A switch-pitcher faced a switch-hitter and chaos ensued | Weird Rules

[@handasakravit12]

Pat venditte wasn't born ambidextrous. At a young age his dad trained him to do everyday actions with both hands. Already at a young age he would practice pitching with both hands for many hours. As he grew older he continued to pitch and play baseball. This eventually led to him getting drafted by the Yankees in 2008. He is still playing professional baseball as he played for the Los Angeles Dodgers as recently as 2018. Hope this helped with a little history on pat.

[@jordanambrose307]

He also just signed with the Giants

[@NotHPotter]

I was skeptical at Will's whole "you can train to be ambidextrous" when he retreated to "start really young", but to hear that's what his dad actually did is both funny and a little disturbing. It reminds me of the guy who taught his kid to speak Klingon. I mean, it worked out for the pitcher, but it's an odd way to raise a kid.

[@caramelphd6734]

@@NotHPotter Lots of athletes are actually trained like that; one example being the starting QB for Alabama, whose dad trained him to throw lefty at a young age. Most switch hitters are just guys who trained since childhood do so and I knew guys in highschool who were natural right handers (writing hand) and threw with their left.

[@NotHPotter]

@@caramelphd6734 I mean I get it. I'm right dominant but had to learn to shoot left-handed about 4 weeks into basic training (that was fun). I suppose on reflection it doesn't really surprise me that there are plenty of dads who go to pretty extreme lengths to vicariously relive the glory days through their kids. I've just managed to avoid it enough to still think it's sort of an odd thing to put on a kid.

[@armadillolover99]

Bercilak What about Hideki Matsui, the guy was a natural righty but started exclusively hitting left handed because the other kids (including his own brother) were embarrassed from how good he was.

[@CUMBICA1970]

If he were a starter he could throw like 70 pitches with one hand and then switch to the other and voila go like 140 pitches without damaging his elbows. Well, at least in theory.

[@MCreedon34]

I would love to see this tested some way. Cuz I wonder how the control and stuff would go with fatigue but ya it be other arm but same rest of body

[@RJN9008]

CUMBICA1970 Or pitch on consecutive days as if he were two parts of the rotation. It’s the only conceivable way I can think of for a starting pitcher to break cy young’s wins record.

[@AllAmericanGuyExpert]

Bad theory according to Nolan Ryan. He just pitched through and ignored pitch counts... A modern concept... And believed that resting an arm was a fallacy. This concept is not available for anyone in modern times, as the sports medicine complex disagrees with old pitchers and Ryan.

[@Dejusticed]

​@@AllAmericanGuyExpert Yet the older pitchers lasted longer, got hurt less, threw back to back games. It is almost as if science is never settled and is constantly changing.

[@adamrodriguez4240]

I remember pat having 4 or 5 pitches he could throw with each hand and I might be wrong but I believe he was a righty so the left hand velocity wasn't as good as his natural hand. So essentially a manager could stack a lineup that wouldn't favor him being a predominantly one handed pitcher. Like if he only had to throw lefty for his start I don't think it would favor him well. Probably why he's only appeared in the bigs a handful of times. But I think every team should be looking at this guy in maybe a setup position. And with the three batter minimum rule that was supposed to happen this year I think he's gold

[@billydu9934]

Pat Venditte is the greatest amphibious pitcher of all-time.

[@djj250]

🤣🤣

[@CptJumper]

Amphibious PMSL

[@ramirorybczuk9100]

No, because he's a reptile

[@Poopbeast420]

Where did you get that pic of Sonny? Lmao he looks shook

[@bigredactionsportsstuff1245]

He was actually criticized after college for not pursuing a professional swimming career, he ended up choosing baseball because his heart was in it.

[@miketaylor9544]

They both should have to tell the umpire in secret and whatever they tell him, is what they have to use

[@ethanniedorowski6020]

I like it ... I really do. I wish there were more pitches like that i love it so much

[@mozzbagels1274]

That's GOOOOD

[@davidball6357]

What if a relief pitcher comes in ?.

[@brentshaub-rit5114]

Kudos for the best idea. It creates fairness.

[@mattsnyder4754]

I personally hate this rule. I think the hitter should be forced to declare first. The one-in-a-million ambidextrous pitcher should have an advantage over the one-in-50 switch hitter.

[@mattabrams3841]

Adam Eves who hurt you

[@RagnarokMic]

The most logical solution would be flip a coin so each have an equal chance of going first. Makes no sense to give one position the permanent advantage.

[@DevinPlaysitAll]

@@RagnarokMic The most logical solution would be to light the field on fire and have everyone play in mech suits.

[@JD-mw4rl]

I agree. Pitchers typically don't step on the rubber until the batter is already in the box.

[@michaelscott-joynt3215]

Just make them both declare to the umpire, with neither player knowing what the other chooses until they take their positions.

