This July was a big one for pitchers. Aaron Sanchez tossed six frames in a combined no-no in his first start for Houston, Gerrit Cole and Chris Sale kept up their ludicrous strikeout rates, and other pitchers are starting to come to full form. Most importantly, some absurd GIFs emerged in August. So ridiculous that the list of honorable mentions from this month probably would have made most other tournaments in the past. Now it’s time to crown the best pitching GIF of them all from August 2019.
The best 16 have been pulled aside and ranked. Now it’s on you, the voter, to decide which stands above the rest.
Here are the rules:
- All GIFs were pulled from August 2019.
- You can only vote on a matchup once, so make sure you pick the one you absolutely want.
- Voting will continue until 12:00 a.m. EST the following morning. This is the first round.
Here are the matchups for Round 1:
American Bracket
1. Chaz Roe’s Slider vs. 8. Zack Wheeler’s Changeup
2. Charlie Morton’s Curveball vs. 7. Adrian Houser’s Two-Seamer
3. Hyun-Jin Ryu’s Curveball vs. 6. Yu Darvish’s Curveball
4. Dustin May’s Sinker vs. 5. Chris Sale’s Slider
National Bracket
1. Walker Buehler’s Curveball vs. 8. Brendan McKay’s Curveball
2. Gerrit Cole’s Curveball vs. 7. Stephen Strasburg’s Curveball
3. Trevor Bauer’s Two-Seamer vs. 6. Sonny Gray’s Slider
4. Kirby Yates‘ Splitter vs. 5. Joe Ross‘ Sinker
Watch the GIFs in the Links Below!
Featured Image by Justin Paradis (@freshmeatcomm on Twitter)
Chaz Roe’s Slider vs. Zack Wheeler’s Changeup
Another GIF tournament, another number one seed for Chaz Roe. How can it be anyone else? Roe’s slider needs no introduction, and for good reason. It gets the most horizontal movement out of any slider in the league, and he’s been our number one seed for who knows how many tournaments now. So, it’s gonna be tough for Zack Wheeler to unseat Roe and his absurd slider, but perhaps his changeup is the one that will pull off the upset.
https://gfycat.com/fairwaryindianpalmsquirrel-chaz-roe-sl-8-14-19-baseball
VS.
https://gfycat.com/bewitchedrectangularinsect-baseball
Which was the better pitch? Vote to decide which pitch advances to the next round!
[polldaddy poll=10398669]
Charlie Morton’s Curveball vs. Adrian Houser’s Two-Seamer
Our 7-seed on this side of the bracket is rookie Adrian Houser. Houser used his two-seamer to paint the edge of the zone on this pitch to freeze Brian Dozier. But is that enough to overcome Charlie Morton’s vicious curveball? Morton’s curve has been the most valuable in the league by pVAL, and you can see why it’s so effective here. It starts out on the inside part of the zone before sweeping all the way to the lower outside corner, which makes it nearly impossible for hitters to make contact.
https://gfycat.com/nextesteemedanglerfish-baseball
VS.
https://gfycat.com/sentimentalobesearcherfish-baseball
Which was the better pitch? Vote to decide which pitch advances to the next round!
[polldaddy poll=10398670]
Hyun-Jin Ryu’s Curveball vs. Yu Darvish’s Curveball
Hyun-Jin Ryu had been in the middle of a season for the ages before things fell off a bit in August for him. He doesn’t have the most overpowering strikeout stuff, but when he places his pitches right, he can be lethal. That’s exactly what he does here with this beauty of a front door curve. So it may be tough for our 6-seed—Yu Darvish, who has been on a tear recently—to beat Ryu’s curve. But Darvish’s pitch has merits of its own. It gets a ton of drop and induces a beautiful whiff from Phillies slugger Bryce Harper.
https://gfycat.com/lankyimportantfrilledlizard-baseball
VS.
https://gfycat.com/wideeyedadventurousbarebirdbat-yu-darvish-cu-8-15-19
Which was the better pitch? Vote to decide which pitch advances to the next round!
