Switch-hitter vs. Switch-pitcher

This is one of the greatest things I’ve ever seen. Just absolutely crazy. The Yankees currently have a guy in their farm system that is a switch-pitcher. He can throw incredibly well with either his right or left hand. His glove has six fingers and two webbs. (You can see a close-up of his glove in the Ticker at the end of this post.) It’s just insane.

I’ve long since thought that being able to hit a home run from either side of the plate has got to be one of the hardest things in sports, period. Now think about trying to strike a guy out from either side of the, er, mound! Incredible. Video after the jump!

Anyway, Pat Venditte—the Yankees’ switch-pitcher—comes up to pitch against the last hitter of the game who just so happens to be a switch-hitter. They both keep flipping sides on the plate! For those of you who don’t know, it’s harder for a batter to hit against a pitcher who is the same hand, e.g. a right-handed batter against a right-handed pitcher. The way the ball comes out of the glove and the way the pitcher can spin the ball make it more difficult to hit. So when the switch-hitter comes up, he wants to get on the same hand side as the pitcher. But what NEVER happens is the pitcher having the ability to switch on the batter.

Check out the video, it’s awesome.

via Uni Watch and Sliding into Home