Skip to main content

Yankees' Pat Venditte to Make Major League Debut

According to The Associated Press, Pat Venditte is Major League Baseball’s only ambidextrous pitcher, and he will play in his first major league spring training game on Tuesday, March 30th, in a split-squad game against the Atlanta Braves.

The 24-year-old Venditte is equipped with a custom six-finger glove for throwing with either arm. In 2008, Venditte was a 20th-round draft pick. Last season, in the minor leagues, he went a combined 4-2 with a 1.87 ERA and 22 saves.

Venditte became famous after his first minor league game when he faced off with switch-hitter Ralph Henriquez of the Brooklyn Cyclones. Venditte and Henriquez played a game of cat and mouse, with Henriquez switching sides of the plate every time Venditte switched his specially designed glove from his left hand to the right, as  he was preparing to pitch from the same side the hitter chose. The umpires stepped in, restoring order by requiring the pitcher to decide the hand he will use first, then the hitter can choose his side. Venditte struck Henriquez out on four pitches.


One month later, the Professional Baseball Umpire Corporation released a series of rules pertaining to Venditte's situation, allowing both batters and pitchers to switch sides once per at-bat. The new rules regarding a switch-hitter and switch pitcher are known as "The Venditte Rule."

Venditte will be in the bullpen for the Yanks with lefty CC Sabathia getting the start.



Switch-pitching Venditte debuts with NY - MLB.com
In relief of Sabathia, 24-year-old gets results from both sides
For the 24-year-old Venditte, coming out of the bullpen to relieve CC Sabathia against the Braves at Champion Stadium represented a huge opportunity to showcase his stuff -- with both arms -- while hopefully proving that this can be more than just a popular Minor League gimmick.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pitchers Glove Rules - Size and Color

What are the rules on a pitchers glove? According to the official baseball rules, a pitchers glove can be up to 12 inches in size , of any weight , and any color except white or gray as long as it is not distracting.  The Akadema ABX-00 glove, pictured above, is 12 inches,  solid black and is not distracting according to local umpires. Little League Rules Gray glove is not allowed for pitching  White glove is not allowed for pitching Little League Rule 1.14: Each fielder, other than the first baseman and the catcher may wear a glove not more than 12 inches long nor more than 7 3/4 inches wide, measured from the base of the thumb crotch to the outer edge of the glove. The glove may be of any weight. Little League Rule  1.15 (a) : The pitcher's glove may not, exclusive of the piping, be white or light gray, nor, in the judgment of an umpire, distracting in any manner. (source: Little League Baseball Rules Regarding Bats and Gloves ) Off
Post a Comment
Read more

Fastball Velocity - How fast do kids throw?

How fast does a Little League pitcher throw? The average fastball is between 50-60 mph for a  pitcher in the Majors division of Little League (11-13 yo). Pitchers in the Little League World Series throw fastballs 60-70+ mph. Only a few pitchers touched 70+ mph in 2015 and 2016. One man-child hit 81 mph on the radar. This velocity is almost unhittable from 46 feet  and extremely rare for a 13 year old. #18 RHP Carlos Gonzalez - Panama 79-81 mph fastball  105 mph MLB equivalent reaction time #18 RHP Jaekyeong Kim - South Korea 75-76 mph fastball #19 RHP Ryan Harlost - Mid-Atlantic, Endwell, NY 71-74 mph fastball Threw a complete game to win the 2016 Little League World Series Loreto Siniscalchi , a 6'1" pitcher from Canada, threw in the mid 70s and completely dominated the hitters from Japan.  He led Team Canada to its first victory over Japan in 18 years. Big right-hander Isaiah Head from Kentucky threw 70-73 mph fastballs. His record was 3-0, 12 I
Post a Comment
Read more

Baseball Glove Options for Switch Pitchers

Custom made  Mizuno ambidextrous glove Looking for a glove for a switch pitcher? Before spending hundreds of dollars on a custom glove, please think about age of the player and how much time they will spend pitching. Here are glove options for ambidextrous pitchers, based on age: Age 3-5 Kids don't pitch at this age. They should be learning the proper way to throw. Young kids should try catching the ball with two hands. Use tennis balls or foam balls for throwing. Forget about the low quality plastic glove - it's in the landfill within a year. Gloves are awkward for young kids. If they learn two hand catch when they are young and continue with the skill, they will do well fielding balls when they are older. Learning to throw with both arms is easy at this stage. If a child can throw with either hand when they are three-years-old, it doesn't mean that they are talented or ambidextrous - it just means that they are a typical kid. Gloves:  Buy a small leath
7 comments
Read more