It’s time to crown the first monthly GIF winner of 2019. The first month of the MLB season was filled with a load of impressive pitches that were part of even more pitching performances. But only one among them can be named the best pitch of April.
The best 16 from the first month have been pulled aside and ranked. Now it’s on you, the voter, to decide which stands above the rest. Half the field was wiped away on Tuesday, several of which were blown out. Time to cut out four more.
Here are the rules:
- All GIFs were pulled from the month of April, along with one from Opening Day in March.
- 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 second round.
Here are the results for Round 1:
American Bracket
1. Jordan Hicks‘ Slider defeated 8. Jameson Taillon’s Curveball
2. Jose Alvarado’s Sinker defeated 7. Joe Musgrove’s Curveball
3. Max Fried Curveball’s defeated 6. Charlie Morton’s Curveball
4. Jorge Lopez’s Two-Seam Fastball defeated 5. Jeurys Familia’s Sinker
National Bracket
1. Luis Castillo’s Two-Seam Fastball defeated 8. Jordan Lyles‘ Curveball
2. Yu Darvish Slider defeated 7. Tyler Glasnow Curveball
3. Chaz Roe’s Slider defeated 6. Clayton Kershaw’s Curveball
4. Trevor Bauer’s Slider defeated 5. Domingo German’s Curveball
Here are the matchups for Round 2:
American Bracket
1. Jordan Hicks‘ Slider vs. 4. Jorge Lopez’s Two-Seam Fastball
2. Jose Alvarado’s Sinker vs. 3. Max Fried Curveball’s
National Bracket
1. Luis Castillo’s Two-Seam Fastball vs. 4. Trevor Bauer’s Slider
2. Yu Darvish Slider vs. 3. Chaz Roe’s Slider
Watch the GIFs in the Links Below!
Jordan Hicks‘ Slider vs. Jorge Lopez’s Two-Seam Fastball
Pairing these two pitches against one another almost shut down the website. There’s too much movement between the two. And these two are completely different in how they torture the opposing hitter. Jordan Hicks‘ slider looks great coming out of the hand while Jorge Lopez’s two-seamer looks like it’s going to drill Yonder Alonso. By the time they cross the plate, they’re essentially flip-flopped. Honestly, this is only a second-round matchup, but this has the quality of a finals battle.
https://gfycat.com/softperkybackswimmer-baseball
VS.
https://gfycat.com/obviouswellworncirriped
Which was the better pitch? Vote to decide which pitch advances to the next round!
[polldaddy poll=10313820]
Jose Alvarado’s Sinker vs. Max Fried’s Curveball
Ramiel Tapia might have the ugliest swing of any featured in this tournament. Max Fried’s curveball had him licking his chops until the last minute. However, this Jose Alvarado sinker moves like there’s a magnet in the ball. The more you watch it, the more it looks like it’s going to be a strike low, over the middle of the plate. but every time, it darts down and in.
https://gfycat.com/littleunripeethiopianwolf-alvarado-fb-4-16-19-baseball
VS.
https://gfycat.com/enragedcheaphalicore
Which was the better pitch? Vote to decide which pitch advances to the next round!
[polldaddy poll=10313817]
Luis Castillo’s Two-Seam Fastball vs. Trevor Bauer’s Slider
Much like the No. 1 v. No. 4 matchup on the other side of the bracket, this pairing features almost too much horizontal movement for Pitcher List’s mainframe. Luis Castillo is out here painting 96 with movement on pitch No. 95 of his start. He’s starting that at Eric Hosmer’s belt too. This is basically the equivalent of what Tom Wilson did in the Washington Capitals’ Stanley Cup run in 2018. Which is why some may lean toward Trevor Bauer’s slider. He’s not far off from Castillo on this one though. Bauer’s slider was started at Yuli Gurriel, it just broke so early that he knew it wasn’t hitting him. Gurriel just didn’t realize how much it’d break.
https://gfycat.com/pleasingslighthorsechestnutleafminer-baseball
VS.
https://gfycat.com/devotedimmenseamericanavocet-baseball
Which was the better pitch? Vote to decide which pitch advances to the next round!
[polldaddy poll=10313816]
Yu Darvish’s Slider vs. Chaz Roe’s Slider
This is the only second-round matchup pairing two of the same pitch. But of course, these are two of the four sliders left in the tournament, which make up half the field. Yu Darvish’s slider is one of the best back-foot sliders of the year, especially because it’s coming right down the chute out of Darvish’s hand. At the same time, Chaz Roe had Teoscar Hernandez rethinking whether he should continue his career or retire and try his luck at starting an MLB The Show eSports team.
https://gfycat.com/classicbasicgibbon
VS.
https://gfycat.com/giantgorgeoushoneyeater
Which was the better pitch? Vote to decide which pitch advances to the next round!
[polldaddy poll=10313814]