Walker Buehler’s Two-Seam Fastball and the Nastiest Pitches from 7/16

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.

 

Walker Buehler’s Two-Seam Fastball

 

https://gfycat.com/ImmaculateDenseGosling

 

Walker Buehler may have given up six runs, but only two of them were earned, and he struck out seven Phillies in an absolutely wild game. While this matchup may be remembered for Bryce Harper’s walk-off double, Buehler earned himself some style points for this crazy two-seamer that caused Rhys Hoskins to absolutely collapse.

 

Miguel Castro’s Changeup

 

https://gfycat.com/DemandingVastDutchsmoushond

 

Yes, you’re reading the radar right. And no, that is not a typo next to Miguel Castro’s name. The Orioles reliever was hitting upper 90s on his fastball, and then he mixed in this “offspeed” pitch, a 93 mph changeup(!) that Yan Gomes on which just couldn’t make any contact.

 

Lance Lynn’s Two-Seam Fastball

 

https://gfycat.com/HotSpicyHoki

 

Lance Lynn was off his game last night. Lynn had been on an absurd hot streak the past few months that propelled him up the WAR leaderboards, but he surrendered five runs last night to the Diamondbacks. However, there were some bright spots last night for Texas’ ace, such as this filthy two-seamer that froze Alex Avila at the plate.

 

Jack Flaherty’s Knuckle-Curve

 

https://gfycat.com/ConsciousWeightyBarbet

 

Jack Flaherty did all he could to keep the Cardinals in this one. The 23-year-old right-hander held the Pirates to one run while fanning eight over seven innings. Flaherty worked in a solid combo of his fastball, slider, and knuckle-curve throughout the night, with his nastiest offering being this curve that is placed perfectly to get Adam Frazier with a swing and miss.

 

Felipe Vazquez’s Fastball

 

https://gfycat.com/PiercingSkinnyKoala

 

Staying in St. Louis, let’s talk about Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez. Vazquez pitched a stellar bottom of the ninth to close out the win for the Pirates, and he struck out two Cardinals including Tyler O’Neill. To O’Neill’s credit, I think that 90% of major leaguers would have trouble with this pitch, which comes in at triple digits on the inside corner. That is the definition of unhittable.

 

Glenn Sparkman’s Curveball

 

https://gfycat.com/DiligentPlumpEasteuropeanshepherd

 

Finally, Glenn Sparkman, tossed a complete-game gem last night for the Royals. Sparkman isn’t one of the bigger names in baseball, but he certainly pitched like he is last night. He struck out eight batters in his CGSO against the White Sox, and no pitch he threw was nastier than this 3-2 curve to Yoan Moncada, who is forced to bend the knee to Sparkman after he gets him out.

 

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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