[@naterk9460]

"Okay boys, we need to come up with a rule here." "Which one will make it a higher-scoring game?" "That would happen if we gave the advantage to the batter." "Okay, we'll give the advantage to the batter then."

[@jdotoz]

I mean, in a game where only failing two thirds of the time is a sign of greatness, it seems like that might be the best call.

[@bennypanella9189]

Beef History: Switch Hitters vs Switch Pitchers

[@joerandom]

Benny Panella 😂😂😂

[@braxtonholtcamp1979]

I was your thousandth like

[@vladthecon]

and thus blurnsball league was formed.

[@jabrown]

Epic Rap Battles of Baseball History

[@DieNetaDie]

I clicked like and it changed from 1.5K to 1.6K. :)

[@BadgerOff32]

This story kind of reminds me of when something similar happened in the world of Snooker, only it didn't lead to a rule change because of one badass reason. It involved Ronnie O'Sullivan, who is arguably the most naturally gifted snooker player in the world. He's also ambidextrous. That is a massive advantage in a game like snooker which is all about finding the best angles on the table. O'Sullivan is also a maverick though, and often gets bored of the sport, sometimes DURING matches! He generally only loses when he can't be bothered to play well that day. He once got in to trouble with the sports governing body for 'flexing' on his opponent when he got bored during a match he was easily winning, so decided to play the rest of the match left-handed (and still destroyed his opponent). The notoriously stuffy governing body took exception to his behaviour and said he'd been "disrespectful" towards his opponent. O'Sullivan responded with "it's disrespectful that I'm better at this game with my weak hand than he is with his strongest?", and then proceded to challenge them to put forward their best player, and he would beat him using only his weak hand. The governing body agreed and put forward their current (at the time) World Number 1 (and World Champion)......... Ronnie destroyed him. With his weak hand. At that point the governing body couldn't do much more than say "umm, fair enough. carry on, then......you obviously are just *that* good!"

[@Jordan-zk2wd]

I am saving your comment as a note on my phone. I don't watch sports but I watch this show cause I love the narrative aspect, and that is such a good story. Also, I found this on his wikipedia page: *In 2021, O'Sullivan claimed on a podcast interview that most snooker players had wasted their lives. He called snooker a "bad sport" that can cause "a lot of damage," suggesting that the antisocial nature of solitary practice in a darkened environment can stunt players' personal development. He stated that he would not support his own children if they chose to become snooker players, and said that if he could live his sporting career over again, he would pursue golf or Formula One instead.*

[@worldcomicsreview354]

Look up a video called something like "Snooker has the most adorable controversies" from Fact Fiend. The "offensive" things he's done in his career are hilarious. Did you know he once lightly tapped the cue on the edge of the table?

[@theotherjared9824]

He also admitted that being a guest at an American pool tournament was the only time he felt free while playing. In a sport where lightly tapping the table in frustration got him in trouble, he snapped the cue over his leg in America. At first he was really nervous, but was then told what he did was great for ratings and to do it more. He gradually played more and more American circuits since then.

[@reidlapekas6442]

Yall should know about Venditte! He also practiced for a long time and had to work at his ambidexterity.

[@velvet_turtle7918]

you mean like any other athlete training any skill whatsoever

[@velvet_turtle7918]

@Samir Malla you think that's how sports work?? they're putting in the same amount of hours. in truth, the switch pitcher has more effective training sessions because fatique won't stop him. don't act like it's not a blessing more so than a curse...

[@nucksfordacup]

Yeah, he said "Born ambidextrous" and he makes it seem like he was born being able to pitch with two hands. NO. Anyone can learn to pitch with both hands, it takes extreme discipline and skill to learn it though, and be at that level. Give him credit, don't say he was born that way as if it's lottery who grows up being able to use both hands effectively.

[@L._.A-06]

Reds_Turtle fatigue will stop him cus a pitch requires your full body so his arm might be fine but his body isn’t

[@lepidoptery]

@@nucksfordacup the lottery he "won" was his dad who decided it would be advantageous for him to train this way from a young child. And to actually follow through on that to a professional pitching career, too. Like, your dad could make you do it but what if you wound up not actually liking baseball....

[@deezynar]

The rule killed Venditte's advantage.

[@spackle9999]

Only for switch hitters, which is fine.

[@JMcMillen]

@@spackle9999 Exactly. He can switch arms between batters, but must declare which arm he is going to throw with before starting his first pitch.

[@Burt1038]

@@spackle9999 plus most switch hitters are better on one side than the other so that can help him decide.

