# Baseball-bat right, throw left
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-bat-right-throw-left/177548
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [May 26, 2003, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-bat-right-throw-left/177548 "2003-05-26T06:56:39Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@doctordoowop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doctordoowop)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2003, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-bat-right-throw-left/177548/1 "2003-05-26T06:56:39Z")
I know Henderson, Jones (Mets,30+years ago), Carl Warwick(Cards-25 -30 yrs ago), & a more recent Met w/ a Hispanic souding name( & his father played) . Apart from pitchers, are there any other MLB members like this?
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### Author:  [@Blunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blunt)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2003, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-bat-right-throw-left/177548/2 "2003-05-26T07:56:50Z")
[Brian Lesher](http://bigleaguers.yahoo.com/mlbpa/players/5/5691/) isn’t up right now, but he has some major league experience and fits your critera. I did a little bit of a search, and couldn’t find anyone else right away. But I didn’t look that hard.
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### Author:  [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2003, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-bat-right-throw-left/177548/3 "2003-05-26T14:51:19Z")
LOTS of MLB players do this. In fact, I’d guess it’s upwards of 50% of all left handed hitters in the big leagues.
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### Author:  [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2003, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-bat-right-throw-left/177548/4 "2003-05-26T14:52:44Z")
Oh, wait. Hmm. Totally misread your OP, and reversed the directions. Interesting question.
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2003, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-bat-right-throw-left/177548/5 "2003-05-26T15:36:11Z")
The Lahman baseball database lists 455 major leaguers who batted right and threw left; most were pitchers.
The hitters appear to be:
Jeff Abbott
Dick Adams
Doug Ault
Bobby Balcena
Zeke Bella
Hal Breeden
Rube Bressler
Hick Carpenter
Mark Carreon
John Cassidy
Hal Chase
Johnny Cooney
Delos Drake
Elmer Foster
Vern Freiburger
Eddie Gaedel
Gary Gearhart
Bill George
Billy Goeckel
Rickey Henderson
Homer Hillebrand
Mike Hines
Gary Holle
Brian Hunter
Cleon Jones
Brian Lesher
Johnny Lucas
Ernie Lush
Jimmy Macullar
Fergy Malone
Sam Mayer
David McCarty
Jack McMahon
John McMullin
Luis Medina
Paul Meloan
John Merritt
Willie Mitchell
Kid Mohler
Bill Moore
Gary Moore
Kelvin Moore
Jim Murray
John Newell
Al Nixon
John Oldham
Chucho Ramos
Herman Reich
Herman Reich
Herman Reich
Jimmy Ryan
Ben Shelton
John Sowders
Pop Tate
Carl Warwick
Ollie Welf
Junior Wooten
Joe Yingling
Henderson is by far the best on the list, though Hal Chase might have been a Hall of Famer if they didn’t suspect he threw games. And, of course, Eddy Gaedel is one of baseball’s immortals. 😉
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### Author:  [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2003, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-bat-right-throw-left/177548/6 "2003-05-26T16:25:28Z")
IIRC, less common are those who bat left and throw right. GHW Bush played ball in college and he was a bat-left/throw-right; it’s been said that he was teased because of that.
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### Author:  [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2003, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-bat-right-throw-left/177548/7 "2003-05-26T17:00:48Z")
I would think that batting left would be _more_ common if it’s a possibility (it is an advantage against the more common right handed pitcher). What I can’t understand is a pitcher throwing left/batting right (or vice versa). That puts their pitching arm in front and more likely to be injured on a bean ball.
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### Author:  [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2003, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-bat-right-throw-left/177548/8 "2003-05-26T17:10:32Z")
Brooks Robinson, I believe, wrote left handed, but batted and threw right…
Although they never played professionally, one of my brothers wrote & threw left and batted right (and he played centrefield), and the other, a pitcher, wrote & threw right and switch hit. I write right-handed, but throw left and BUNT right, but prefer to bat left handed (so, yes, no one ever suspects when I am going to bunt).
cheers,
Ms Boods
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### Author:  [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2003, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-bat-right-throw-left/177548/9 "2003-05-26T18:30:52Z")
RealityChuck–
How on earth would anyone know how Eddie Gaedel threw? he never wore a glove in major league play. Are they just taking his word for it?
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### Author:  [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2003, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-bat-right-throw-left/177548/10 "2003-05-26T18:41:16Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Jeff Olsen \*
> \*\*IIRC, less common are those who bat left and throw right. GHW Bush played ball in college and he was a bat-left/throw-right; it’s been said that he was teased because of that. \*\*
No, I don’t think so (though I don’t know for sure). Batting left-handed is a decided advantage. Many (but certainly not most) kids have been taught by their dads to bat lefty to gain said advantage, regardless of what hand they threw with. Jim Thome is the most obvious current example that springs to this Phillies fan’s mind.
