A switch pitcher, a 6-finger glove and Pat Venditte’s chance to join the Miami Marlins
Chad Wallach looked down momentarily during a break in his bullpen session Wednesday catching new Miami Marlins relief pitcher Pat Venditte.
He had to do double-take when looked up and prepared to catch the next pitch. Venditte changed his stance.
Moments earlier, he was throwing with his left hand. When Wallach reset, Venditte was already in his stance to throw as a righty.
“It’s like catching two different guys,” Wallach said.
That’s the epicenter of Pat Venditte: A rare switch-pitcher who can now have an immense benefit as a relief pitcher should he crack the MLB roster.
MLB implemented a new rule this season that relief pitchers must face at least three batters or pitch until the end of an inning. No more sending a pitcher just to trot out and face one batter later. No more playing matchups and relying on specialists.
That plays into Venditte’s hands — left and right — should he crack the 26-man roster.
“If I can go out there, fill up the zone and do the things that I’m supposed to do, that does become an advantage to me,” said Venditte, a non-roster invite to spring training.
His journey into the world of switch pitching began in 1988 when he was 3 years old playing catch with his dad, Pat Venditte Sr.
Venditte is a natural right-hander, but Pat Sr., a former college baseball catcher, always encouraged his son to throw with both hands to increase his chance to be competitive.
“It’s just something, like anything in life, the more you do it, the more efficient it becomes,” Venditte said. “It’s something that I’ve done for many, many years. The throwing kind of comes natural.”
Baseball quickly took notice of Venditte’s ability shortly after he was drafted in the 20th round by the New York Yankees in 2008. The Professional Baseball Umpire Corporation issued a new rule the July after he was drafted stating that a pitcher must declare which hand he is pitching with before the start of each at-bat.
Venditte utilizes a specialized six-finger glove produced by Mizuno.
“Just switch it back and forth,” Venditte said.
Twelve years since being drafted, the 34-year-old Venditte is still pitching professionally and he has retold the stories time and time again.
The general consensus is the same each time he explains how it works.
“They think I’m a little nuts,” Venditte said. “After a couple days, they’ll ask me questions and be just like everyone else.”
It requires extra work, extra time in bullpen sessions, extra patience from his teammates and himself.
“When you get out here, you have to be extra nice to the catchers,” Venditte said. “They quickly become your best friends. You have to take care of them.”
Marlins pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. experienced Venditte’s ability first-hand in 2016 when he was the pitching coach for the Seattle Mariners. Venditte was traded from Toronto to Seattle in August that year.
Stottlemyre knew about Venditte’s ability to pitch from both sides. Seeing it in person? That was a new experience.
“It floored me to be able to see him flip the ball from one side to the next and be able to command it,” Stottlemyre said Thursday. “I know how hard pitching is and how long it takes guys to get comfortable with their regular arm to where they can dial all their pitches in. He had the knack to do it quickly.”
Stottlemyre remembers asking Venditte what his pitch count was for each arm shortly after he joined the team. Venditte said about 30 to 35 pitches each.
That came to the Mariners’ benefit on Sept. 3, 2016, in an eventual 10-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. Seattle starter Tiajuan Walker lasted just 2/3 of an inning and gave up six runs — including three consecutive home runs — before Stottlemyre turned to Venditte to eat up as many innings as possible.
Venditte threw 66 pitches over 4 1/3 innings.
“I tapped out both arms,” Stottlemyre said.
Venditte has played in 54 career games in the major leagues since making his debut in 2015, including stints with the San Francisco Giants (2019), Los Angeles Dodgers (2018), Seattle Mariners (2016), Toronto Blue Jays (2016) and Oakland Athletics (2015). His career stats: A 2-2 record, a 5.03 ERA and 53 strikeouts against 28 walks in 68 innings. Opponents have hit .237 against him.
Venditte’s career splits favor him throwing as a left-handed pitcher (.209 batting average against compared to .266 throwing as a righty) and he primarily uses a sinkerball and a slider.
“I’m approaching my mid-30s, so I’m happy to still be able to do this every day,” Venditte said. “It’s been a blessing. I want to keep doing this as long as I can.”
This story was originally published February 13, 2020 at 1:41 PM.
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