Every morning we review the nastiest pitches from the previous day’s games in glorious HD 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 Second Half Contest. 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.
Roberto Osuna’s Slider – Osuna has had mental health problems this year, and I commend him for being so open with a problem that so many dismiss as a weakness of masculinity. Osuna is back and pitching very well, including using his hard Slider to get Brock Holt to swing through. I often see the back-foot Slider from lefty throwers, but this is the lesser seen back-foot Slider from a righty.
Zach Britton’s Fastball – Britton has returned from the DL and is being eased back into his closer role, but I think Buck Showalter is ready to use him in any situation after he pitched in the 9th last night. Britton showed his Fastball that he can either cut or fade, and this strikeout pitch has a sharp cut at 97 MPH to Mike Napoli.
Clayton Kershaw’s Curveball – Kershaw now has 15 wins on the season, and while wins are mostly unimportant, he now has an outside shot at 30 wins for the season. This Curveball to Melky Cabrera seems to drop from the sky all the way to the dirt in only 60 feet.
Bartolo Colon’s Changeup – Colon has now pitched in virtually every stadium in the majors, and more that aren’t around anymore. Colon’s Fastball only gets up to about 88 MPH on the high end, but he has good movement and command, and his Changeup has great late drop. This Changeup brings Gary Sanchez to a knee for the K.
Cody Allen’s Curveball – Allen and Andrew Miller are a great duo at the back end of bullpen as even when one isn’t firing on all cylinders, the other can pick up the slack. Andrew Miller walked two batters start the 9th, but Allen was able to come on and get out of the jam. Allen used his sharp, heavy to get the K versus Joe Panik and force the game to extras.
Felipe Rivero’s Fastball – Rivero led the Roundup last night with his Slider, but his Fastball is also a good finishing pitch. This pitch at 101 MPH on the inside black leaves Keon Broxton flummoxed.
Daniel Hudson’s Fastball – Hudson is now the primary righty in the Pirates bullpen, and while his Fastball is straight as an arrow, he throws it hard and mixes it well with his other pitches. This pitch is a borderline strike, but it is spotted in a place where only good things can happen. Travis Shaw is left to bash his bat on the ground and get the quick hook from the umpire.
GIF Of The Night
Which was your favorite pitch? Vote below and the winner will be featured in the GIF of the Second Half Contest.
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