Pat Venditte: The Switch Pitcher

That's awesome. I would imagine there will be some sort of rule change very soon.

 

Can someone explain to me why Venditte was getting pissed off? He was the one who was causing the entire problem and was trying to get an advantage on the hitter - why shouldn't the hitter get to respond to those tactics?

It occurring at the Staten Island - Brooklyn game makes sense, since IMO Venditte's actions were bush league in every sense.

 

Well to be fair, you don't see switch pitchers very often actually this is the 1st time I've ever seen anything like this

 

I understand that - I don't blame the umpires - but what does Venditte have to complain about?

 

I think it was confusing and frustrating to everyone, that is the reason why they both are switch so they can have an advantage. Honestly if I was in either person's position I would do the exact same thing.

 

Agreed MSU...
I thought the batter could only switch sides after a pitch is thrown? No idea for a pitcher, but that is pretty amazing.

 

If that went down in Liberty, MO someone woulda got shanked.

 

I guess if you have a pitcher who is great from both sides, as a righty and a lefty... I guess you could say he could pitch about 200 times, 100 with his right and another 100 with his left arm. Complete games everytime out.

Just think of a pitcher that can dominate as a lefty like Kazmir then in the 7th inning switch to throwing as a righty and dominate like Pedro

But I really doubt that we would ever see a pitcher who could be great from BOTH sides of the mound, I just cant see it

 

They should just treat it like a new pitcher, once he switches he has to face a batter before he's allowed to switch again.

 

I suspect that that is exactly what will happen. That gives the choice to the batter as to how he chooses to bat, which is of course the way it is now.

 

Completely disagree. The batter should have to choose first, just like the batter is announced before a pitching change is made. Because there are rules governing where you bat depending on handedness but none relating to the hand you pitch with, he should have to declare first.

 

The modern Era rule has been established already because of Greg Harris:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_A._Harris

The pitcher needs to choose a side and then stick with it through the AB. The umps botched the call.

Still hilarious though.

 

Well, according to Mobius it's already been decided along the lines 3rd and I said, but I don't know why you think that a batter has to be announced before a pitching change is made - that's what managers who are making pitching changes often do, but there's no rule that says they have to. They do it precisely because the rules are more restrictive for pitchers than for batters - once a pitcher is put in a game, he has to face a batter, but a pinch hitter can be pinch hit for without any restriction. Further, a batter is definitely allowed to switch sides between pitches, so what you're proposing is taking away something from the batters that they already have. Saying that the pitcher has to decide how he's going to pitch before the batter steps in is the natural analogue to saying that switching arms is like being a new pitcher, just as 3rd said.

 

But it's NOT a new pitcher. It's just a different delivery. No different than dropping down to the side once in a while. Also, it's not a written rule what he posted. It was what the AL president at the time told the umps, but as far as I know it was never made official. It IS an official rule however that the batter can't change while the pitcher is on the rubber, or he's out. So all the pitcher has to do is stand behind the rubber, wait for the batter to choose, and put his glove on as he steps on the rubber, locking the batter in for that pitch. I never said the batter couldn't change between pitches, but the pitcher could then change too.

 

This kid is the 1st ambidextrous pitcher ever, so there is no rule for switching hands. The new rule will probably be that he has to pick a hand for a batter, and stay with that hand. Once the at bat is completed, he can switch if he'd like.

A batter can switch all he likes, no matter the count. Thats the rule. This will be discussed at length by officials so there are no more incidents. They should call it the "Venditte Rule" since he's the only one of his kind.

 

That was hilarious. Any info on just how good the pitcher is? Any chance his coaches have him focus on one side (seems like something coaches might do...I hope not though)?

 

And then you end up with the nonsense that happened in the game. That is exactly what can't happen - you need a stopping rule, and they're not going to take away something batters have always had for one guy.

 

the ump doesn't have to allow time to the batter, so once a batter is in the box, he no longer has control of whether he can change sides or not and has committed to that side, regardless of what the pitcher does.

so, if the pitcher changes sides, the batter is SOL, he has already committed. I fail to see what the confusion was in this instance. all the ump had to do was not allow the time to the batter to change sides and there would be no problem. if the batter steps out, too bad, let the pitcher throw the pitch. the only thing the pitcher has to avoid is a balk as he changes hands, that is his only responsibility. but the pitcher/batter interface is instigated by the batter digging in, so he naturally has to choose first. pitchers don't stare in until the batter is in the box.

this wasn't a rule problem, it was an ump problem who got confused and didn't realize he was actually in charge of the game and the batter.

 

It IS an official rule however that the batter can't change while the pitcher is on the rubber, or he's out. So all the pitcher has to do is stand behind the rubber, wait for the batter to choose, and put his glove on as he steps on the rubber, locking the batter in for that pitch.