[polldaddy poll=10398671]
Dustin May’s Sinker vs. Chris Sale’s Slider
Our 4 vs. 5 matchup contains one budding ace and a proven one. Chris Sale is currently chasing Randy Johnson’s single season K/9 record. He’s used his slider as his primary weapon throughout his career and has gotten consistent whiffs with it over the years. But the young Dustin May and his dart of a sinker might be able to top it. The recent Dodger call-up has been solid in his role so far this year and could be the next big thing for the team. So who will take this one: Sale’s signature slider or May’s throwing 97 mph paint.
https://gfycat.com/wilteddelightfulibex-dustin-may-8-14-19-baseball
VS.
https://gfycat.com/saltyhandsomehorsechestnutleafminer-chris-sale-sl-8-14-19-baseball
Which was the better pitch? Vote to decide which pitch advances to the next round!
[polldaddy poll=10398672]
Walker Buehler’s Curveball vs. Brendan McKay’s Curveball
Our second number one seed is Walker Buehler and his 12-6 curveball. The pitch gets some serious downward movement that makes the offering nearly unhittable. So it’ll be tough for Brendan McKay and his curve, which moves more like a slurve, to win. But who knows, maybe McKay can overcome Buehler and his yellow hammer to take this matchup.
https://gfycat.com/slimellipticalgallinule-walker-buehler-cu-8-27-19-baseball
VS.
https://gfycat.com/brilliantspiffyamazontreeboa-baseball
Which was the better pitch? Vote to decide which pitch advances to the next round!
[polldaddy poll=10398673]
Gerrit Cole’s Curveball vs. Stephen Strasburg’s Curveball
Gerrit Cole has been racking up the K’s this season and he’s currently tied for second on the all-time single season K/9 list with Chris Sale. If he can increase that rate by just a smidge, he’ll pass the Big Unit and be number one. Cole uses his wicked curveball on this pitch to fan Niko Goodrum. It starts off outside the zone before it somehow moves all the way to the back foot of Goodrum. Competing with Cole is Stephen Strasburg and his own curveball which disappears as it is swung through for a strike three.
https://gfycat.com/frighteningfantasticcrab-baseball
VS.
https://gfycat.com/faithfuluncomfortablebarbet-baseball
Which was the better pitch? Vote to decide which pitch advances to the next round!
[polldaddy poll=10398674]
Trevor Bauer’s Two-Seamer vs. Sonny Gray’s Slider
Our 3 vs. 6 matchup on this side of the bracket is a battle of the Cincinnati Reds. Trevor Bauer has struggled since moving across Ohio and has been unable to find any rhythm whatsoever in the National League. However, this front door two-seamer is a sort of saving grace for the struggling righty. However, Bauer’s teammate has a nice pitch of his own to compete with him. It’s Sonny Gray, who uses his nasty slider against Austin Riley to get him chasing far out of the zone for a filthy strike three.
https://gfycat.com/orangescarylemur-baseball
VS.
https://gfycat.com/splendidannualdanishswedishfarmdog-sonny-gray-sl-8-4-19-baseball
Which was the better pitch? Vote to decide which pitch advances to the next round!
[polldaddy poll=10398675]
Kirby Yates‘ Splitter vs. Joe Ross‘ Sinker
Kirby Yates has been one of the most impressive closers in baseball this year and his best pitch has undoubtably been his splitter. Here, he uses it perfectly to execute a strike three against Ian Desmond. However, while Yates is clearly the bigger name in this matchup, his competition has some pretty filthy stuff as well. That competition comes in the form of Joe Ross, who uses a furious sinker that gets some absurd movement to get a swing-and-a-miss from the Reds’ slugger Aristides Aquino.
https://gfycat.com/craftyconventionalabyssiniangroundhornbill-baseball
VS.
https://gfycat.com/understatedimpassionedcaracal-joe-ross-si-8-14-19-baseball
Which was the better pitch? Vote to decide which pitch advances to the next round!
[polldaddy poll=10398683]