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.
Justin Verlander’s Fastball
https://gfycat.com/GlamorousMaleCicada
What a day to remember for Justin Verlander. Verlander tossed his third career no-hitter yesterday and his second no-no north of the border. Verlander joins the company of Bob Feller, Nolan Ryan, Sandy Koufax, Cy Young, and Larry Corcoran as the only pitchers with at least three no-hitters in their careers. I wish I was allowed to put every strikeout from Verlander’s gem into one GIF, but unfortunately, I’m limited to just one, so here he is throwing 95 mph to paint the lower inside corner against Rowdy Tellez.
Patrick Corbin’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/ScalyNewAnnashummingbird
It was supposed to be a breeze for Patrick Corbin against a feeble Marlins offense, and while he did end up throwing six quality innings, at times it didn’t look so easy for him. The Nationals southpaw allowed three runs over six frames but struck out eight Fish and pitched to a win. Corbin also passed the 200-strikeout mark on the year, but here, we’re featuring strikeout No. 199, a slider that brings Harold Ramirez down to a knee.
Adam Ottavino’s Two-Seamer
https://gfycat.com/SeveralFarawayAntarcticgiantpetrel
Adam Ottavino earned the win in a huge Yankees comeback victory yesterday against the visiting Athletics. Ottavino pitched a scoreless ninth and allowed only one baserunner on a walk. It’s known that Ottavino loves to attack with his slider, but here, he puts away Robbie Grossman with a filthy front-door two-seamer that nibbles at the outer edge of the zone.
Charlie Morton’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/threadbareacclaimedfruitbat
Charlie Morton just continued his dominance on the mound yesterday against the Cleveland Indians. Morton picked up win No. 14 against the Tribe and struck out eight in 5.1 innings. As always, Morton went to his 19-pVAL curve to put hitters away, as he did here with Francisco Lindor, who flailed at a back-foot curveball for strike three.
Sean Manaea’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/NewElegantCreature
Oakland saw the return of Sean Manaea yesterday after a seasonlong absence as a result of a shoulder injury. Manaea was nearly flawless in his return, allowing only a single hit in his five innings of work. He put down five Yankees on strikes, including Didi Gregorius, who reached way out of the zone on this nasty slider.
Luis Castillo’s Two-Seamer
https://gfycat.com/DifficultScornfulAmethystgemclam
I’m sorry, but this pitch is just straight up unfair to Paul DeJong. If it weren’t tough enough to put a bat on a ball going 98 mph, Luis Castillo makes it all the more difficult by putting some ridiculous spin on this pitch that runs in on the Cardinals’ No. 3 hitter for a swinging strike three.
Ken Giles‘ Slider
https://gfycat.com/inbornlameeagle
So it’s pretty likely that when people think of this Houston vs. Toronto matchup they’ll remember Ken Giles as the guy who gave up the tie-breaking two-run shot that allowed Verlander’s no-hitter to be completed. But besides his one (huge) mistake, Giles actually was OK. He even got rookie phenom Yordan Alvarez swinging at this beautiful slider that he buried in the dirt. (Shoutout to Pitcher List supporter and Discord member Matt Thomas for the tip on this one!)
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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