Pat Venditte, the sensational switch-pitcher.

[DirtyKash]

OK. I just watched highlights of a minor-league game between the Staten Island Yanks and Brooklyn Cyclones game. The Yanks have a pitcher, Pat Venditte, who is ambidextrous. He has a 6-finger glove with two webs in it.

Anyways, he gets the first two guys out right-handed and then a switch-hitter comes up to the plate. Every time Venditte switched hands, the batter crossed the plate to hit the other way. After a couple of minutes of this nonsense, they forced the hitter to pick one side (he chose right) and to stick with it.

Venditte struck him out. Entertaining stuff.

I have looked around and here is some video: The Official Site of Major League Baseball: Multimedia: Video Playback Page

[NYgiantsfan5689]

my god........that's simply awesome.

[henks]

I saw it on ESPN, that kid has some serious talent.

[ljshorty89]

One flaw. Technically, while I don't know the minor leagues' rules, in the Major Leagues, the hitter has every right to switch sides MID AT BAT, provided the pitcher is not in his delivery, or in position to begin his delivery. The pitcher, however, must pick a side, and stick with it for the whole at bat. He may switch mid inning, but not between pitches. Technically, the umpires broke a rule by not knowing the rule. You'd think that if they knew the switch pitcher was on the roster, they'd check the rules....

[Providence A's]

I think once the batter get 2 strikes, he's not allowed to switch. I know that wasn't what happened, but a clarification on the rule you just stated.

[ljshorty89]

I'm not 100 percent sure. But I'm pretty damn sure that the hitter can switch and the pitcher can't. Obviously it had no impact on the game, but I don't understand how the umpires don't check on that knowing he's prob gonna pitch

[Providence A's]

well, from my experience, they can switch until they get 2 strikes.

[ljshorty89]

You could well be right. But either way, the umps didn't know what they were doing. That's kinda disconcerting that umpires could not know certain rules.

[Providence A's]

I can't find anything specific about what I said ...I did find that pitcher can't switch during a plate appearance. So technically, he was fine because the plate appearance hadn't begun until he threw a pitch.

[ljshorty89]

But I think it's the pitcher that has to dictate which hand he's using. Not sure, but that was my understanding of the rule.

[Providence A's]

OK, the 2 strikes thing is a myth, but once the pitcher is in contact with the rubber the batter can't switch.

[ljshorty89]

What do you mean by that?

[Providence A's]

I meant rubber...once the pitcher is set, the batter can't switch.

[NYgiantsfan5689]

I meant rubber...once the pitcher is set, the batter can't switch.

which the batter was clearly doing in this situation

[ljshorty89]

Interesting. But when Venditte stepped off, the guy could switch. and Venditte stepped off a couple times. I wasn't paying close enough attention to the video to know the timing. But either way, the point is that the umps had no idea of the rules.