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.
Max Scherzer’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/ShockingHighHart
Max Scherzer continued his dominance yesterday, striking out 14 Tigers while allowing only one earned run over eight innings. There were a lot of pitches to go with at this spot because Scherzer’s stuff was just so dang nasty, but I opted for this pitch, a changeup that gets some insane movement out of the zone.
Kyle Crick’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/NaiveBetterDanishswedishfarmdog
I really considered leaving Kyle Crick out of this morning’s Nastiest Pitches as his performance was pretty forgettable. He gave up a solo shot to Eric Thames that decided the game, but then he came back with his disgusting front door slider that just left Manny Piña looking confused at the plate.
Blake Snell’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/WhiteTornJaeger
Nick told us to hold on to Blake Snell, and it seems like he’s been proven right yet again. Despite a 5.01 ERA entering the day, Snell came in and struck out 12 batters over six innings. Although it was Snell’s fastball that was responsible for most of his strikeouts, I’m going with his changeup to Danny Santana because it’s just absolutely gorgeous.
Shane Bieber’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/PreciousBoldBanteng
On to the next phenomenal performance of Sunday, let’s take a look at Shane Bieber. Bieber pitched eight shutout innings and fanned 11 Orioles, showing why he’s a force on the mound. He used his whole repertoire to make quick work of a weak Orioles lineup, but his nastiest pitch was this curveball that got Dwight Smith Jr. swinging.
Adam Ottavino’s Two-Seam Fastball
https://gfycat.com/ConsciousInexperiencedAracari
It was an exciting weekend across the ocean as the Red Sox and Yankees drove in run after run in London. However, there were some bright pitching performances, including Adam Ottavino’s hitless sixth inning, which featured his deadly back door two-seam fastball striking out Christian Vazquez looking.
Colten Brewer’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/ResponsiblePalatableChanticleer
Speaking of dominant sixth innings in Europe, Colten Brewer also had a solid appearance. Brewer came in to relieve Eduardo Rodriguez and got out of the inning without allowing a hit, getting strikeouts on both of his outs, including this slider that fooled Brett Gardner.
Lucas Giolito’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/PeriodicClassicKoalabear
Lucas Giolito had himself a great day on the mound as he threw five innings and allowed only one hit on the mound. He struck out four batters as he got his 11th win of the season. As always, his changeup was on display, including on his first strikeout of the game to leadoff hitter Luis Arraez.
Gerrit Cole’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/specificinfatuatedfallowdeer
Finally today, let’s talk about Gerrit Cole. On a day with a whole bunch of impressive performances, it would be easy to ignore Cole’s seven frames of one-run ball. However, let’s give him the credit where it’s due. Cole threw a beautiful front-door curveball to freeze Tom Murphy, which was just one of his 10 strikeouts of the day.
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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