Skip to main content

Ambidextrous Pitchers in the Negro Leagues

The Negro Leagues produced some of the greatest players of all-time. Read about two ambidextrous switch pitchers who played in the Negro Leagues.



Double Duty Greene - Switch Pitcher

Ulysses Grant Greene was an ambidextrous pitcher for the Indianapolis Clowns in the late 1950s. In 1959,  Two-Way Greene compiled a record of 23 victories.

"A sensation with the Indianapolis Clowns, the six-foot, 165-pounder from Tobaccoville, N. C., often pitches as a lefty, then comes back the next day as a right-hander." (Jet, 1958)


Read more



Larry Kimbrough - Switch hitter and switch pitcher


Larry Kimbrough was a star pitcher in the old Negro Baseball League and a member of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. In 1997, School Boy was inducted into the Negro Baseball Hall of Fame in Kansas City. 

As the result of a childhood injury, Larry Kimbrough became both a switch hitter and and switch pitcher, and he carried those abilities all the way to the only major leagues available to a black ballplayer in the early 1940s: the Negro leagues. With his unique talents, he played everwhere: pitcher, infield, outfield, and even catcher on the sandlots after his professional career was over. (The Negro Leagues Revisited)

Read more


Switch Pitchers in the Negro Leagues by Gary Ashwill


Top 5 Negro League Pitchers of All Time | Bleacher Report

Negro Leagues Baseball Museum


Negro Leagues Baseball History - Baseball-Reference.com


Negro League Baseball Players Association



The generic label, THE NEGRO LEAGUES, refers to various affiliations of professional black baseball players, extending fom the late nineteenth century to the Jackie Robinson era.
.

Comments

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 ...

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 recor...

How Henry Knight learned to throw with both hands

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 ...