The Nastiest Pitches of the First Week of the Season from 3/28 – 4/5

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 check back on Saturday to see if it will be in contention for the GIF of the First Quarter Contest.

Did we miss your favorite pitch? Send us a tweet next time @PitcherList and we’ll GIF it up + give you a shoutout here in the article.

This season’s first week of GIFs includes some new faces like Corbin Burnes and Trevor Richards along with mainstays like Noah Syndergaard and Aaron Nola. Check back next Saturday to see which GIF our readers picked as the nastiest pitch of the week.

 

Aaron Nola’s Fastball

 

 

Aaron Nola was sharp on a night that the Phillies bats carried the team to victory. He showed his patented two-seam fastball on the glove side black for a called strike that sent Nick Markakis back to the dugout.

 

Trevor Richards’ Changeup

We’ve known Trevor Richards’ changeup is a problem for hitters but David Dahl was personally, and very rudely, introduced to that fact first hand. Richard’s changeup was cooking all game long against Colorado, notably on three straight pitches to bounce Nolan Arenado.

 

Corbin Burnes’ Slider

 

via Gfycat

 

Corbin Burnes, or Mr. Three-True-Outcomes as he will become known as soon enough, made his first MLB start today. And while he did give up his fair share of long balls, his slider managed to miss a ton of bats, helping him rack up 12 strikeouts. Here he is putting away Jose Martinez on an 89 mph breaking ball.

 

Jordan Hicks’ Slider

 

Jordan Hicks has some high, high heat but it was his slider, not his triple-digit fastball, that lands him here. We see pitches that make guys look bad every day, but to leave Corey Dickerson looking like Thomas Jane at the end of The Mist takes something extra special.

 

Shane Greene’s Slider

 

 

You don’t often see a catcher stab at a pitch unless there’s a knuckleballer on the mound, but even Tigers catcher Grayson Greiner was surprised by how much this Shane Greene slider moved. Clint Frazier flinched, and the pitch ended up down the middle!

 

Jose Alvarado’s Fastball

 

 

I took three years of physics between high school and college combined, and I can say with absolute confidence that this 99 mph cheese from Jose Alvarado doesn’t make any sense. That kind of movement is nearly impossible to get at any velocity, and to see it coming in at 99 and from a left-hander? Whoowee, Charlie Blackmon didn’t have a chance. This is going to be a tough one to beat folks.

 

Noah Syndergaard’s Curveball

 

 

Syndergaard and the Mets have started the season running to take the early lead in the highly competitive NL East. On this pitch, Syndergaard and Wilson Ramos weren’t on the same page, but it doesn’t make the break any less impressive. Yan Gomes was left swinging through air.

Which was your favorite pitch? Vote below and the winner may be featured in the GIF of the First Quarter Contest.

 

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(Photo by Gavin Baker/Icon Sportswire)