vs. Marcus Stroman’s Changeup
Marcus Stroman’s presence on the mound is unlike anyone else’s in all of Major League Baseball. When you get a hyper guy like him chucking changeups, you’re almost always going to whiff, like Yoan Moncada did on this offering. However, Stroman’s changeup goes up against the No. 1 overall seed and perhaps Chaz Roe’s sickest slider he’s ever thrown. It starts at Austin Barnes‘ front elbow and catcher the outside edge of the plate. Quick math . . . that means Roe’s slider moved 15 feet, right? Give or take an inch, of course.
https://gfycat.com/dimwittedbabyishirishwaterspaniel-baseball
VS.
https://gfycat.com/hardtofindbetteramericancurl-baseball
Which was the better pitch? Vote to decide which pitch advances to the next round!
[polldaddy poll=10334986]
Gerrit Cole’s Curveball vs. Zach Wheeler’s Slider
Gerrit Cole had a strong outing against the Red Sox in May. His calling card is always his heat, then his wipeout slider. But his dirtiest pitch of the month was without question this hook he K’d the free-winging Eduardo Nunez on. Not exactly his prettiest hack. But Nunez’s cut wasn’t as bad as Juan Soto’s attempt at Zach Wheeler’s slider. Woof!
https://gfycat.com/agilepotablecarpenterant-baseball
VS.
https://gfycat.com/lazysimpleegg-washington-nationals-new-york-mets-baseball
Which was the better pitch? Vote to decide which pitch advances to the next round!
[polldaddy poll=10334987]
Chris Sale’s Slider vs. Justin Verlander’s Curveball
Are back-knee slider’s a thing now? If they’re not, don’t tell Chris Sale, because this is as sick as any back-foot slider he’s thrown. However, he has a tough matchup against Justin Verlander’s curveball. He had some fun with his old teammate Nick Castellanos on this hook. Out of Verlander’s hand, this starts above Castellanos’ letter. Then this thing takes a deep dive into the bowels of Hell. Good luck getting any wood on that.
https://gfycat.com/barrensophisticatedadder-baseball
VS.
https://gfycat.com/weightyblissfulflamingo-houston-astros-detroit-tigers-baseball
Which was the better pitch? Vote to decide which pitch advances to the next round!
[polldaddy poll=10334988]
Chaz Roe’s Slider 2.0 vs. Homer Bailey’s Splitter
As compared to his other slider in this tournament, personally, I don’t think the slider from Chaz Roe is as nasty, thus the seeding. However, this is as gross a slider you’re going to see from Roe. Give DJ LeMahieu credit—he didn’t swing—but at least he didn’t bail out. Roe’s matchup is this unhittable splitter from Homer Bailey. 86, with that depth? Good luck identifying that pitch before it’s too late.
https://gfycat.com/officialperiodiclarva-chaz-roe-sl-5-12-19-baseball
VS.
https://gfycat.com/orangegrandioseantlion-baseball
Which was the better pitch? Vote to decide which pitch advances to the next round!
[polldaddy poll=10334989]
Adam Ottavino’s Slider vs. Justin Verlander’s Fastball
As many baseball fans know, the phrase “pull the string” applies to the changeup. However, it also applies to this Adam Ottavino slider specifically. That’s because the Yankees found a way to use attach an invisible string to the ball from the dugout and yank it at the last second. Kind of like the old tin can phones. It seems like a lot of work for one pitch, but don’t put anything past baseball players. They’ll do anything to gain an edge. Ottavino goes against a Justin Verlander fastball blown by Mike Trout. That doesn’t happen often. Plus, the camera angle makes it seem like Verlander’s fastball actually rises.
https://gfycat.com/weakfrightenedblueandgoldmackaw-baseball
VS.
https://gfycat.com/brisktartafricanharrierhawk-justin-verlander-5-5-19-baseball
Which was the better pitch? Vote to decide which pitch advances to the next round!
[polldaddy poll=10334990]
Jordan Hicks‘ Fastball vs. Kyle Hendricks‘ Changeup
Joey Gallo had no chance on this Jordan Hicks fastball. It’s tough enough to hit a fastball cooking at 103, never mind 103 paint. Then Hicks paints this one up and in? Yeah, no thanks. Speaking of control, Kyle Hendricks made this tournament with a pitch he didn’t dot up. But he did, however, through a running back-foot changeup (is that a thing?) that looks like meat. Immensely difficult to lay off, impossible to hit—a deadly combo.
https://gfycat.com/annualscornfuladder-jordan-hicks-fb-5-19-19-baseball
VS.
https://gfycat.com/dapperevenafricanparadiseflycatcher-baseball
Which was the better pitch? Vote to decide which pitch advances to the next round!
[polldaddy poll=10334991]
Joakim Soria’s Curveball vs. Trevor Bauer’s Curveball
Poor Tim Beckham. He had such a delayed reaction on this Joakim Soria curveball and looked ridiculous with his feeble cut. I’ll give him this, he still looks better than Nick Hundley after he complained about this Trevor Bauer hook. Man, this thing was nice. Tight movement, but still a ton of depth and on location. This is the definition of a 12-6 hammer.
https://gfycat.com/unrealisticpettycaudata-joakim-soria-cb-5-26-19
VS.
https://gfycat.com/terrificamusedblackrussianterrier-baseball
Which was the better pitch? Vote to decide which pitch advances to the next round!
[polldaddy poll=10334992]
Zack Greinke’s Curveball vs. Joe Alvarado’s Fastball
There is a 31 mile-per-hour difference between the two pitches in this matchup. Now, Jose Alvarado seems confident every time he throws his gas. Why wouldn’t he be? Not many people can touch 99 with run. But Zack Greinke’s likely just as confident when he flips in this 68 mile-per-hour curve. When Greinke’s throwing fuzz and follows up with this looper, but with the same arm-action, it’s impossible to stay back. Just ask Trevor Story.
https://gfycat.com/hauntingopenislandwhistler-zack-greinke-cb-5-5-19-baseball
VS.
https://gfycat.com/skinnydelayedherald-baseball
Which was the better pitch? Vote to decide which pitch advances to the next round!
[polldaddy poll=10334995]