If a pitcher in Major League Baseball is ambidextrous, can he switch pitching hands?
April 6th’s New York Times has the answer. In the middle of an article about Pat Venditte, the only switch-pitcher in NCAA Division I last year, Alan Shwarz states: “A switch-pitcher facing a switch-hitter could make a fine Abbott and Costello routine. Against Nebraska last year, a switch-hitter came to the plate right-handed, prompting Venditte to switch to his right arm, which caused the batter to move to the left-hand batter’s box, with Venditte switching his arm again. Umpires ultimately restored order, applying the rule (the same as that in the majors) that a pitcher must declare which arm he will use before throwing his first pitch and cannot change before the at-bat ends.” So a pitcher can switch arms between at-bats, but not during at-bats. Incidentally, there has been one switch-pitcher in MLB: “Greg Harris, primarily a right-handed reliever for many clubs from 1981 through 1995, pitched one inning using both arms for the Montreal Expos in his final season.
