While no one has peformed the feat in the majors since, there is one switch-pitcher in the minors: Pat Venditte of the Staten Island Yankees, the New York Yankees' Single-A affiliate. Venditte, who switch-pitched for Creigton University from 2005-2008, currently has a 1.14 ERA in 23.2 innings for Staten Island. In a game against the New York Mets' Single-A Brooklyn Cyclones on June 19, switch-hitter Ralph Henriquez strode to the plate to face Venditte with a runner on first and two outs in the ninth inning. Henriquez stepped into the right-handed batters' box, and Venditte set up to pitch right-handed. Henriquez then crossed into the left-handed batters' box to adjust the match-up, but Venditte then switched his glove to his right hand and set up to pitch lefty. Henriquez crossed again to bat righty, but not to be outdone, Venditte switched back to pitch right-handed. This cat-and-mouse game caused a seven-minute break in the action as all four umpires convened to determine a ruling and both managers sought clarification, before Henriquez finally just agreed to bat right-handed. With Venditte pitching righty, Henriquez struck out to end the game, and slammed his bat down in frustration. The official ruling states that the pitcher must declare which arm he will use to throw, before the at-bat, but apparently the umpires were not used to dealing with controversies of this sort.
Bret Boone
14 August 2008
on a grounder to second, and then switched his glove back to his left hand to face the right-handed Bret Boone, who he retired on a come-backer.
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