Pat Venditte

Patrick Michael Venditte Jr. (; born June 30, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, and Miami Marlins. After attending Creighton University, Venditte was drafted by the New York Yankees in 2008. He signed with the Athletics as a free agent before the 2015 season and made his MLB debut that year.

Venditte was a switch pitcher, capable of pitching proficiently with both arms. He was recognized as the only professional pitcher who was able to do this. Venditte's rare ability to pitch with either arm required both Major and Minor League Baseball to create a rule for ambidextrous pitchers, known colloquially as the "Pat Venditte Rule". This rule essentially requires any ambidextrous pitcher to declare which hand he will use to pitch to a batter before the at-bat starts and to throw with that hand through the entire at-bat (unless he is injured during the at-bat).

Early life Venditte was born on June 30, 1985, in Omaha, Nebraska, one of four children of Pat and Janet Venditte. Pat Sr. played college baseball as a catcher. Toward this end, the family's backyard included astroturf, a batting cage, a radar gun, and a pitching machine. In addition to training both arms from a young age, Venditte practiced punting footballs with both legs to establish the leg motion needed when pitching with each arm.

In his junior year, Venditte appeared in 36 of Creighton's 58 games before appearing in the 2007 NCAA Division I baseball tournament. His opponents batting average (OBA) of .185 was the fourth-best in the nation, and he posted a 1.85 ERA. At one point during the season, Venditte had a streak of scoreless innings. On May 28, Collegiate Baseball named Venditte the national player of the week. He was named to the All-American third team for the 2007 season. Venditte was also voted Midwest Region Pitcher of the Year by online pitching magazine InsidePitching.com. After the season, he played collegiate summer baseball for the Wisconsin Woodchucks in the Northwoods League. As the Woodchucks' closer, he had a 4–1 record, 9 saves, a 1.76 ERA, and a .154 opponents' batting average. Venditte said that he was not quite ready to turn professional and wanted to build velocity with his left arm and add another pitch with his right.

Professional career

New York Yankees

Venditte's initial assignment was to the Staten Island Yankees of the Class-A Short-Season New York–Penn League.

Venditte completed the 2008 season with 23 saves in 30 appearances with a 0.83 ERA. His performance earned him a spot on the New York–Penn League All-Star team and the Minor League Baseball Yearly Award for Best Short-Season Reliever.

Venditte began 2009 with the Charleston RiverDogs of the Class A South Atlantic League. He was promoted to the Tampa Yankees of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League on June 26. He finished the regular season with a 2.21 ERA and 2 saves in 21 appearances. In October, Venditte pitched for Águilas del Zulia in the Venezuelan Winter League.

Venditte pitched for the Yankees in a spring training game against the Atlanta Braves on March 30, 2010, giving up one earned run on two hits and a walk in innings. He started the 2010 season in Tampa, posting a 1.73 ERA through innings in 41 appearances. On August 31, Venditte was promoted to the Trenton Thunder of the Class-AA Eastern League.

Venditte pitched to a 3.41 ERA in 51 appearances with Trenton in 2011. However, he was not chosen by any MLB team. During the 2011–12 offseason, Venditte pitched in the Mexican Pacific League.

Venditte was promoted to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees of the Triple-A International League for Opening Day in 2012. He suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder. He spent most of the 2013 season rehabilitating his shoulder, while also pitching exclusively with his left arm. He pitched for Italy in the 2013 World Baseball Classic and for Trenton in the 2013 postseason. He then pitched in the Mexican Pacific League over the winter, and struggled. He started the 2014 season with Trenton, but was called up again to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after a month, in which he pitched to a 0.82 ERA and 0.73 walks plus hits per inning pitched ratio in 22 innings.

Oakland Athletics After the 2014 season, Venditte became a free agent. During the offseason, he signed a minor league contract with the Oakland Athletics, receiving an invitation to spring training in 2015. Venditte began the 2015 season with the Nashville Sounds of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League (PCL). He pitched to a 1.36 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 17 games for Nashville before he was promoted to the Athletics for his first major-league stint on June 5. He pitched two scoreless innings, and got his first strikeout in his major league debut. The East Oregonian, a newspaper published in Pendleton, Oregon, mistakenly described the ambidextrous Venditte's first MLB appearance as "Amphibious Pitcher Makes Debut". The mistake was widely reported humorously in the national popular press. Venditte pitched in four games, not allowing a run in innings pitched, before he strained his right shoulder and the Athletics placed Venditte on the disabled list on June 12. Venditte was reactivated by the A's on August 3, 2015, and optioned to AAA Nashville. He was recalled to the A's on August 15 and earned his first major league win on August 30. Overall, Venditte posted an ERA of 4.40 in 26 games for Oakland in 2015.

Toronto Blue Jays On October 19, 2015, Venditte was claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays. He was assigned to the Buffalo Bisons of the International League to start the 2016 season, and was recalled by the Blue Jays on April 13 after Arnold León was designated for assignment. Venditte made his Blue Jays debut on April 13, 2016, against the New York Yankees, pitching one scoreless inning to finish a 7–2 Blue Jays win. On April 27, he was optioned back to Triple-A. Venditte was recalled on May 17, and sent back on May 25. On June 7, Venditte was recalled once again. Overall, Venditte posted an ERA of 5.19 in 8 games for Toronto in 2016. Seattle Mariners On August 6, 2016, Venditte was traded to the Seattle Mariners for a player to be named later (Tim Lopes). He was optioned to the Tacoma Rainiers of the PCL on August 6, and was recalled on August 27. The Mariners outrighted removed Venditte off of the 40-man roster to Tacoma after the season.

Philadelphia Phillies

On March 12, 2017, the Mariners traded Venditte to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for minor league player Joey Curletta. He spent the 2017 season with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs of the International League, making 52 appearances out of the bullpen and registering a 9–5 record and 3.36 ERA with 69 strikeouts in innings pitched. Venditte elected free agency following the season on November 6.

Los Angeles Dodgers On November 27, 2017, Venditte signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. After beginning the 2018 season with the Oklahoma City Dodgers of the PCL, he was called up to the majors on May 12. He was selected to represent the PCL at the Triple-A All-Star Game. He was designated for assignment by the Dodgers on November 28.

San Francisco Giants Venditte signed a one-year, $585,000 contract with the San Francisco Giants on December 21, 2018. On May 7, 2019, Venditte was placed on waivers, and on May 12, cleared waivers and reported to Sacramento of the Pacific Coast League. He missed almost two months of the season while his wife, Erin, recovered from a brain hemorrhage. He elected free agency on October 4, 2019.

Miami Marlins On January 6, 2020, Venditte signed a minor league contract with the Miami Marlins, with an invitation to spring training.

Pitching style

When using his right arm, Venditte used to deliver over the top and could throw a slider and curveball, as well as a fastball at around that topped out at . His left-handed delivery is side-armed in which he throws a slider and a fastball that reaches the low-to-mid 80s. By splitting his pitches between his arms, he is able to pitch longer than traditional pitchers before becoming fatigued. OBR Rule 5.07(f), known as the "Pat Venditte rule", currently reads:

Similar rules have been adopted by both the NCAA (rule 9-2k) and the National Federation of State High School Associations (rule 6–1–1).

International career Venditte pitched in four games in the 2013 World Baseball Classic (WBC), allowing three runs in three innings. He then appeared in three games for Italy in the 2017 WBC. He also pitched in four games for Italy in the 2014 European Baseball Championship, as his team finished in second place. Personal life Venditte met his wife while they were both attending Creighton. Venditte became an Italian citizen before the 2013 World Baseball Classic. His great-grandfather immigrated to the United States from Italy.