Every week we review the nastiest pitches from the previous week 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 First Half Contest. 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.
Charlie Morton’s Fastball – 99mph on the black with horizontal ride? Not a problem for Morton these days, stunning Gary Sanchez with the perfect two-strike pitch in the first inning of yesterday’s Astros win in the Bronx.
Jose Berrios’ Curveball – Berrios has been one of the best pitchers in the minors over the last year or so, and the question was always when he would have a spot in the Twins rotation, not if he would. Well, Berrios broke out in a big way last night with 11 Ks in a spotless outing. This Curveball to Pat Valiaka has great depth as it moves from one side of the plate to the other and lands right on the black.
Luis Garcia’s Fastball – Sometimes you see pitches that don’t seem real. “That has to be a Changeup or…a Screwball?” This Garcia heater blew our minds over the weekend, coming in at a blistering 95mph yet featuring a ton of sink and horizontal ride to induce a poor swing from Brian Goodwin. We’re going to see this pitch for a long time. (Thanks to @byBenHarris for the tip!)
Lance McCullers’ Curveball – Like Folty, McCullers didn’t light up the scoreboard with plenty of strikeouts but made some great pitches when he needed to. This deuce to Derek Dietrich was our favorite of the night, featuring plenty of depth as it just clipped the inside corner for the backwards K. (Thanks to @brihoang for the tip!)
Sean Manaea’s Sliders – Manaea returned from the DL and proceeded to walk four batters in his first inning while showcasing plenty of swing-and-miss pitches. With the bases loaded, he used his nasty Sliders to get strikes two and three on weak flails from Taylor Motter, both starting in the middle of the plate before darting into the infielder’s ankles.
Rich Hill’s Curveball – Hill was back on the mound last night after battling lingering blister issues again, and he showed how good he is when he cans stay off the DL. He is known for his great Curveball, but he throws more than one version of the pitch. For this strikeout pitch to Christian Arroyo, Hill drops his arm angle to get more run than his typical 12-6 bender.
Mike Foltynewicz’s Fastball – Despite being known for his strikeout ability, Foltynewicz fanned just one batter in yesterday’s affair. However, it was with a filthy Fastball that started right along the outside corner before peeling off the plate at the last moment at 94mph. I could watch this one over and over for hours.
Yu Darvish’s Curveball – Darvish seems to have regained his pre Tommy John strikeout form over the last month. He’s back to using at least 3 plus pitches to put hitters away confidently. This Curveball is a real nose to toes dropper that Max Stassi swings through.
GIF Of The Week
Which was your favorite pitch? Vote below and the winner will be featured in the GIF of the First Half Contest.
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