Because of the ambidextrous pitcher, they had to create “The Venditte Rule” in MLB: At the start of an at-bat, the pitcher must declare his throwing arm, then the hitter can pick his side, with each man able to switch once.
Jim_the_Ump
July 27, 2011 8:25:47 AM
Entry #: 3770800
In the second video, the umpire incorrectly called the batter out. Whenever a batted or thrown ball inadvertently goes inside a player’s uniform, the ball becomes dead and runners are placed according to the umpire’s best judgment. Typically this means two bases from the time of the pitch or time of the throw. In other words, the Japanese batter should likely have been awarded a ground rule double.
But remember, in cases where a batted or thrown ball gets lodged in a fielder’s glove, the ball remains in play. A fielder can legally tag a runner or a base while in possession of the glove containing the lodged ball.