[@mudkipman1]

For example Ozzie Albie's is a switch hitter, but he blows on his left side compared to his elite right side

[@MoneyShot033]

Technically he would just have to know what side the hitter is better at hitting from and force him to the other side of the plate. It would be better than what he was doing anyway. He wanted to pitch right handed to a right handed hitter or left handed to a left handed hitter not taking into consideration which side of the plate the player hits better from. A switch hitter could have a better average against lefties batting from the left side or righties from the right side, you would have to take all that into consideration when choosing what hand to pitch with. Also, these dudes clearly know very little about baseball, if you are pitching from the windup then the hand that you are throwing with dictates which foot you keep on the rubber and which foot you step back with.

[@toddbiesel4288]

Rob Manfred: "I have the perfect solution." *Umpires hold ten-foot tall curtain between batter and pitcher prior to plate appearance.*

[@obi-wankenobi4151]

Lol

[@Compucles]

Nah, Manfred would force him to pitch with the same hand for at least three consecutive batters as a means of improving pace of place.

[@bmg50cal80]

@@Compucles r/whoosh

[@myfbusters]

I love this actually

[@insertnamehere8096]

Na... just blind fold the pitcher and batter so neither can tell what hand the other is pitching or batting with.

[@olaalcantara]

Inigo: "I am not lef'-handed"; Wesley: "I am not left-handed, either."

[@KitKatHexe]

@Benjamin Ahlers can never get enough

[@chriswebster24]

Inconceivable!

[@hectorandem2944]

Both: *NANI?!* 🤯🤯

[@selfishstockton6123]

@@hectorandem2944 what?

[@burningphoneix]

Pat isn't a naturally ambidextrous guy! His father made him pitch with his left hand to develop this advantage.

[@Stewieboy1995]

burningphoneix yeah his dad taught him how to throw with both hands at a young age. These guys are wrong

[@reubenpapang5803]

He'd be major league if he'd focussed on one hand

[@fisheatsyourhead]

true ambidexterity doesn't really exist every ambidextrous person still has a dominant side but are also good with their off hand normally thanks to training while young with their weak side more than their strong side

[@bruce4139]

But that happened because he broke his arm didnt he?

[@bruce4139]

@@fisheatsyourhead no ambidextrous is just really rare, people who say they're ambidextrous really arent

[@sylvernale]

Sports organizations should hire Magic The Gathering players - they'd find all these loopholes and exploits in an afternoon

[@erenjager4698]

Damn. U right bro we made oko broko in like a day

[@SimpleVisionVideos]

I'm to pass priority to the batter to choose which box to stand in, then respond to his choice by changing hands

[@ZackN85]

The craziest thing about this is that even after a century and half before writing a rule for this, they still managed to get it exactly wrong. The way they wrote this rule is massively-advantageous to the (comparatively-common-place) switch hitter at the expense of the (maybe once a generation phenomenon) switch pitcher. Personally, I think any pitcher who can throw with either hand should be allowed to throw each pitch of the at-bat with whichever hand they want, provided they set properly/avoid balking/make it clear with which hand any given pitch will be thrown. It's such a unique skill that it should be rewarded with unique advantages. But at a minimum, it should be the batter who first has to demonstrate their intentions about whether they'll be hitting right- or left-handed. This rule so thoroughly neutralizes an ambidextrous pitcher's potential advantage against switch hitters, that it seems likely to actively discourage pitchers considering it from putting the years and years of work that would be necessary to develop the skill. There's at least one switch hitter in the majority of MLB lineups. On some nights, there might be two or three switch hitters in a team's lineup. Just on principle, if one person has a one in 100,000 skill they developed to give themselves a potential advantage, and another person has a 1 in 10 skill they developed to give themselves a potential advantage, deference should go to the guy with the less commonplace skill.

[@TotallyHorsed]

Why?

[@sethh5106]

I get what you're saying but I disagree completely. Having a weird talent shouldn't give you special advantages that no one else gets. The rule is done exactly how it's always been done, advantage batter. If you send in a reliever, the opposing manager has the opportunity to select a pinch hitter after you select your reliever. The same should apply for an ambidextrous pitcher, regardless of how special he is

[@damien4197]

You're comparing putting in a completely different person (MOVEMENT on the pitcher's behalf) to someone switching hands? I mean... before this did the pitcher even need to wear a glove to indicate? (could they give up catching potential to conceal intended pitch even if the batter couldn't switch hit? Because, if so, in "solving" this in the manner given, they didn't then just reduce the benefit of a particular training regime, or natural talent for the given circumstance... but also a totally unrelated one)... the most logical rule is pick your players? ok. Pick your position? ok. Pitch.

