Three years ago, Pat Venditte became the first full-time switch-pitcher in the modern era of MLB
It was three years ago on this day that Major League Baseball witnessed something unique: The first full-time switch-pitcher in the modern era made his debut. Pat Venditte was introduced to the world and his first outing was sensational.
It was June 5, 2015, when the A's called up the ambidextrous pitcher from Triple-A Nashville. He had barely finished his travel day when he found himself on the mound in the bottom of the seventh inning at Fenway Park. Despite the long day, he tossed two scoreless innings in the A's 4-2 loss to the Red Sox. And yes, during his outing -- he switched pitching hands, holding on to his unique glove that possesses six fingers and room for his thumb on both sides:
What's it like for a manager to call for an ambidextrous pitcher? Let Bob Melvin show you:
Since then, Venditte has made his way around the league -- playing in the Blue Jays, Mariners and, currently, Dodgers organization. One of the more entertaining moments was when he faced
Here he is in his Dodgers debut earlier this year -- still throwing with both arms: