The first round of the playoffs are in the books, and we’re showcasing the best GIFs from the first round. Don’t forget to vote for your favorite!
Aaron Sanchez’s Fastball #1 – Sanchez has one of the most lively Fastballs in the game, and he painted this 98 MPH heater on the black as it returned to the plate against Elvis Andrus. (Thanks to @michaeldryden for the tip!)
Aaron Sanchez’s Fastball #2 – Sanchez featured his nasty Fastball all series long with Shin-Soo Choo given identical treatment by Sanchez in game three. Watch him flinch at a front-door Fastball that returned to the plate to his dismay. (Thanks to Reddit user Funkagenda and @jonrwalton for the tip!)
Dallas Keuchel’s Slider – Despite pitching on only three days’ rest, Keuchel got the job done in the Bronx and silenced the Yankee bats. He was locating on the edges all night, and expanded well with his Slider, like this beautiful pitch off the plate to Brett Gardner for the strikeout.
Noah Syndergaard’s Curveball – After throwing near 100 MPH to Justin Turner, Thor commanded this hook down and out of the zone to induce a weak flail from the hottest bat in the Dodgers’ lineup.
Roberto Osuna’s Slider – It was a huge moment for the 20-year-old as Osuna pulled off the five out save to send the Jays to the ALCS. He ended the eighth with this perfect 90 MPH Slider to Elvis Andrus that darted off the plate at the very last moment.
Jake Arrieta’s Slider #1 – Call it a Slutter, Cutter, Slider, at the end of the day, the pitch is pure filth. Here Arrieta used it to get Matt Holliday fishing out of the zone on a 3-2 count. At 90 MPH no less.
Jake Arrieta’s Slider #2 – It’s not surprising to see another Arrieta Slider getting some love, and this Slider to Pedro Alvarez was a pretty sight. Check out Pedro Alvarez getting fooled by this slide piece that breaks under his hands in the blindspot for the swinging strikeout.
Clayton Kershaw’s Curveball – Kershaw got the job done in Flushing, sending the club back to L.A. to settle the series in Game 5. All of his pitches were working, and we got another classic look at his signature Curveball when he froze David Wright in the sixth.
Hector Rondon’s Slider – It was a great night to be a Cubs fan, with the crowd looking like this man after the second inning. Rondon punched Chicago’s ticket to the NLCS with this excellent Slider as he struck out Stephen Piscotty to end the game.
GIF Of The Divisional Series
Which was your favorite pitch? Vote below to crown the winner!
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