[@sethh5106]

@@damien4197 I don't see what you're getting at. A non-switch pitcher has to deliver with the same hand on every pitch. So it takes away nothing to have him have his glove on his non pitching hand to show the umpire which hand he's pitching with. As far as the rest of it, there's only two ways this rule can go, advantage pitcher or advantage hitter. And when every other situation involves the pitcher being decided (and thus his handedness being decided) before the batter is decided (and thus which side he hits from), it's advantage hitter in every other situation. It should be no different if you're a switch pitcher

[@michaelscott-joynt3215]

The problem with this is that it's not some kind of unique talent, it was the product of hard work. This would lead to a shift in training ambidextrous pitchers, who would have a massive advantage over other pitchers. In this crazy rare situation, just have them both declare to the umpire and make them play the at-bat how they elected.

[@lexus14blacklist]

I love how venditte immediately sees the problem.

[@doktarr]

I hate this ruling. The rule should just be that the batter has to pick a batter's box and indicate readiness.

[@coltontindle]

I have to agree with this. Switch pitching at the professional level is so rare, I feel that a pitcher like Venditte should gain the advantage that his unique skill allows.

[@LordBhorak]

Or... In the rare case this happens, the away team picks first and the home team gets the advantage. I think that the stadium fans would appreciate that the most.

[@mrmacross]

@@coltontindle But look at it this way: pitchers already have so many advantages. Why give them another one to help neutralize switch hitters? Obviously, one side has to concede or else you get two stubborn athletes trying to get a leg up on the other guy. Regardless of which hand the pitcher gets to use, and which side the batter hits, the pitcher will have the odds in his favor.

[@coltontindle]

@@mrmacross That's a fair point. I guess I'd just really enjoy watching Pat Venditte succeed, or even another switch-pitcher should they come along. It reminds me of Julio Franco hitting a homer at almost 49 years old, or Jim Abbott pitching a no-hitter without a right hand. Can't forget what Shohei Ohtani was able to do this past year, either. Unique players make the game a lot of fun to watch!

[@adameves5970]

This guy already gets the advantage against EVERY non-switch hitter. The rule makes the most sense the way it was written. Quit whining, you choir boy.

[@howardbaxter2514]

The fact that it took over a 100 years for there to be a situation for this rule to be put in place astounds me. Honestly, it shows how unpredictable baseball can be, and how every game is unique. Also, there are still events in baseball that will happen but haven't happened yet (e.g. Home Run Cycle in the majors or a Natural Home Run Cycle).

[@alexhall7412]

So actually Pat Venditte wasn’t born ambidextrous. His dad actually trained his son to throw with both hands at an early age. The story of how his glove was made is also fascinating. He might be as interesting a baseball player as Adam Dunn

[@LordJudgement1818]

I had the luck and pleasure of seeing Pat Venditte pitch in college. He went to the college in my home town and it was quite the show. The time i saw him pitch he was lights out shutting down guys. hitters didnt know what to do with his gift. it was awesome. Its one of the few in person sports happenings il always remember.

[@silkyz68]

a rule that doesn't benefit the pitcher? whaaaa?

[@titokiefer908]

well hitting a 95+ mph pitch is already the hardest thing to do in sports by far

[@Diari]

Tito Kiefer def not

[@GJ-dv8uq]

Tito Kiefer no chance

[@ncdozer3103]

Tito Kiefer what are you on?

[@whyishow]

@@titokiefer908 I thought being a QB was the hardest job in sports

[@Ramon8Guerrero]

When you were speaking on the neutral stance for a switch pitcher, it reminded me of the kicker for the USA rugby 7’s team. When he kicks the ball to restart the game he has a huge advantage because he can kick left or right footed. He stands square facing the opposition so they have no idea where he’s going to kick

[@eanoworro1028]

You can train to be ambidexterous

[@strongside4565]

To an extent. You can never be a one side dominant person and be a Lance Berkman. That requires a gift.

[@JonPITBZN]

I was born ambidextrous and I still can't throw with both hands. (I can write with them both. One was faster and one was neater in grade school, so when they realized that I was switching, they made me pick one. Being practical, I picked the fast one. It is now a LOT faster than the other...but the other is still slightly neater.)

[@TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsCunt]

@@JonPITBZN Why would they make you choose one? You had a gift and they forced you to neglect it? That's some bullshit. Our school system in a nutshell.

[@louispatterson9859]

@@strongside4565 Pablo Sandoval is a natural lefty who now throws exclusively righty.

[@Dangic23]

I was a switch pitcher in little league baseball

[@iamsmarterthanme]

The Laura Dern T-Shirt is everything 😂

[@KofieWhy]

WE LIKE SPORTS AND WE DON'T CARE WHO KNOWS

[@gen4john660]

From shooting hoops to the superbowl

[@kylemcdonald5978]

WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT.....WHAT

[@nysportsforlife3818]

Football tennis hockey

[@zeke1220]

GOLF

[@thejman3489]

Lonely Island reference! Love that one!

[@dithivius9847]

Wish the umps were mic'd up for that. That must have been one interesting conversation.

