Every morning we review the nastiest pitches from the previous day’s games in glorious HD GIFs. Don’t forget to vote for your favorite pitch and and check back this weekend to see if it will be in contention for the GIF of the Second Half. Did we miss your favorite pitch? Send us a tweet next time @ThePitcherList and we’ll GIF it up + give you a shoutout here in the article.
Congrats to Aaron Sanchez’s Fastball for winning Nastiest Pitching GIF of the First Half! Chris Sale gave him a good run in the final round, but Sanchez’s lively Fastball was too much to deny in the end.
Yu Darvish’s Slider – In his second return from the DL this season, Yu reminded us why we adore him so much, earning his first five outs vai the strikeout en route to 9 Ks on the afternoon. He made Kris Bryant’s day difficult by spinning sweet Sliders during his first at-bat, such as this 1-1 pitch down and away. (Thanks to Redditors cjn13 and Gyro88 for thee tips!)
Brandon McCarthy’s Curveball – McCarthy was dominant against the Diamondbacks as he tossed eight shutout innings to lead the Dodgers to victory. His performance can be summed up by this beautiful hook to Jean Segura that sealed the third with a buckle.
Tanner Roark’s Fastball – Roark was back to his solid ways against the Pirates over the weekend, and used his Fastball to command the strikezone. For example, he froze John Jaso with this excellent comeback heater for the backwards K in the third. (Thanks to Redditor slagnanz and for the tip!)
Chris Archer’s Slider – Archer has been hinting at his studly 2015 self over the past month, and he made it tough for the Orioles to stay afloat on Friday evening with a Slider that made Manny Machado go fishing well out of the zone.
Steven Wright’s Knuckleball – Wright flashed a solid Knuckler for most of his start against the pinstripes, including this ball that fell off the table at the very last moment to Brian McCann. (Thanks to Redditor TheBrimic for the tip!)
Julio Teheran’s Slider – It was a taste of prime Teheran as the Rockies came into town, tossing seven frames of shutout ball with five strikeouts. One of his Ks came against Charlie Blackmon on this nasty Slider down and in. (Thanks to @sprinkAdink7 for the tip!)
Masahiro Tanaka’s Fastball – Tanaka was on fire against the Red Sawx during Sunday Night Baseball, and featured this Fastball that whizzed well more than any pitch should for an early strike against Brock Holt. (Thanks to @leftykevin and Redditor ClaytonKoufax for the tips!)
Jeurys Familia’s Slider – It’s no secret that Familia has some of the nastiest stuff of any pitcher in the bigs. We often talk about his Sinker or Splitter, but don’t sleep on this Slider that moved like a slow Curveball at 87 mph to Cody Asche. (Thanks to Redditor Ryuuken1789 for the tip!)
GIF Of The Weekend
Which was your favorite pitch? Vote below and the winner will be featured in the GIF of the Second Half contest.
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