When i was watching baseball last season i noticed that the few switch hitters that face the few knuckle ballers that pitch in MLB nowdays, bat from the same side as the pitcher throws from. Lefty vs lefty, which is not the same as when facing a regular pitcher. Why is that? My guess is somthing to do with the angle the pitch comes in or the speed of the pitch allows them to still get a good look at it before getting into the strike zone.
2007-01-02 08:17:43 · 8 answers · asked by nate p 2 in Sports ➔ Baseball
When Louise Castillio faced Wakefield last season, he didn't bat oppostite handed as Wakefield like a switch hitter normally would. What is the advantage to this when the advantage is obvious why a batter would normally change sides if they are a switch hitter?
2007-01-02 12:24:49 · update #1
A batter goes to the side of the plat that he has the best bat control. It has nothing to do with tendancies of how a knuckleball breaks (right or left). There are no tendancies with a knuckleball. That is what makes hitting (and catching one) so doggone difficult
2007-01-02 13:37:03 · answer #1 · answered by jpbofohio 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A hitter would normally bat right handed against a lefty because a movement pitch i.e. a curveball is hardest to hit when it breaks away from you so they want it to break in. For a knuckleballer it is impossible, even for the pitcher, to know where the ball is going so therefore a switch hitter facing a lefty would bat left handed because they can see the ball longer and better and hopefully successfully track it and get a hit.
2007-01-02 10:07:00 · answer #2 · answered by jesus 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A knuckle ball tends to go to the outside of the pitcher. If he's left handed it will float usually to his left. If he's right handed the same occurs. Most batters like to have pitches come into them so a switch hitter would stay left with a leftie. He just has a better chance of hitting the ball.
2007-01-02 08:27:37 · answer #3 · answered by Haven17 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋
They don't necessarily bat left-handed to face a left handed knuckle ball pitcher (there aren't many of those), but if facing a left-hander who throws a cutter, it's not unusual. It has to do with the break of the ball.
Bobby Bonilla did this facing John Tudor, and Roberto Alomar did this facing Jim Abbott. There are other examples as well.
2007-01-02 11:30:03 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
vote mine #1.batters bat left handed vs knuckleballers cuz kuckleballers like wakefield slide toward the outside of a righthanded batterwhich gives lefties more power to swing on the inside knuckleball.
2007-01-02 11:53:18 · answer #5 · answered by Tone Massacre 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
There are no left handed knuckleball pitchers currently pitching in the major league.
2007-01-02 11:04:18 · answer #6 · answered by kcslammer13 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's because most are predominantly Right handed, being their stronger side, and batting left allows them to wait for the pitch and take a softer swing where they may not swing through and miss the pitch.
2007-01-02 08:38:35 · answer #7 · answered by Tommy D 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
it might be something like that or the left side of the plate is the side thier most confrotable from, because against knucklers u dont have to guess all that much
2007-01-02 08:27:14 · answer #8 · answered by Ryan A 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