Pat Venditte
From BR Bullpen
Patrick M. Venditte
- Bats Right, Throws Both
- Height 6' 1", Weight 180 lb.
- School Creighton University
[edit] Biographical information
As of 2009, Pat Venditte is professional baseball's only ambidextrous pitcher.
A natural right-hander, Venditte threw with both arms since he was a child, and his father encouraged it. After attending Creighton University, he was selected by the New York Yankees in the 20th round of the 2008 amateur draft and made his pro debut that summer with the Staten Island Yankees. With Staten Island, he allowed just 3 earned runs in 30 appearances, posting a 0.83 ERA, and led the New York-Penn League with 23 saves. Following the season, he was named MiLB.com Short-Season Relief Pitcher of the Year. He began 2009 with the Charleston Riverdogs and saved 13 games and gave up only 2 earned runs in his first 18 outings.
Venditte uses a six-fingered glove with two thumbs. In 2008, the Professional Baseball Umpire Corporation created a new rule pertaining the ambidextrous pitchers stating that a "pitcher must visually indicate to the umpire, batter and runner(s) which way he will begin pitching to the batter" because of Venditte.
