Every morning we review the nastiest pitches from the previous day’s games in glorious HD GIFs. Don’t forget to vote for your favorite pitch and check back this weekend to see if it will be in contention for the GIF of the Second Half Contest. Did we miss your favorite pitch? Send us a tweet next time @PitcherList and we’ll GIF it up + give you a shoutout here in the article.
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Touki Toussaint’s Fastball – The dejected look Arizona’s Eduardo Escobar wore after he knew he’d been had by this Toussaint fastball sums up how opponents probably feel about having to deal with the Braves’ young core over the next handful of years. Touki showed flashes with this curveball and splitter as well, but his five walks canceled out his five K’s in 5.2 innings.
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Jake Petricka’s Sinker – The 30-year-0ld Jays reliever may not have made much of a name for himself, but he’s staring to make this a regular thing. Ninety-five mph with that much arm-side run will do that. Perhaps the best part about this sequence comes when Cleveland’s Yandy Diaz looks at the umpire as if to wonder whether he really took that big of a cut.
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Mike Clevinger’s Curveball – Clev was getting all sorts of whiffy with the Blue Jays hitters Sunday, hammering them with 19 swinging strikes—including getting seven on his curve—for nine K’s. Kevin Pillar looked like he invented a new leg workout as he lunged for this one.
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Jordan Hicks‘ Sinker – See Niko bat. See Niko get blasted with 101 mph low and inside. Not to reduce Niko Goodrum’s effort to a nursery rhyme, but Hicks’ fastball can do that to even the best of major leaguers.
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Robbie Ray’s Slider – Johan Camargo may want to move his shin guard to his other leg the next time he faces the Arizona lefty, because his back foot may be in danger like it was here on this slide piece. Ray walked four but limited the Braves to two runs in six innings.
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Taylor Rogers‘ Curveball – Wrecked. Hunter Dozier didn’t know whether to swing or take a seat on this breaker from the Twins reliever—so he did both. Rogers struck out all three batters he faced Sunday behind four whiffs on seven curves thrown.
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Yonny Chirinos‘ Sinker – Chirinos entered in the first inning behind opener Ryne Stanek, and he featured his signature movement on his sinker for 6.1 innings to get six strikeouts. Baltimore’s Jace Peterson was the victim on this second-inning fastball.
GIF of the Night
Which was your favorite pitch? Vote below, and the winner will be featured in the GIF of the Second Half Contest.
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