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.
Adam Ottavino’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/IdioticNaturalFinwhale
Adam Ottavino keeps on mowing down hitters. Yesterday, he struck out both Dodgers he faced in the seventh inning, and what do you know, both were retired on his Frisbee slider. The pitch is Ottavino’s specialty, and he’s used it throughout the year to rack up strikeouts against accomplished hitters, like he does here with A.J. Pollock, as the veteran outfielder swings through this pitch.
Aaron Nola’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/MasculineSlipperyAssassinbug
Yesterday, Aaron Nola’s seven quality frames against the Marlins weren’t enough. The Fish outpitched the Phillies ace as they scraped by with a 3-2 victory. Still, Nola shouldn’t feel too bad about this one. He pitched fine, and his changeup was straight up filthy. He threw the pitch for 12/23 CSW, which included a whiff on this filthy offspeed delivery to Bryan Holaday.
Framber Valdez’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/LoneDopeyCrownofthornsstarfish
Framber Valdez had a surprisingly solid outing for the Astros yesterday. He pitched six quality innings and struck out eight, all of which came on his nasty curveball. To be perfectly honest, there were a bunch of fantastic curves from Valdez, but I settled for this one that gets Justin Upton whiffing at a pitch that falls out of the zone at just the last moment.
Kirby Yates‘ Splitter
https://gfycat.com/ShowyColossalHarborporpoise
Kirby Yates picked up save No. 37 yesterday as he continues to dominate the ninth inning for the Padres. Yesterday, he put away the Red Sox in a 1-2-3 inning that featured two strikeouts. As always, we’re featuring Yates’ ferocious splitter, which can be seen here falling out of the zone to fan Jackie Bradley Jr.
Stephen Strasburg’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/FortunateAmusingAmericanpainthorse
Stephen Strasburg passed the 200-strikeout plateau yesterday in a wonderful outing against the Chicago Cubs. Strasburg put away 10 Cubbies on strikes and allowed just two runs in his six innings pitched. Strasburg’s changeup finished the night with a 33% swinging-strike rate, and the pitch produced half of his strikeouts, including this beauty that missed Kyle Schwarber’s bat.
Dallas Keuchel’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/AncientWindyBooby
If you’re a Mets fan like me, this weekend was a tough one to watch. However, out of professionalism, I will put aside my anger and acknowledge the fantastic performance Dallas Keuchel put up yesterday against my favorite team. Keuchel struck out seven batters in as many innings and was extremely effective against fellow lefty Michael Conforto, who was sat down twice on Keuchel’s brutal slider.
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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