Yankees' ambidextrous pitcher Pat Venditte Debuts

March 30, 2010

Yankees' ambidextrous pitcher Pat Venditte pulls switcheroo

Pat Venditte showed off his ambidextrous talents for the New York Yankees on Tuesday, giving up one run in 1-1/3 innings during a 9-6 split-squad loss to the Atlanta Braves.

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Pat Venditte can see why he's such a curiosity. It's not every day that a pitcher throws with both arms.

Venditte showed off his ambidextrous talents for the New York Yankees on Tuesday, giving up one run in 1-1/3 innings during a 9-6 split-squad loss to the Atlanta Braves. (source: The Seattle Times)

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Switch-pitcher Pat Venditte delivers thrill for New York Yankees

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - After CC Sabathia left Tuesday's game against the Braves, he sat on the bench to watch the young lefthander who had replaced him in the fifth inning. But when Pat Venditte threw his first pitch to Yunel Escobar, he did so with his right hand.
"It freaked me out a little bit," Sabathia said. "I didn't know what was going on. I saw they brought a lefty in, then the batter go up there and he was throwing righthanded. I thought maybe that guy got hurt and they brought another one out."

As Sabathia quickly found out, the pitcher who had relieved him, Venditte, is a 24-year old ambidextrous hurler who throws with both hands during games. (source: NY Daily News)

Pitchers Glove Rules - Size and Color

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Henry Knight - Ambidextrous Pitcher Switch pitcher Henry Knight - Columbia City Reds, Seattle Switch pitcher Henry Knight was a starter on varsity for four years in high school. He threw six different pitches, for strikes with both arms, and posted a league best 12:1 Strikeout-to-Walk ratio . Coaches and umpires couldn't tell if he was a natural righty or lefty. This post is about Henry's experience learning to throw with both arms since he was 9 years-old. This was a challenge that he thought would be fun, so his parents supported his choice. Reason for Switch Pitching: Just for fun How he got started: A natural righty, Henry Knight started throwing left-handed when he turned 9-years-old. As a Seattle Mariners fan, he was inspired by LHP Jamie Moyer, who kept batters off-balance by changing speed and location. He threw a slow "Bugs Bunny changeup" that made the best hitters look silly. Moyer was fun to watch. Henry thought that it would ...

Switch Pitching 101

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