It’s been another exciting week of baseball with many excellent pitches from around the league. You’ve been voting all week, now the top pitches battle for the crown of “Pitching GIF of the Week”. Who will win? 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.
Noah Syndergaard’s Fastball – While it wasn’t the most dominant of performances from Thor, he escaped with his first road Win of the season with five innings on the hill. This 98 MPH Fastball down and away featured some hard ride and highlighted a nine strikeout evening.
Trevor Bauer’s Fastball – I’ve watched this pitch roughly thirty times now, and I still can’t fathom how Bauer gets this much horizontal ride on his 93 MPH Fastball. He worked on the pitch last off-season after seeing our famous GIF of Marcus Stroman’s Fastball, and it has certainly paid off. Chase Headley could only stare and walk back to the dugout.
Drew Storen’s Slider – Washington reliever Drew Storen has had himself a monster year in the pen for the Nationals, and his Slider has earned a spot into this roundup in the past. He threw a filthy slide piece to Clint Barmes that disappears well off the plate for strike two. (Thanks to @celaskowski for the tip!)
Brad Brach’s Changeup – The Orioles have seen some struggles as they fight for a playoff spot, but they pulled off the Win last night as Brach helped hold the lead late. This Changeup he threw to Lorenzo Cain had us confused why he hadn’t been featured here before. (Thanks to Reddit user Expensive*********** for the tip!)
Nathan Eovaldi’s Splitter – Eovaldi pitched one of his best games as a Yankee on Monday, silencing the Astros across eight innings. Increased velocity on his Splitter has been a catalyst for his success, and this one at 91 MPH was a beauty.
Yordano Ventura’s Curveball – Ventura was straight dealing as he brought down 11 batters in just six innings of work, and his Curveball was public enemy #1. This may seem like an unassuming strikeout from a check swing until you realize this pitch was recorded at a blistering 89.97 MPH. Houston Astros pitcher Mike Fiers throws Fastballs slower than Ventura’s Curveball. Just think about that. (Thanks to Reddit user g00dn1ghtm4r3 for the tip!)
Jake Arrieta’s Slider – It’s been another magical season for Arrieta, and he continued the trend on Tuesday as he allowed just a sole unearned run across six innings of work. He started strong and generated incredible late movement on this 91 MPH Slider to Matt Duffy in the first.
GIF Of The Week
Which was your favorite pitch? Vote below to crown the winner!
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