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In the 1963 World Series Sandy Koufax fanned Bobby Richardson three times in the same game. I don't think any other pitcher ever did this in an entire season.
The Yankees have a pitching prospect who throws ambidextrously. In AA and AAA this season Pat Venditte has a 2.65 ERA and opposing hitters have batted .217. Venditte has a specially made glove that fits either hand. According to the rumor mill he is being groomed to be a long reliever.
According to the rumor mill he is being groomed to be a long reliever.
"Groomed" to be a long reliever? Long reliever is what you wind up being when they don't think you have what it takes to be a starter, closer or set up man.
The Yankees have a pitching prospect who throws ambidextrously. In AA and AAA this season Pat Venditte has a 2.65 ERA and opposing hitters have batted .217. Venditte has a specially made glove that fits either hand. According to the rumor mill he is being groomed to be a long reliever.
I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous.
He somewhat loses the advantage as MLB has a rule just for him. He has to call which side he's pitching from prior to each batter stepping in the box. So he can't switch mid-batter.
The guy is 29 years old, so if he were super special he would have been called up before now. The story is that his Dad started teaching him to throw both ways at the age of 3. This could be something we'll see more of in the future, whether or not Venditti is successful. You may remember that Billy Wagner did not learn to throw lefthanded until tenth grade.
Switch-pitcher Pat Venditte couldn't match his 43 2/3-inning scoreless streak and 1.88 ERA from 2007, but he still had an amazing season nonetheless. Venditte appeared in 37 of Creighton's 58 games, leading he team in wins (nine) and saves (seven) while posting a 101-21 K-BB ratio in 86 innings. The former walk-on has thrown ambidextrously since he was 3, and he recorded a strikeout with each arm 17 different times this year. Scouts consider him more of a novelty than a true prospect, as his stuff is ordinary from both sides. As a righthander, he works with an upper-80s fastball and a curveball, slider and changeup. As a lefty, he drops his arm angle and utilizes a low-80s fastball and a slow, sweepy breaking ball.
The Yankees took him in the 20th Round -- the 620th pick overall. Held his own in AAA this year though.
By the way, all of the top seven all-time career SB% leaders (minimum 80 attempts) are active players. Chase Utley, Alexi Casilla, Jayson Werth, Mike Trout, Craig Gentry, Carlos Beltran, and Jarrod Dyson.
Last edited by The_Bishop; 08-26-2014 at 10:40 PM..
In 1968 Carl Yastrzemski won the league batting title at .301.
Not only should Yaz have won the MVP that season, he should have run away with the award.
He led the AL in OPS with a seemingly unimpressive .922, but because the run scoring environment was so low that year, his season was good for 10.5 WAR , way ahead of the award winner Denny McClain who won 30 games, but again, because great pitching was so abundant that year, it was good for just 7.5 WAR. In fact McClain didn't even lead AL pitchers in WAR in 1968, Luis Tiant with 7.8 WAR did.
Yaz finished 9th in the voting.
Over in the NL there was no question that Bob Gibson earned the award, he racked up 11.9 WAR, the next closest guy was Willie McCovey with 7.0.
The Seattle Mariners are the only team to have a home game rained out in a visitors ballpark.
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