Ambidextrous Pitcher Articles

Featuring stories and news articles about ambidextrous pitchers.

Switch pitcher Henry Knight throws 11 solid innings

Seattle, June 30, 2013

Ambidextrous pitcher, Henry Knight, started the evening game of a doubleheader and went four solid innings throwing left-handed, giving up only one earned run.

In the fifth inning he switched to pitching right-handed and continued throwing strikes through the 11th inning.

No runs scored during the last nine innings when Knight was on the mound.

Read about the game

Aubrey McCarty - Switch pitcher and switch hitter
Recent news about ambidextrous pitcher Aubrey McCarty from Georgia. McCarty signed to play baseball at Vanderbilt next year. In 2013, McCarty was drafted by the SF Giants, but he most likely will play in college and get a good education.
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Call him Dr. Strangeglove
By Katie Walden | Inside Vandy

That leaves McCarty, listed as switch-switch. No need to blame an intern for a lack of baseball knowledge, because it’s not an oversight. Aubrey McCarty is a two-way player who hits from both sides of the plate and pitches with both arms.

A Georgia native, he grew up with a father who was a former professional rodeo cowboy. Since being right-handed was an advantage on the rodeo circuit, Frankie McCarty taught his naturally left-handed son to work with the other arm. “He had to teach me everything right-handed, and I started playing baseball. So I always played baseball right-handed,” McCarty said.

Seattle Switch Pitcher with a 1.08 ERA

Ambidextrous pitcher Henry Knight consistently throws strikes and makes big hitters look silly trying to hit his change-up. As a freshman, Knight started every game – playing infield – on varsity for the Franklin Quakers. As a switch pitcher, he quickly worked his way into the pitching rotation and became a closer for the team.

Read Switch Pitching Highlights

Switch-pitcher all in good fun for RiverDogs

Charleston enjoys fan interaction that results from Venditte's outings

By Benjamin Hill / Special to MLB.com

The RiverDogs' way of doing things is to always live by the mantra of "Fun Is Good." So, naturally, they are having a lot of fun with Venditte. Whenever the 23-year-old switches hands while pitching, a corresponding sound effect from the ballpark staple, the "Cha-Cha Slide," is played over the PA. Fans are instructed to switch seats with a "slide to the right" or "slide to the left," depending on Venditte's latest maneuver.
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From Right to Left
Gloves are on the other hand for players who refused to quit
By Kevin Gemmell, U-T San Diego

It's a notion that seems so bizarre it's tough to imagine trying it – learning to throw left-handed after years as a natural right-hander.

Not only are the new mechanics quirky, they seem to contradict every natural movement of the body.

For two high school seniors, though, switching arms hasn't kept them from becoming key contributors at the varsity level.

Jon Fleming of Lutheran and Kevin Tenney of Patrick Henry, both right-handers growing up, were forced to learn the art of the lefty because of injury.

The Glory of Baseball: John Shiffert On: Switch-Pitching

While the feat of switch hitting is neither easy nor common, it is at least do-able on some level if the individual has some ability with both hands, or starts early enough. But, switch-pitching… the ability to throw at least close to equally well with either arm… now that’s tough. Anecdotal evidence indicates that Pete Reiser was ambidextrous enough to throw left-handed during his military ball-playing days when he’d injured his right arm, but, then again, Reiser was a one-in-a-million talent.

I'm an Ambidextrous pitcher, How do I get recruited by colleges

The number of college baseball teams looking for ambidextrous pitchers is the square root of zero.

Bert Jones, Sportsman Quarterback
By Larry Fox, Boy's Life, November 1976

Bert had learned early what it takes to be an athlete. His grandfather was a four-time all-American in both baseball and football at Tulane University. An ambidextrous pitcher, Grandpa Jones would hurl one game of a doubleheader lefty, the next righty and often win both. He taught Bert to throw the knuckleball that produced half a dozen Little League no-hitters. Bert quit that sport in high school to concentrate on football, but still insists he was better at baseball.

Ruston to Tulane
Hap Barnes, Tulane 1916-17

Barnes, an ambidextrous pitcher, is best known in Tulane lore for pitching and winning a double header, one left-handed, one right-handed. He was also a lineman in football.
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Hap Barnes was the grandfather of #7 Bert Jones who played quarterback for the Colts.
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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

Switch Pitching 101

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