[@beesutton1717]

It's alot more specific than he states. The Pat Venditte rule (sorry if I spelt wrong) is where the pitcher has to decide BEFORE the batter even steps up to the plate, and then once the pitcher has made it clear which hand he is pitching with, the batter can choose which side he goes on to bat, and the pitcher has to stick to the hand he chose before the inning began until that batter either gets on base, or strikes out, or if he walks him. He has to start every inning like that, indicating if he's gonna switch hands, or stay before ever batter gets in the box. I find this actually puts the switch pitcher (generational talent) at a disadvantage against switch hitters especially.

[@kerrygwebster]

Why? The ambidextrous pitcher will always choose to pitch against the batters weaker side. The pitcher always has the advantage.

[@SaltiDawg2008]

This is simply not correct. Either the batter or the pitcher may swap sides once more during the At-bat but must remain at that new side. "After one pitch is thrown, the pitcher and batter may each change positions one time per at-bat. For example, if the pitcher changes from right-handed to left-handed and the batter then changes batter's boxes, each player must remain that way for the duration of that at-bat (unless the offensive team substitutes a pinch hitter, and then each player may again "switch" one time)."

[@tvideo1189]

Actually, the rule book already covered that. After the umpire declares "play ball" the batting team has exactly 5 minutes to "establish play", i.e. for the batter to get in the box. If they fail to do that, intentional delay may be declared leading up to a forfeit. Something that hasn't happened since 1995.

[@jonasnisse4257]

There's a similar situation in cricket. At the beginning of the game an ambidextrous bowler is bowling the first over, the bowler has to declare their action. The batting side have sent out one left handed batsman and one right handed batsman. (Essentially left bowling is better to right batting vice versa) So the batsmen are permitted to switch ends before the ball is bowled. I don't think there is actually any solution to this in the rules, spirit of the game and all that bollocks comes into it.

[@Loose89]

Cricket is nothing like that, batsman are not permitted to change ends unless they’re scoring.

[@jonasnisse4257]

Loose89 nah mate it’s before a ball is bowled so the game hasn’t started yet. The batsmen can choose who’s on strike.

[@alexjago51]

I think what we've largely standardised on is that as a batter if you want to switch stances you have to do it as/after the ball gets released.

[@ThinkingSpeck]

@@jonasnisse4257 In cricket, the opening batters are set before the opening bowler announces which arm and which side of the wicket - they don't then get to swap. This is relevant all the time, because every bowler can switch between over the wicket and around the wicket.

[@mitchellcotton7346]

@MrNorthernSol I played a game in a U19's T20 tournament against Nepal. The batsman swapped his stance before the bowler bowled and the bowler pulled out. This happened 3 times consecutively. Finally the next ball was bowled, the batsman stood still, missed it and was bowled. The bowler was very pumped up after that wicket.

[@Alan62651]

SF GIants just signed Pat Benditte for the 2019 season. Pablo Sandoval is also ambidextrous.

[@TheAlexwilhelm]

I personally think the pitcher should have final pick

[@adameves5970]

And personally, you are wrong. Even before this rule was written, or a decision was made during the game, everyone knew it would make the most sense to have the pitcher pick first. Pitcher is already there on the mound. Then the batter "steps up to the plate". Pretty cool how you overlook his extra advantage against extra 3-4 batters in EVERY lineup against non switch hitters. Dumb whiny crybaby.

[@TheAlexwilhelm]

nah nah the pitcher should go second if baseball were done w common sense not trying to juice up offense and keep you annoying children interested the pitcher would just hang behind mound until batter locks in a box then slip the glove on the right hand and play ball

[@babytrap9163]

Adam Eves this guy was never whining wtf you calling him a dumb whiny crybaby for

[@rizune]

@@babytrap9163 he's got some beef with somebody lol his salt is all over the comment section

[@babytrap9163]

Rizune lol what a no life

[@DYZ_971]

I really wanted to start with “Did Pat Venditte do something that has not been done in 100 years?” “Oh Van DID HE!”

[@evrbody]

Here's a great idea. Have two guys who hate baseball talk about baseball.

[@SirTylerGolf]

I dont think they hate baseball, they just don't really know much more than an average person does about it

[@acidfruitloops]

"Pitcher's plate" lol

[@NBSGreenBulbasaur]

Phil M that’s part of rule that they quoted directly

[@jamalharrison4695]

Phil M oh wow you are not smart

[@cpmenninga]

Nobody could be that sarcastic about something if they didn’t love it.

[@HarveyMeadowlark]

Every few years I find myself researching different pitch mechanics for fun. Pros and cons of each arm slot and etc, and no matter what happens, when u start down that rabbit hole, u end up back at Pat Venditte lol. And every time I stumble upon him, I remember having watched this video when it was new.

