The rule will be that he has to choose which arm to throw with for each batter. I know NCAA umpires and they said thats whats most likely what they would have done. Tell Venditte that he picks an arm. The batter can do switch all he wants.
exactly. this wasn't a rule problem, the problem was with the ump who had no clue. I understand it was odd what the pitcher was doing, but that doesn't change the entire dynamic of a batter at the plate and the rules surrounding the at bat. of course, it didn't help viewers that the play-by-play didn't know what they were talking about either and only added to the confusion as you watched the video if you aren't aware of the rules, which mistakenly presented the scenario as one the established rules do not account for, which they do, even if they weren't created with the specific event in mind. there was no problem, but stupid play-by-play and umps made it appear so.
it's arbitrary and bias to say the pitcher has to declare first so the batter can decide which side he wants to hit from. why shouldn't the batter declare first and the pitcher then adjusts to his favor, just because the ability is unique to one player? we're talking about a rule that only applies to one player, that's just not a rule to make. this kids has a gift, he should be the one that benefits from it. it's no different than being able to throw 110 mph. tough shit for the batter who can't adjust. an at bat doesn't start until the batter steps in, which means the batter has to decide first, and once he's in he doesn't get to decide on his own whether he can leave -- it's up to the ump, that's why he has to ask for time. the problem was the ump kept awarding time, not that the pitcher kept changing hands, and the batter kept stepping out of the batters box -- behavior an ump has the right to forbid. it had nothing to do with the pitcher. if a batter kept stepping out just to call time and adjust his cup the ump would put a stop to it. like I said, this is o the ump, so no new rule needs to be enacted just to stop one pitchers advantage. that's the very definition of a flawed rule -- it isn't broad and doesn't apply to a general situation. the problem is the ump allowing a batter to keep stepping out, plain and simple.
Ah, that's different from my league. If you cross the plate while the ball is in play (basically anytime the pitcher is holding or throwing the ball), you're out. In this case, if the umpire didn't call time and the pitcher threw, the pitch would count. Either way, once the batter is in the box, he has to stay there until they call time out, unless he wants to just take the pitch completely.
I've seen the same thing more than once. I can switch hit, and I would swing lefty in the on deck circle and on the way up to the plate. The fielders would adjust and then I would step up righty. Once I was in the batters box I was told I couldn't change (although the fielders could take all the time they needed to adjust.)
Forgetting for a moment about the batter, focus back on the pitcher. What if there was nobody on base, and the pitcher stood on the mound with no glove and both feet on the rubber? What's to stop him from pitching left-handed with his first pitch and right-handed on the next pitch?
There was a kid who could do this when I played in Babe Ruth. He didn't do it like that though, he'd mostly throw entire innings from one side or another, depending on the batters coming up. I think he was a natural rightly,who threw harder from the left but with way more control from the right side. Anyways, this kind of conflict never happened because there were/are almost no 13-15 year old switch hitters. It's a shame that this guy was a 20th rounder and will probably never make it to the Pro's, because damn that would be something else to see a switch pitcher in the MLB. I think a lot more people could do it, but nobody tries it young enough. I'm willing to bet any MLB caliber pitcher ambidextrous enough to switch hit would have been able to do this had they started at the age of 8 or 9.
if anyone is still interested, the ruling has been determined. http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/news...t_id=3051858&vkey=news_nyy&fext=.jsp&c_id=nyy
