Pat Venditte is no longer just a novelty on the mound.
The Toronto Blue Jays reliever, who is the only active ambidextrous pitcher, will be commemorated by the Staten Island Yankees on Aug. 19 with his very own “bobblearms” bobblehead.
IT'S HERE: The Pat Venditte "Switch-Pitcher" Bobblearms for the 1st 2500 fans on 8/19! Tix: https://t.co/pgjQhuBfzK pic.twitter.com/zuqF9LAmRg
— StatenIslandYankees (@SIYanks) June 12, 2016
Bucket list just got a little shorter https://t.co/Ihx4csdnUN
— Pat Venditte (@PatVenditte) June 13, 2016
Venditte made his pro debut with short-season A Staten Island in 2008 and left a lasting legacy. In his first appearance with the Yankees, Venditte had a comical showdown with a switch hitter, as the two kept changing sides to try and gain an advantage before the at-bat. After this happened a few more times the umpires’ association adopted the “Venditte Rule,” which determined that the pitcher must declare before the at-bat which hand he will pitch with.
After breaking into the majors with the Oakland Athletics last season, Venditte was claimed off waivers by the Blue Jays in October and was one of the final cuts out of spring training. In 8.2 innings with the Blue Jays this season, Venditte has struck out seven and sports a 5.19 ERA. He was optioned to triple-A Buffalo on Monday.
