Every morning, we review the nastiest pitches from the previous day’s games in glorious high-definition GIFs. Don’t forget to vote for your favorite pitch and check back this weekend 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 and give you a shoutout here in the article.

 

Trevor Bauer’s Fastball

 

https://gfycat.com/oldfashionedclutteredkinglet

 

Perhaps an odd comparison, but this pitch immediately took my mind to the famous video of Bruce Lee lighting a match with nunchakuwWhich I highly recommend watching if you’ve never seen). The pinpoint precision with which this fastball hits the corner of the zone is incredible, and I’m pretty sure if Trevor Bauer wanted to light a match with a baseball (I wouldn’t put it past him, he’s an odd fellow), he could with this kind of control. Poor, poor Gordon Beckham.

Sidenote: Thanks to Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja on Twitter) for showing off this pitch.

 

Brandon Woodruff’s Changeup

 

https://gfycat.com/heartfeltbrownelk

 

Brandon Woodruff is sporting a 13 K/9 through his first couple starts this season, and filthy pitches like this one are a big reason why. The beautiful downward movement on this one left Justin Bour hitting a whole lot of nothing.

 

Edwin Diaz’s Fastball

 

https://gfycat.com/quaintcolorfulalpaca

 

I can’t fault C.J. Cron for so badly missing this one, considering how many other batters Edwin Diaz has made look foolish over his short major league career. That said, this swing was later than me filing my taxes. This isn’t Diaz’s first ride on the Nastiest Pitch train, and it won’t be his last.

PSA: National Tax Day is April 15; get those done if you haven’t already!

 

Noah Syndergaard’s Changeup

 

https://gfycat.com/aptunsightlyflatcoatretriever

 

This was almost the headliner pitch for today because how on earth are you going to hit this? 91 mph with approximately a half-mile of movement? Forget about it. No fault falls on Jorge Polanco here; even Lou Boudreau would have looked liked Joey Gallo trying to hit this.

 

Collin McHugh’s Slider

 

https://gfycat.com/felinequarterlyleonberger

 

Somehow, we’ve got a Nasty Pitch roundup with just one slider. What this article lacks in slider quantity, it makes up for in slide quality though, as this offering from Collin McHugh is as good as any I’ve seen in a long time. McHugh is primarily known for his disgusting slider, and it was highly effective for him once again tonight. Aaron Judge is going to wake up in a cold sweat remembering this one.

 

Tyler Glasnow’s Curveball

 

https://gfycat.com/pastelvicioushamadryad

 

Tyler Glasnow and his spectacular curveball have already gotten plenty of fanfare already this season, but I’m going to continue singing its’ praises. There’s always at least a handful of hitters who Glasnow makes look like tee-ballers with this pitch, and tonight, our unlucky guest is Tim Anderson. Expect to see this pitch highlighted once again the next time Glasnow takes the mound.

 

GIF of the Night

 

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

 

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