Obligatory GIF: Phil Irwin’s Inaugural Swinging Strike

Pirates right-hander Phil Irwin’s very first major-league inning wasn’t what anyone would call “ideal” — on account, that is, of the two walks and two hits and two runs conceded.

What that same inning also featured, though, was Phil Irwin’s very first swinging strike — not surprisingly by way of his curveball, which has been known to provoke religious experiences even in the steeliest non-believers.

Here’s that inaugural swinging strike, to Cincinnati’s Todd Frazier:

And the same thing in slow motion, as well: