Switch-pitcher breaks new ground in rule book

For a game whose basic rules have been established for almost 150 years, it's tough to come up with a situation where a rule isn't on the books. But everybody was perplexed in a Class A game between the Staten Island Yankees and Brooklyn Cyclones on Thursday.

You might recall the story of Pat Venditte, who pitched with both arms at Creighton. He wears a special glove that can be worn with either hand. Now he's in the New York Yankees' minor-league system, a 20th-round pick in the draft earlier this month, and he made his pro debut Thursday. It took four batters before he faced a switch-hitter, creating an umpire's nightmare.

It's established that right-handed hitters are better against left-handed pitchers, and vice-versa. Has to do with curveballs and sliders breaking away or toward the hitter. So Ralph Henriquez settled in the right-handed batter's box, and Venditte put his glove on the left hand. Henriquez then switched to the left side, and Venditte switched his glove to the right hand. And this continued for a few minutes while the umpires and coaches argued as to how to stop this stalemate.

For now, the rule is that the pitcher has the last say. The hitter and pitcher can each change sides once, but the pitcher will get the last declaration. Venditte then struck out Henriquez, right-handed.

"It's probably been a long, long time since he's seen a right-hander as a righty," Venditte told the New York Times. "I think in that situation, I had the upper hand because he wasn't used to that. It's been a long time since he'd come in the game as a switch hitter and faced a righty as a righty."

The Major League Baseball rule book is unclear on the rule. The one-change rule is on the books, but it's not on who gets to declare first, the pitcher or the hitter.

"We're waiting on an official ruling on it," Staten Island media relations director John Davison told the Times.