Update (9:32 PM EST): Venditte took the mound again to start the eighth inning. With two outs, facing switch-hitting catcher Blake Swihart, hilarity ensued. Per Alex Speier of the Boston Globe, Swihart was going to bat right-handed. Venditte declared (see rules below) that he would pitch right-handed, so Swihart switched to batting left-handed. Swihart struck out swinging anyway.
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Switch-pitcher Pat Venditte made his major league debut for the Athletics on Friday night and tossed a scoreless seventh inning. He began pitching left-handed to Brock Holt, getting him to ground out to first base. Pitching right-handed, he then gave up a sharp single to left field to Hanley Ramirez, but induced an inning-ending double play from Mike Napoli.
Venditte was originally taken by the Yankees in the 45th round of the 2007 draft. He stayed in the Yankees’ organization through 2014 before moving on to the Athletics. In 33 innings with Triple-A Nashville, Venditte compiled a 1.36 ERA with a 13/5 K/BB ratio across 16 relief appearances and one start.
What the rulebook says about ambidextrous pitchers:For those curious about the Pat Venditte rule, taken from the A’s CSN broadcast: pic.twitter.com/KgFM2UqX9c
— Bill Baer (@Baer_Bill) June 6, 2015
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