[@mpaulm]

I love the end of the description.😂⚾️

[@connorb6120]

Bruh Pat Vindetti’s dad was my driving instructor 😂

[@cpmenninga]

So now your driving in the U.K.?

[@neotheone7923]

I don't watch sports but I love this channel

[@alfonsalenius2482]

i dont even like baseball. why am i watching this?

[@benjaminririe2009]

I don't even like baseball, and this was pretty entertaining to watch. Props!

[@thedavescloop]

"This is one of the hardest things to do in sports. Oh, and I can do it with either hand. Cause that's how much work I have put into this."

[@lootsorrow]

"that's not impressive, you can just train to pitch with both hands" And that is why every MLB pitcher in history has been able to pitch with both hands with equal proficiency, case closed. Oh wait.

[@iskender1327]

Imagine the odds of this happening

[@krakenmetzger]

The odds of it ever happening are astronomically high, just because ambidextrous people aren't all that rare, and one of them was bound to become a pitcher at some point.

[@yellowhero5413]

Definitely not Jeffrey Epstein Yeah, but to be able to pitch at a pro level on both hands when people dream to become pro. Who's gonna practice both hands? Even this guy wouldn't have done it unless his father forced him.

[@Doommaster677]

This is actually an insane rule that I've never even heard of until now. Yet another excellent video SB Nation!!!

[@Thundawich]

Like most of the other rules covered in this series, I'm more interested in the consequences of the new ruling than the incident that caused the change. Have there been any pitchers that have been forced to pitch with their opposite hand because they walked up to the plate with the ball in the wrong hand?

[@jeffgillson]

"All he did was just be born ambidextrous" ... yeah. He didn't work his ass off for 20+ years to reach the majors. He was just born able to switch pitch at a professional level.

[@ryansproviero]

Still waiting for a switch throwing QB

[@andrewbledsoe131]

Tua tugovailoa will prolly be the closest well see in a while. He's right handed. Throws lefty because his dad

[@ryansproviero]

@@andrewbledsoe131 Fins fan here ;-) What's funny is my father did the same to me lol

[@kingfishcakes69]

That’ll be me if I end up playing football

[@aciarduce]

Ambidexterity is trainable, it just takes repetitive action with a particular rule-set in your mind that you follow until it becomes standard. Baseball is one of the BEST examples of something that changes up the paradigm, because many people try to catch things with their dominant hand. It's natural. But here you are training yourself for years to catch with your off hand, safely, so that you can throw with your main hand. After doing it for years myself, I still find that I usually attempt to catch objects with my left. In fact there are a LOT of things that I can only do normally with my left hand, and when I do it with my right I have to think through it and it doesn't work.

[@Night_City_Vibes]

My daughter is right handed and from a young age I have taught her to pitch and catch with both hands. You can absolutely become both handed

[@ultimateqmazing2537]

I trained myself to be ambidextrous and managed to get a left handed scholarship for school. Took me 5 years for it to be second nature simply because I had to start over with learning everything on one hand while making sure my skills didn’t get rusty on the other.

[@soaky4]

Fun Fact: Michael Vick is actually right-handed. He just throws the football left handed.

[@toolmanthetim7042]

yea, but he kills innocent puppys with his right. ambibuserous lifetime ban.

[@RegulaRegz732]

@@toolmanthetim7042 cut it out

[@EnoVarma]

I love how Will's shirt just says "Laura Dern". Why not. She's awesome.

[@krakenmetzger]

HEY! Rich Hill trained himself to throw with his non-dominant left hand. And he threw the world's saddest perfect game.

[@moviehypno23]

Shoutout to the Laura Dern shirt. That's pretty good

[@96SN95]

This is awkward as all hell. I feel like I'm watching an overly passionate but serious hipster trying to explain something to a high school stoner.

[@RodrigoTechador]

How has this comment managed to accumulate so few likes?

[@bearcatfan1000]

I’m disappointed this isn’t getting more recognition. I wouldn’t say it’s awkward, but it’s just kind of funny

[@steelerfaninperu]

It would have been way more fun if they told both players to turn their backs to one another, pick a side, and then turn around and be committed to it for the rest of the at bat. You could get the PA announcer into this and turn it into a fun fan activity where they cheer for which side they think their man should go. Put a timer on it and now we've got us a fun way to resolve a rare dispute. Also, you guys are hilarious. Your imagining of live-switch baseball feels straight out of a Judd Apatow script.

[@joeygilbert3558]

Jeffrey Dahmer schooling us about switch pitching.

[@davidwasneverthere8149]

😂🤣😂

[@DisrespectfulRob]

That is one hell of a sweater.

[@whyknot172]

Thoroughly entertained boys. Subbed.

[@michaelhall5429]

Sir Donald Bradman please SB. I love you and it would make me really happy.

