This story has been out there for a few days now, but we’re still having a hard time wrapping our head around how it should be handled: a pitcher who is ambidextrous (can throw with either hand) faces a switch-hitting batter. Both attempt to gain the lefty-righty edge by switching arms/sides of the plate in what eventually becomes both a humorous and interesting predicament. What does an umpire do? According to a story in the NY Times about the incident, which happened last week in a Class A game, the rule states that once each player has established himself on the mound and at the plate, both can make one more move, and then it’s time to play. But that kind of leaves it up to luck. Whichever way they are aligned at the start will dictate who will make the first move; the other player simply then counters to get the favorable matchup. Is there a way to make this scenario truly fair to both the batter and the pitcher? We’re not sure there is, but we also think there has to be a better way than the current system. Have a look-see at the Times story and then watch the video below and see if you have any suggestions.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 24th, 2008 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.