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 September Nastiest Pitches 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.
J.A. Happ’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/silentweeklydrafthorse
It’s been a tough year for J.A. Happ, but pitches like these never get old. This nice sweeping slider got Christin Stewart reaching—the slide piece was hot all day, a good sign for a Yankees team that is a little uncertain about its postseason rotation.
Yu Darvish’s Curve
https://gfycat.com/agreeablewickedbuck
Yu Darvish was magnificent on Thursday (14 strikeouts!), continuing a recent run of dominance (only one earned run over his past 19 innings). Darvish has been an integral part of the Cubs’ second half surge—they are going to have to rely on the righty if they want to make it deep into the postseason.
Rich Hill’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/welloffboringisabellinewheatear
He’s back! Rich Hill has returned from a three-month absence! Although he wasn’t very good last night, this pitch shows the ceiling is still ultra high for Hill, as long as his papier-mache fingers don’t start to fall apart again.
Lucas Giolito’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/jauntyelasticcrocodile
On one hand, as a Nationals fan, I am happy to see Lucas Giolito performing so well. On the other hand, as a Nationals fan, ugh. This guy has turned into an utter stud for the White Sox. His control of all of his pitches (especially the fastball/change combo) has been nothing short of impressive—this is my front-runner for “Most Improved Player of the Year.”
Josh Hader’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/impressiveanchoredgalah
Hey guys, Josh Hader is really good. Oh, you knew that? Well I cannot stop saying it. I could watch this guy pitch all day. Whether he is relying on his fastball or slider, when he is on, hitters generally have little chance. If the Brew Crew can slide into the Wild Card game, Hader will have a MASSIVE impact.
GIF of the Night
Which was your favorite pitch? Vote below, and the winner will be featured in the September Nastiest Pitches GIF Tournament.
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