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### Author:  [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2003, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-bat-right-throw-left/177548/11 "2003-05-26T19:11:01Z")
Illuminate this guy who thinks baseball is dull.
Which way do you stand if you bat left? I thought it meant you stood on the left side of the plate, with your left foot forward, but **USCDiver** seems to indicate otherwise.
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### Author:  [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2003, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-bat-right-throw-left/177548/12 "2003-05-26T19:16:32Z")
I seem to recall the pitcher Vida Blue did this. Can anyone verify, or am I thinking of someone else?
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### Author:  [@KarmaComa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarmaComa)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2003, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-bat-right-throw-left/177548/13 "2003-05-26T19:23:17Z")
If anyone’s interested,
I bat (and golf/hockey/most two-handed things) right, but I write, raquet, kick (predominantly), etc. left.
Interesting points: I have an identical twin brother who does everything right-handed (except kick, which he does right-footed). Also, I play cricket and catch more comfortably with my left hand than with my right hand (when only one hand can be used) despite being raised playing baseball (therefore catching right because one wears a glove) before playing cricket.
I am not currently in MLB.
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2003, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-bat-right-throw-left/177548/14 "2003-05-26T20:15:57Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by pseudotriton ruber ruber \*
> \*\*RealityChuck–
> How on earth would anyone know how Eddie Gaedel threw? he never wore a glove in major league play. Are they just taking his word for it? \*\*
That was evidently how he was listed on the roster. If Bill Veeck was lying, we wouldn’t know.
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### Author:  [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2003, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-bat-right-throw-left/177548/15 "2003-05-26T20:29:48Z")
FWIW, and this is a minor hijack, cricket’s always been full of players who bat and bowl opposite-handed - for instance, in the Seventies the England team once featured Phillipe Edmonds, David Steele and Derek Underwood, all left-arm bowlers who batted right. (Steele was in mainly for his batting, Underwood for his bowling, and at that time Edmonds was rated an all-rounder, though not for long.) Round about the same time and a few years later were Brian Close, Chris Old and Graham Dilley, all right-arm bowlers who batted left. At present we have Mark Butcher, a left-hand bat who bowls right-arm medium-pacers (and just helped roll over Zimbabwe) and Ashley Giles (left-arm bowler who bats right-handed).
There is a slight techical advantage to batting “wrong-handed”. Theoretically it puts the stronger hand on top of the bat and therefore in charge of the shot. However, many players don’t find it comes naturally to them - otherwise, I suppose, the default right-handed batting technique would be what’s presently the left-hander’s method (right shoulder towards the bowler).
I must do some sums and figure out if I can actually think of more players who both bat and bowl left-handed than who do the two things the opposite way round.
From the point of fielding, it’s true that the usual catching technique is with both hands. However, handedness certainly influences which side of the body a fielder prefers to take a catch, especially in a close-in position.
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### Author:  [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2003, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-bat-right-throw-left/177548/16 "2003-05-26T21:08:05Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Barbarian \*
> \*\*Illuminate this guy who thinks baseball is dull.
>
> Which way do you stand if you bat left? I thought it meant you stood on the left side of the plate, with your left foot forward, but **USCDiver** seems to indicate otherwise. \*\*
Yes, a right handed hitter stands on the third base side of home plate (can’t really say if it’s left or right, depending on which way you’re looking at it. It’s on the right as the pitcher looks in).
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### Author:  [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2003, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-bat-right-throw-left/177548/17 "2003-05-26T21:08:07Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Jeff Olsen \*
> \*\*GHW Bush played ball in college and he was a bat-left/throw-right; it’s been said that he was teased because of that. \*\*
Never mind, I had this backwards. 🙂
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### Author:  [@doctordoowop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doctordoowop)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2003, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-bat-right-throw-left/177548/18 "2003-05-27T00:30:06Z")
Thanks for the list. Mark Carreon was the one I couldn’t remember.Well, it shows not too many do well w/ that combo. & yes, Vida Blue was a right handed batter, until Ron Blumberg was the 1st DH, shortly after Blue broke in & Vida never batted again.Interesting point about Gaedel- I don’t think he knew how to throw. BTW, I believe yesterday, Sunday, was the what, 53rd anniversary of his one at bat. W/o looking it up ,who walked him & who ran for him? Initials-BC & JD. I don’t know who the catcher was,or umpire.
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### Author:  [@Baranlaith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baranlaith)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2003, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-bat-right-throw-left/177548/19 "2003-05-27T04:31:27Z")
I throw left and bat right.
But high school ball was as far as I got.
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### Author:  [@doctordoowop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doctordoowop)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2003, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-bat-right-throw-left/177548/20 "2003-05-27T05:21:11Z")
B-that’s why. BTW, an error in the big list above- Brian Hunter, outfielder, recently w/ Tigers & Astros, bats & throws right.
Bob Cain was the pitcher & Jim Delsing the pinch runner for Gaedel.
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