Every week we review the nastiest pitches from the previous week in glorious HD GIFs. Don’t forget to vote for your favorite pitch and and check back this weekend to see if it will be in contention for the GIF of the First 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.
Yu Darvish’s Slider – We could feature a pitch from each of Darvish’s starts, setting a high bar for us to feature him in these roundups. We couldn’t say no to this Slider that had great late bite and dove away from Yunel Escobar’s bat. (Thanks to @ryneufeld for the tip!)
Aroldis Chapman’s Fastball – This is the pitch that should have ended yesterday’s game, but was ruled a foul ball instead of a hitting Russell Martin – which would have been called a strike since the Jays’ catcher swung right through the 101mph pitch. We’ve seen batters get hit and still whiff on breaking balls, but a Fastball?! Wow.
Max Scherzer’s Slider – It was another dominating outing for Scherzer, fanning elevent Diamondbacks across seven frames of work. Our favorite punchout of the night was on this signature Scherzer slide piece that fell far away from Chris Iannetta’s bat.
James Paxton’s Curveball – It wasn’t the sharpest of Paxton starts we’ve seen this year, but seeing the big southpaw completely debilitate Albert Pujols was a complete joy. Check out this 0-0 pitch that Pujols missed by a foot…and also hit his foot.
Luis Severino’s Slider – It wasn’t the dazzling night many hoped for after watching his last three starts, but Severino still made some good pitches through the evening, like this slide piece to Jose Bautista. Enjoy the slow motion show that gives us a great visual of its excellent late bite. (Thanks to Redditor Constant_Gardner11 for the tip!)
Matt Bowman’s Fastball – Inside the Cardinals’ pen is Bowman, who has been a bit rocky following an excellent string of appearances to start 2017. Last night he showcased his lively heater though, getting Jett Bandy to whiff over this sweet Fastball for strike three.
Chris Sale’s Slider – We’re featuring yet another Sale pitch, but with the way he’s pitching, it would be wrong to leave him off the roundup. He’s now fanned at least ten batters in five straight games and his Slider is looking as filthy as ever. Watch this one go from the outside corner to well underneath Trey Mancini’s bat, which ended up in the seats.
Andrew Triggs‘ Slider – By stepping toward the right-handed batter and slinging across his body, Triggs is able to a boatload of extra horizontal bend on his pitches. His Slider is no exception as it swiftly fell off the outside corner. His extreme angle made it incredibly tough for Yulieski Gurriel to lay off and we don’t blame him for the big whiff. (Thanks To Redditor eggsmith for the tip!)
GIF Of The Week
Which was your favorite pitch? Vote below and the winner will be featured in the GIF of the First Half Contest.
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