Every week we review the nastiest pitches from the previous week in glorious HD GIFs. Don’t forget to vote for your favorite pitch and and check back this weekend to see if it will be in contention for the GIF of the First Half. Did we miss your favorite pitch? Send us a tweet next time @ThePitcherList and we’ll GIF it up + give you a shoutout here in the article.
Kelvin Herrera’s Slider – Kelvin has been working on using his Slider more this year, and if this GIF is any indication, he should continue the trend. There was nothing Manny Machado could do but watch its filthy movement. (Thanks to Redditor Kanabuss for the tip!)
Tanner Roark’s Fastball – Roark continued his hot streak against the Phillies Thursday night as he fanned six while allowing just two baserunners. He pounded his Fastball inside to left-handers, who had to deal with this absurd amount of movement. The behind-the-umpire cam gives us a great shot of how the pitch starts off heading for Odubel Herrera’s hip before whizzing back to the plate. (Thanks to @duncanbishop24 for the tip!)
Jose Fernandez’s Curveball – Though he struggled in the first inning, JoFer quickly found his groove and by the third he was already striking out the side. His first victim of the frame was Adrian Gonzalez who didn’t come close to hit this crazy good bender.
Matt Harvey’s Changeup – Harvey wasn’t at the top of his game against the Reds, but it was a big first step in the right direction, collecting his first five outs via the strikeout. He fanned Adam Duvall to start the second inning on this luscious Changeup that makes a small Keith Hernandez “mmmmm” when you watch it. (Thanks to Redditor Ryuuken1789 for the tip!)
Blake Snell’s Curveball – It was an exciting debut for Snell as he produced an excellent outing against the Yankees in the Bronx. His Curveball debilitated batters left and right, just look at the bend on this yacker to Brian McCann. (Thanks to Reddior yung_jocp for the tip!)
Tyler Lyons‘ Slider – Lyons will not spend much time in these roundups during the season, and he got his taste last night after forcing David Peralta to coil in fear with this hook. It’s always fun watching a batter give up on a pitch so aggressively only for it to curl back onto the plate for a strike. (Thanks to Redditor iamadacheat for the tip!)
Dellin Betances‘ Curveball – It feels like cheating featuring another Betances hook, but just look at how badly Brett Nicholas read this pitch. The idea that he actually thought the pitch was going to be a strike he could hit is tough to fathom. (Thanks to Redditor XlPoLaR04 for the tip!)
Gio Gonzalez’s Curveball – Gonzalez has had a great start to 2016, and last night was no different against the Phillies. His hook looked good, especially this big deuce to Maikel Franco for the strikeout.
GIF Of The Week
Which was your favorite pitch? Vote below and the winner will be featured in the GIF of the First Half contest.
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