[@samsowden]

Absolutely. Both the 99.94 and bodyline.

[@LavenderSystem69]

Right handed drummers have a joke about how to get as close to being ambidextrous as possible, and I think it's honestly pretty applicable to the discussion about whether it's possible to train your non-dominant hand to be as useful as your dominant hand for a lot of things: use your left hand for everything. EVERYTHING.

[@CrescentCitySweaters]

Left handed people were forced to be right handed all the time in like our grandparents’ lifetimes. You can definitely be trained to use your non-dominant hand. In sports, the most successful player using his off hand is probably Rafael Nadal, the greatest clay court tennis player of all time and potentially the second best player behind Federer

[@toddbiesel4288]

Jordan Lacoste Don't forget about Phil Mickelson.

[@XaviRonaldo0]

Most hockey players shoot left handed too. Not sure if the reason though

[@flavoredchin]

That last bit with the samurai batter had me rolling.

[@adamcollett4175]

The dude in the hat contributes 0% to these videos, he's like "oh wow" 😂

[@Will-hy4sv]

Adam Collett I’m trying my best ok

[@achildr1]

He also seems pretty lit.

[@ShantyIrishman]

It was nice of Vox to give an opportunity to some random bartender in Bushwick.

[@givecamichips]

He's there to be the audience surrogate, and the host can crack jokes and at least one person will laugh at them.

[@timothylopez8572]

I wanted to see this. Never new there really was one. Not only ambidextrous but throws both normal and submarine style.🤯

[@theunwelcome]

bruh, does your shirt say "Laura Dern"? edit: is SHE the one holding Bois hostage?!?

[@Taczy2023]

I play basketball as a lefty, struggled with off hand layups so I practiced. Now I can easily do both left and right hand layups and advanced layups.

[@RBkaj]

"That looks... good"

[@dennisquigney3809]

Someone saw this dude with the backwards hat and thought..."man this guy sure knows his stuff! He isn't the slightest bit obnoxious either! Get him in front of a camera!"

[@nickblas]

How was the rule not made to be "the batter gets into the box then the pitcher gets to decide what he pitches to the batter" like it is with every other pitch? Dumb ruling by the MLB.

[@kerrygwebster]

The rule is correct as MLB has determined. Most batters have a dominate hitting side so the ambidextrous pitcher will then pitch with the opposite giving him a bigger advantage over the hitter. With a switch hitter the pitcher only needs to know what side the batter is weaker from and pitch to that side. Pitcher always has the advantage if he knows the batters weaker side and can force the batter to that side by his hand selection.

[@kohoko1952]

Switch hitting is one thing, ambidextrous pitching is 'a whole new ball-game!!!'

[@goldenslayer2187]

What if you have no dominant hand?

[@goldenslayer2187]

@Plathornique I thought that was 2 dominant hands

[@fullpower7196]

The guy on right is the type that gets stoned everytime and laughs at everything hahahargh

[@MattmanAZ09]

Look at all the right handed boxers who have good left hooks

[@brokenwave6125]

Yeah, Mike Tyson being the obvious example. His left hook was what he was known for. Possibly this happens because the left hand is usually doing short jabs and stuff and doesn't tire out like the dominant arm does...so essentially the left arm can sacrifice the extra power on a few deathblows in the match as its usually doing less of the work.

[@thewhitewolf7886]

I'm a lefty being trained orthodox and southpaw, definitely an advantage.

[@willmoore8708]

I'm ambidextrous. In the 70's, when I was in little league, I used to switch-up all the time. My curve broke so much better with my left than my right. It wasn't till high school when some opposing coaches figured that out and lit me up sometimes. Never faced a switch batter though. That would have been awesome.

[@raymondprovost9076]

I always thought it was pronounced VANDIGHT not VANDITEE *my life is a lie

[@christopherorr1516]

Ok that OHHH YEAHHH was hilarious

[@wa27]

Where do I buy a "LAURA DERN" t-shirt?

[@anthonymeade7345]

Laura Dern's house.

[@jacob5169]

Honestly, I'd be interested in seeing you talk about obscure and weird sports. Finnish baseball immediately springs to mind

[@Taygun89]

Try learning guitar with your right hand as picking hand and after a few years just switch it up.....you're gonna struggle to the point of drowning amounts of tears :D But if you start off practicing both at the same time it might work. And there are kids who switch the hand "just for fun" and are reeealllly good at it.

[@spyone4828]

Paul McCartney played guitar left-handed, but learned to play right-handed as well because (before he got famous) stores wouldn't re-string a guitar just so he could try it out. An ambidextrous person has a tremendous advantage, but yes anybody can learn to throw well with their off hand.

