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. Week 1’s winner was Diego Castillo’s fastball. Jose Alvarado and Castillo are two Rays relievers that have won the first two weeks of Nastiest Pitches. They both are GIF making machines.
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 third week of GIFs was heavy on breaking balls and then two Fastballs from relievers that move at ridiculous angles. Check back next Saturday to see which GIF our readers picked as the nastiest pitch of the week.
Julio Urias’ Changeup
https://gfycat.com/forcefuldeliciousgermanspitz
Urias didn’t have just his slider working last night. He showed great command of his fastball and great drop on his changeup. Urias’ change of pace offering to the first batter of the game, Lorenzo Cain, was a great way to start his night.
Lou Trivino’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/AjarSlushyKoala
It’s not often we see a guy who makes contact as often as Jose Altuve show up on the Nasty Pitch roundup, but his reaction to this looping curveball on the outside of the plate is absolutely comical. Trivino is one of the more underrated relief pitchers in baseball right now, and you should see plenty more of him in this Nasty Pitch roundups, though none will likely match the hilarity of this one.
Jose Alvarado’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/LittleUnripeEthiopianwolf
Continuing with the theme of “pitches this hard aren’t supposed to be able to move like this,” here’s another one of those absurd Jose Alvarado two-seamers bound for GIF tournament glory. Is it a 98 mph screwball? Granted, Dwight Smith Jr. isn’t Mike Trout, but he is batting third in a big league lineup. You just don’t see this kind of swing on a 2-0 fastball in the MLB.
Yu Darvish’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/BigheartedBitterJohndory
Ignore for a moment that his opponent is the Marlins and that the batter is pitcher Trevor Richards. Now just watch the movement on this incredible slider a few times. It was an up and down outing for Darvish, particularly in regards to control, but this pitch was 82 MPH of beauty.
Thomas Pannone’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/HappyAlarmedLeopard
OK, I’m biased here because I’m a sucker for historic moments, and this is the first pitch thrown in an immaculate inning. That being said, this pitch is nasty regardless of context. Watch as it breaks from way outside to barely skim the edge of the zone for the first of nine strikes in what was a historic day for Thomas Pannone.
Chaz Roe’s Slider (Part 2)
https://gfycat.com/IlliterateBrownJoey
Yuck. Ew. This classic Chaz Roe slider caused Brandon Drury to shuffle right out of the box. Brandon, if you’re reading this, we don’t blame you. It’s not your fault. Unfortunately for Roe, this was called a ball (!!!), and the Rays took the loss north of the border.
Jake Arrieta’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/PoshBlaringHorsechestnutleafminer
Does anything say filth quite like dropping a batter to their knees? Sorry Starlin, but Jake Arrieta’s already taken.
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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Graphic by Michael Haas (@digitalHaas on Twitter)