The Switch Hitter vs. the Ambidextrous Pitcher

Pat Venditte is a minor league pitcher with the Staten Island Yankees. He was selected in the 20th round of the 2008 draft with the 620th overall pick. But that is not his claim to fame. Venditte’s claim to fame is that he is a “switch pitcher” in that he throws both right and left handed. He has a special glove with two thumbs so he can quickly shift the glove from hand to hand.

Only one pitcher of the modern era has ever thrown both right and left handed in a major league game and he only did it once. Greg A. Harris, in the next to last game of his career, alternated between throwing right and left handed (depending on whether the hitter was right or left handed). But he apparently did not face a switch hitter. For those of you who do not really follow baseball (shame on you) right handed pitchers are generally more effective against right handed batters and left handed pitchers more effective against left handed batters. This is why many hitters learn to switch hit (hit from both sides of the plate).

But what happens when a switch hitter faces a switch pitcher? If the pitcher throws right handed can the batter switch to bat left handed? What if the pitcher then switches too? That was the situation at the end of last nights Coney Island Cyclones-Staten Island Yankees game.



There may or may not be an MLB rule that deals with this. But if Pat Venditte makes the majors there will be.