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 Nastiest Pitches of the Season GIF Tournament. 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.
Dustin May’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/lonelyfoolhardyblobfish
Making his MLB debut this season, the highly touted hurler Dustin May was rock solid through almost 35 innings at the big league level this season, pitching to a 3.63 ERA while striking out almost a batter per inning. His playoff debut on Friday didn’t go particularly well, but he held the Nats in check on Monday, allowing a single baserunner over two innings of work. He likely won’t get called upon to pitch in Game 5 on Wednesday, but should get plenty of work if the Dodgers advance to the NLCS.
Charlie Morton’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/quickpeacefulcaimanlizard
Charlie Morton pitched incredibly well in the all-or-nothing Wild Card game against the Athletics, so the Rays had high expectations for him in this matchup with his former team. Morton more than delivered under pressure, keeping the Rays’ World Series hopes alive by holding the Astros to a single run over five innings, striking out nine in the process. Morton has been nothing short of dominant this season, and he appears to be intent on carrying that into the postseason.
John Brebbia’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/educatedquarrelsomeharrierhawk
John Brebbia has been a very solid presence in the Cardinals’ bullpen the last three years, but 2019 has been his first postseason pitching experience. He’s pitched a single inning across two outings, not letting up a run and striking out a single batter, pictured here. He doesn’t ordinarily pitch such oddly short outings, so we should hopefully get to see him a bit more assuming the Cardinals are able to advance to the NLCS.
Max Scherzer’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/impoliteslimygrunion
There were understandably some worries about Max Scherzer, given his relatively poor second half of the season. Instead, he forced a crucial Game 5 against the Dodgers, allowing one earned run over seven innings, on top of already having thrown a perfect inning of relief on Friday. Hopefully Mad Max can carry this into the next round (Assuming the Nats make it), as having their ace finally be back to his full potential would be huge.
Ryan Helsley’s Fastball
https://gfycat.com/neglectedremarkableangwantibo
Despite not being particularly great in the minors in 2018 and 2019, the Cardinals still saw fit to call up Ryan Helsley to the big league club, and he pitched admirably over 36 2/3 innings of work, managing a 2.95 ERA. He pitched a crucial 8th inning in a tight contest, striking out all three batters he faced en route to an eventual Cardinals win.
Luis Severino’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/giantgiftedballoonfish
Luis Severino pitched just 12 innings in 2019, so nobody was entirely sure how he’d look in the postseason, where he’s typically struggled. Severino impressed in a four-inning start though, allowing four hits and striking out another four. With the Yankees already advancing to the ALCS, we likely won’t see Severino again until late this week or early next wee, but it’ll be interesting to see how he follows up this very good postseason outing.
GIF of the Night
Which was your favorite pitch? Vote below, and the winner will be featured in the Nastiest Pitches of the Season GIF Tournament.
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