Clement showed me this video on mlb.com regarding a funny incident that took place in a New York minor league match between the Staten Island Yankees and Brooklyn Cyclones. Peter Venditte is an ambidextrous pitcher which has never been heard of, at least in the major or minors. This means he can throw fairly well and accurately with both hands, a talent that can be very useful in baseball. This is because a right handed batter prefers a left handed pitcher and a left handed batter prefers a right handed pitcher because the balls usually come from the outside allowing an easier hit so what Venditte does is throw left handed for left handed batters and visa versa. Venditte, a “switch pitcher” can reach 90 miles an hour from the right side and the high 70s from the left. The funny incident occured when he encountered his first switch hitter. A switch hitter is a batter who can hit from both sides of the plate giving them an advantage over the pitcher. Many switch hitters are trained to acquire this skill starting from a young age so it is isn’t too rare to find one unlike an ambidextrous pitcher, including Venditte, I only know of three. Also, because an incident like this has never happened, the umpires are confused on how to rule the situation. Watch the following video to see what happens when a switch hitter and a switch pitcher meet.
This vid is about 8 minutes long but if you want to watch just the shorter sports highlight version, you can find it here at mlb.com
Imagine him coming up into the majors. He’d be an amazing closer for the Yankees.
Correction: There was a another ambidextrous pitcher back in the 80’s named Greg Harris but there was something about him not being allowed to pitch with both hands. I’m not exactly sure what the circumstances were or why the umpires in this situation were so confused, I’m surprised a rule hasn’t yet been established regarding this type of incident. Regardless, the situation is amusing so still take a look.
[ Thanks Mike ]
