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 Fourth 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.
Zac Gallen’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/brokenleadingbat
Man, who would have guessed the Zac Gallen trade would look awful in retrospect, besides everybody? Gallen was dominating even before the Marlins inexplicably traded him, and he’s been even better as a Diamondback. Wednesday marked the best start of his young major league career, as he allowed just one hit while striking out eight over seven innings of work against the Padres. Of all the questionable trades the Marlins have made, this one might be the most egregious.
Will Smith’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/carefreeenlightenedjunebug
The Giants held on to Will Smith at the trade deadline, looking to make a Wild Card push. Let’s check on how that’s going:
Well, I can’t say I’m surprised. To his credit though, Smith has been very good as the Giants’ closer in 2019, nailing down his 31st save of the year against the Cardinals on Wednesday, lowering his ERA to 2.90 with 1.1 shutout innings. Coming off his first All-Star appearance, the 29-year-old reliever should have plenty of great years left in him.
Chris Paddack’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/warlikeelderlydeinonychus
Chris Paddack did what he could for the Padres over 5.1 shutout innings on Wednesday, but Gallen’s dominance on the other side was too much for the Friars to overcome. The great outing lowered Paddack’s season ERA to a nice 3.54 and was a nice respite from the otherwise tumultuous second half he’s had. His ERA since the All-Star break is a measly 4.75, a far cry from the 2.84 ERA he sported in his explosive first half.
Ian Kennedy’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/friendlypitifulibadanmalimbe
There’s a good chance it’s been a long while since you’ve heard Ian Kennedy‘s name, but he’s quietly had a nice season out of the bullpen for the Royals, with 26 saves and a 3.51 ERA in 56 appearances. Long gone are his days as a Cy Young contender, but the 34-year-old journeyman appears to still have something useful left in the tank after all.
Trevor Williams‘ Slider
https://gfycat.com/dependentterribleatlanticbluetang
Remember last year when Trevor Williams had one of the absolute best halves of baseball ever pitched? Keep remembering that, and just quietly walk away and ignore his 2019 season. He’ll thank you for it. His 5.16 ERA represents an increase of more than two runs per nine innings since last season, and the underlying stats don’t offer much encouragement either. It was fun while it lasted, at least.
GIF of the Night
Which was your favorite pitch? Vote below, and the winner will be featured in the GIF of the Fourth Quarter Contest.
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