Clayton Kershaw’s Curveball and the Nastiest Pitches From 7/5

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 Third 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.

 

Clayton Kershaw’s Curveball

 

https://gfycat.com/meekredargali

 

Clayton Kershaw may not be the absolutely unfair force of nature he’s been most of his career, but the future Hall of Famer still has plenty left in the tank and showed it against the Padres on Friday. Allowing just 1 ER on 5 hits over 7 innings of work, Kershaw also punched out a season-high 9 batters.

 

Liam Hendriks‘ Slider

 

https://gfycat.com/excellentspicyazurevase

 

A pretty mediocre reliever for most of his career, Liam Hendriks has had a career year in a major way in 2019, wresting the closer gig away from a Blake Treinen coming off of a legendary year, as well as making his first All-Star appearance. Another perfect frame against the Mariners on Friday gives the Australian-born hurler a 1.27 ERA on the season, and his 11.2 K/9 is a career-high.

 

Zack Greinke’s Curveball

 

https://gfycat.com/scientificvengefulemu

 

Should this Zack Greinke offering be called an eephus? Possibly. No matter what you call it though it was nasty in a major way, and this strikeout against Antonio Senzatela was just 1 of 9 the 35-year-old Greinke accumulated over 7 innings of shutout ball. Chase Field can be a difficult park to pitch in but Greinke has done so masterfully, sporting a 3.00 ERA at home this season and a 3.24 ERA at Chase over his whole career.

 

Justin Verlander’s Slider

 

https://gfycat.com/glitteringheavygrasshopper

 

Struggles with the longball have continued for Justin Verlander, and in just 19 games the long-time vet is just 2 short of the 28 he allowed in 2018. What’s most insane, though, is that despite a league-leading number of home runs allowed, Justin Verlander still has a 2.98 ERA, and a LEAGUE-LEADING 0.813 WHIP. Verlander is having an incredible season in every regard besides home runs allowed, allowing a microscopic 3.6 non-HR hits per 9.

 

Jordan Yamamoto’s Slider

 

https://gfycat.com/filthyforsakenhyracotherium

 

Jordan Yamamoto has been extraordinary for the Marlins to start his career, owning a sparkling 1.24 ERA through his first 5 starts. Throwing filth like this strikeout pitch to fellow rookie Austin Riley has been a big part of his early success, and his success, in turn, has contributed in part to Miami having a team ERA in the top half of the league, against all expectations. Too bad that good pitching core is backed by the 29th ranked offense in baseball.

 

Fernando Rodney’s Changeup

 

https://gfycat.com/serpentinegorgeousdwarfrabbit

 

Though his time with the A’s was disastrous, we’re still waiting for Fernando Rodney to surrender a run in a Nationals uniform this year. It’s a small sample size but Rodney has excelled in it. Fun Fact: One-third of all strikeouts Rodney has had as a National have made the Nasty Pitch roundup.

 

Jacob deGrom’s Slider

 

https://gfycat.com/complicatedmixedblackbuck

 

Though some might find Jacob deGrom’s 3.27 ERA disappointing after a historically good season from the hurler last year, it’s impossible to deny that Jacob DeGrom has overall been excellent, despite a handful of hiccups early in the year. The Mets may be scuffling badly this year, but their ace in the hole shoulders none of the blame for that.

 

GIF of the Night

Which was your favorite pitch? Vote below, and the winner will be featured in the GIF of the Third Quarter Contest.

 

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