It was a sweltering July night in Arlington and Red Sox pitcher Fernando Abad was eating innings. His team was leading the Rangers, 8-2, in the sixth, and everyone around him was dreaming of the air-conditioned clubhouse.
Adrian Beltre, Abad's former Dominican Republic teammate at this year's World Baseball Classic, stood with his bat gripped high and his closed stance hulking over the plate. Abad threw an 83-mph changeup for a called strike one, then loaded and fired again, whipping his left arm forward at the same speed as the pitch before.
What happened next instantly found its way to Twitter, YouTube and the desktops of GIF makers everywhere.