[@mitchellcotton7346]

Throwing and playing guitar are completely different. Playing guitar is a fine-motor skill which takes longer to learn is more likely to become instinctive with practice. Throwing is a gross-motor skill which is easier to analyse biomechanically, making it easier to learn with your non-dominant side. I play guitar and cricket, so am very familiar with both skills. Yt?the times I've tried to play guitar left-handed I've been hopeless. When I started learning to throw left-handed, I was already able to throw as well as other people my age threw with their dominant hand (Out of people who did not play sports/play sports where throwing is required)

[@abhishek047]

In baseball's cousin, Cricket, it's actually quite common for a player to bat right handed but bowl (pitch) with his left. You could definitely train for being ambidextrous

[@matteo5752]

I don't think these guys have ever played a sport a day in their life. It's so hard watching someone talk about sports that has no idea what they're talking about.

[@6dmiller]

Yeah, I simply stopped the video after the "not impressed by someone who can pitch with both hands" statement. I really need to stop watching youtube.

[@tylerbrandon460]

5:15 that's f***ing hilarious!

[@giopatton7343]

How is this dude saying it’s easy to train to be a professional ambidextrous picture

[@brokenwave6125]

I've trained for years at standing very still and I'm still not a picture.

[@Abravesfan1988]

Broken Wave lmao 😂😂

[@Magucci13]

The end was actually hilarious 😂

[@MurrayHill17]

Judging by the sweater, I'm guessing he bats from both sides of the plate as well...

[@mackslovelace]

I am ambidextrous and it was definitely an advantage in high school basketball. I averaged 26.2 assists a game on my way to 01-02 3A player of the year award and a state title. I was also the starting quarterback of our 2000 football team. It did not help me very much there. It did not matter which arm I threw with while getting sacked 86 times and throwing 42 interceptions. I believe most interceptions came with my right hand. But it was most likely pretty even.

[@zacharymassengale5218]

How did the guy on the right get this job? And how much does he get paid? I'll do the same job with a personality for way cheaper, I promise!

[@LukeL007]

I do believe the original rule was that once the batter declares a side to hit from he cannot change until his next at bat. Because of that one can argue that the batter make the decision based on the pitcher he is facing and thus the pitcher must declare first.

[@BuffComputerNerd]

I like these videos but maybe get people who actually like baseball and know the game?

[@jwl1278]

I used to read a lot of sports trivia and facts as a kid in the 90's and I remember reading about the guy in the 1800's who could "switch pitch" and they made a rule back then that switching arms would be treated the same as a pitching change. I was suprised when Venditte came along and they made a new rule for him because I expected to see the rule that I read about be in effect.

[@HONCHOHUGO]

Guy on the right seems like he’s never played a sport in his life

[@Pasonia]

The last two minutes was hilarious.

[@raykeller8097]

These people know nothing about sports and it’s pathetic, props to guy in blue he actually studies his stuff but the guy in the flannel his clueless and is getting paid for nothing

[@MedroffYT]

This is my favorite baseball video.

[@LetterToGodFromMeToYou]

Pat Venditte is the best ambidextrous picture ever made.

[@Seriously_Unserious]

Being able to throw ambidextrous is most definitely a learnable skill. I'm a natural righty, but in my mid 20s, I taught myself how to throw a frizbee left handed. I still throw slightly better right handed then left, but I am a legit switch thrower in frizbee. If I can learn it in frizbee, others can learn it for other sports too.

[@noahnewell2131]

On the subject of training to be ambidextrous, I was born left handed, and to this day write and eat left handed, but when I was about 3 my older brother taught me to play baseball, and since I'm the only lefty in my family, and my brother didn't know this at the time, I learned with a right hander's glove. Hence, many years later, I'm ambidextrous in most tasks.

[@Mariocraft97]

These guys would be livid around an ambidextrous Handball player. When doing penalties they need to be stationary, but only required to be stood on one foot. They are allowed to move their other foot around and can do a spin, where they choose what hand to use midway!

[@tommytsunami4910]

I saw him pitch at a Ray's vs blue Jay's game at a preseason game in 2016. It was fun to watch him switch

[@MultiNaruto900]

I'd argue that having both switch hitters and switch pitchers declare which hand they're going with in 2 or 3 seconds by raising the intended hand. At the 2 or 3 second mark (time limit is determined by home team), *both parties must keep that hand in the air.* If they want to raise their hand, the palm of their hand must first touch their thigh before raising over their head. *Only one hand can be raised completely over their head at any given time.* If both (or no) hands are raised, the opposing team gets to choose via coin toss. [In this case, the team of the player(s) must flip a thin metal coin (with "L" on one side and "R" engravings) provided by a neutral party. Blue for home team, red for away team. Majority wins.]

[@thecraftyraccoon8668]

I can't stop watching this show. I don't even watch sports avidly.

[@visionwarrior777]

Love this! Outside the box on a new level here for sure! ;)