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.
Yonny Chirinos‘ Sinker
https://gfycat.com/HospitableFluffyGroundbeetle
Yonny Chirinos had a strong yet short outing yesterday as he went five innings and picked up a win against the Marlins, with the only blemish on his line being a home run hit by Brian Anderson. Chirinos lowered his ERA to 3.62 and struck out four batters, including Jon Berti on this filthy pitch.
Sonny Gray’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/SplendidAnnualDanishswedishfarmdog
Yesterday, Sonny Gray went out and pitched seven stellar innings. Gray didn’t concede a run as he struck out seven Braves. Although Gray wasn’t credited with the win, his fantastic pitching helped push the Reds over the top yesterday against the NL East leaders.
Shane Bieber’s Knuckle-Curve
https://gfycat.com/HarshInfamousChimpanzee
Shane Bieber had himself a day yesterday. The Indians youngster threw his second career complete game and struck out his 300th batter. Bieber’s primary knockout weapon yesterday was his knuckle-curve, which he uses here to make Brian Goodwin look absolutely ridiculous.
Yu Darvish’s Two-Seamer
https://gfycat.com/GleefulSecondIchneumonfly
There have been a lot of ups and downs (mostly downs) for Yu Darvish this season. However, yesterday Darvish was on fire. He struck out eight batters over five innings, as he lowered his ERA to a (relatively) respectable 4.36. Although Darvish offered up plenty of nasty sliders yesterday, we’re crediting him for this two-seam fastball that Eric Thames swings right through.
Justin Verlander’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/LavishAcrobaticAsianpiedstarling
OK, so Justin Verlander gave up another home run yesterday; however, that was the only slip up of the day for JV. Verlander was fantastic, throwing 10 strikeouts and allowing only three hits. With those 10 strikeouts, he crossed the 200 mark for the season. If he can sustain this pace for the rest of August and into September, he should finish once again well over the 250 threshold.
Tyler Chatwood’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/MemorableRequiredBighorn
Tyler Chatwood might not be the name you expect to see here, but boy, did he merit mention today. Chatwood threw three innings, struck out five, and earned the save in a game the Cubs won by five (a rarity in today’s game). There were a few options I could’ve gone with here, but I’m opting for Chatwood’s filthy changeup that makes Ben Gamel look foolish.
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.
[polldaddy poll=10378917]
What happen to you yesterday? Can we watch yesterday’s pitches later?
I don’t know if anyone will see this, but if there’s a way to find Tony Gonsolin’s 0-0 curveball against Marcell Ozuna in the 4th inning from tonight’s game, you will experience an absolutely PERFECT power curve.
Thanks for the tip, it was a bit late and I’m only seeing it now, but in the future I recommend tweeting to @PitcherList with the recommendation you have. There’s a few of us doing them on different days of the week so that’s your best shot. Usually, Nick sees the tweets and sends it to us to include in the article and we’ll give you a shout out!