Why do right hand batters hit the ball to left field?

Answer 1

Timing- the reason is because of the timing of the batters swing. Being late on the timing causes a right handed batter to hit to the right side, and early will cause it to go to left. Since most batters are early on their swings this cause them to hit to left for a righty and right for a lefty.

Answer 2

in the game of Baseball a lefty is very nice to have. if you batting left handed your that much closer to 1st base. another thing is that alot of (major league) ballparks are made for lefty's. right field may be 325ft and left field 350 or so. the big problem with doing something other than your natural is that you practice so much the wrong way that your right way becomes weaker.

Answer 3

Left-handed pitchers pitching to left-handed batters, and right-handed pitchers pitching to right-handed batters have an advantage over the hitter. A curve ball or slider thrown by a left-handed pitcher will break down and away from a left-handed hitter, and vice-versa. Even fast balls tend to move away from the hitter. This makes it harder to hit.

Also, the hitter doesn't "see the ball" as well when the pitcher is releasing the ball from the same side that the hitter stands on. Not only that, but the illusion (created by the difference in angle) is that the pitched ball is coming from a point behind the hitter or at the hitter and then over the plate as opposed to seeing the pitch out in front the whole way when pitched from the opposite side of the hitter.

Statistics show that most left-hitters have a lower average, more strike-outs and fewer home runs off lefties than against right-handers. The difference is much more pronounced with some hitters than with others.

Answer 4

There are three reasons why first basemen are often lefthanded.

First, when a first baseman is holding a runner on first, if the pitcher tries to pick off that runner, this is not a force out, so the first baseman will have to tag the runner. This tag is much easier to make with the right hand. And, as you know, a left-handed player wears the glove on his right hand.

Second, when a first baseman is trying to get a force put-out at first base, with another infielder throwing the ball to him, this is a force out, so he just has to have his foot on the base when he catches the thrown ball. To make the play just a little quicker, he will stretch his GLOVE hand out toward the fielder who is throwing the ball to him. If that glove is on his left hand, then his back is turned toward the batter running to first base, as well as to home plate. If, on the other hand, the glove is on his RIGHT hand, then his back is to the outfield, and he can, with a slight twist of his head, or even twitch of the eyes, see the entire infield, including the batter coming to first base.

The third reason is a bit more complicated. Bear with me.

The easiest way to throw a baseball is "across your body", which means, if you throw with your right hand, your left shoulder is forward of your right shoulder at the time you begin your throw. You can get much more force behind your throw this way than you can with your "good" shoulder forward, or with neither shoulder forward. In fact, except for easy "flip" throws, a fielder will always position his body and shoulders in such a way that he can throw across his body before making the throw. Most of the time, this doesn't require much effort because, for a right-handed third baseman, shortstop, or second baseman, the throw usually goes to first base. But if you want to see how a fielder re-positions himself so he can throw across his body, watch a right-handed second baseman make a throw (of more than 20 feet) to the shortstop at second base. But even for the second baseman, the vast majority of his throws are going to go to first base. For a shortstop or third baseman, when they're not throwing to first, they are usually throwing to second, so they're still throwing across their bodies. Point is, for all infielders EXCEPT the first baseman, the vast majority of throws are "across the body" for a right hander, which is why most second basemen, shortstops, and third basemen are right-handed.

Now think about a first baseman. A first baseman is almost NEVER required to throw the ball during a play (though he often is the one to throw the ball back to the pitcher after the play is over). Most grounders go near the middle of the field, and the first baseman just has to stand on first and wait for the throw. Even when a grounder is hit to the first-baseman, he usually doesn't have to throw it, but just steps on the bag. But, every once in a while, a situation comes up that requires the first baseman to throw the ball during the play. Usually, that situation is a ground ball hit to the first baseman, with a runner on first and less than 2 outs. In this situation, the defense would like to turn a double play. One way to do this is for the first baseman to field the ball, step on first, then throw to second. But this has a couple of disadvantages. First, it's always faster to THROW a ball than to run to a base, and unless the first baseman is right on top of the bag when he fields the ball, he's not likely to have enough time to step on his base then throw to second in time to get the runner. Moreover, even if he can get the ball to second in time, the act of stepping on first base put the batter out, which removed the "force" condition on the runner. To get him out now, the fielder will have to TAG him rather than simply stepping on the base.

The other method is a little easier, but by no means certain. After the first baseman fields the ball, he initially ignores the easy out at first base and throws to second, where the shortstop is moving toward the base. Timed perfectly, the shortstop catches the ball just as his foot touches second base, immediately recording the force out on the runner coming from first, and immediately throwing the ball back to first base. In the meantime, after the first throw, the first baseman runs back to first base and stands there, with his glove stretched out toward second base. (Sometimes, if the play pulls the first baseman way off the bag, the second baseman will cover first base). If the ball gets back to first base in time, the batter is out, and the defense has successfully turned a double play. This play rarely works because of the large amount of time required to make the two long throws. But when it does work, it's a thing of beauty.

So what does all this have to do with why a first baseman is left-handed? Well, think about that throw that the first baseman has to make to second base to get the first out of the double play. Uncommon as it is, this throw is the most likely throw a first baseman will be required to make during an active play. And if he's right handed, he has to re-plant his feet, turning his body completely around, to be able to throw the ball across his body. Otherwise, he won't have nearly enough strength in the throw to get it to second base. But this maneuver takes time, and time is already precious when you're trying to get a double play on a grounder hit to first. On the other hand, if the first baseman is left-handed, he's already in a good position to make the throw to second base when he fields the ball. This fraction of a second saved can make all the difference between a fielder's choice and a double play.

There's also a fourth reason, similar to the one above. In baseball, most non-pitchers can be divided into 3 basic groups: Catchers who are the most specialized defensive players, Outfielders who generally are the fastest runners (though not nessesarily the quickest to react) and have the longest arm range, and Infielders who have the quickest reaction times. Often times, aging catchers or outfielders may move to corner infield positions as they get older. If you throw with your left hand and are too slow to play outfield, you will also be unable to play Shortstop and Catcher, which are exclusively played in the MLB by right handed players because of the reason above, but in reverse. Second base and Third base are also positions best played by right handed players, though there are some lefties who play there. Therefore, most lefty infielders find themselves playing at first base once they start playing serious baseball and stick with it as they progress through their Baseball career.

There has been a recent trend in the MLB going against the old the idea that left handed first basemen are always superior to right handed first basemen. In 2009, Mark Teixeira, who is a right handed first basemen, picked up the American League Golden Glove. Among the elite first basemen, a growing number are right handed, including Albert Pujols, Derrek Lee, the previously mentioned Mark Teixeira and Kevin Youkillis. The actual defensive advantages as stated in the first 3 reasons can be outweighed by an exceptional athlete or even the first basemen being a couple of inches taller.

The final reason is that first base is generally the easiest and least physically taxing position in Baseball, at least to play at a competent level. Because of their scarcity, lefty hitters are usually more valuable than right hitters. So, when a lefty who is a poor fielder but a good hitter is found, they are often put at first base so as to minimize the damage done to that teams defense. This occurs the most in the National League where there are no designated hitters. This reason, like the one above, develops over the course of a players career.

Answer 5

The batter has the advantage when he is opposite handed of the pitcher. Curve balls and sliders will come into the batter instead of going away. It's also easier to see a fastball coming into to you from the opposite hand.

Answer 6

I don't have the answer, but I know that it is a natural thing and not something that is the result of being pitched low and inside a lot, like some people think. Being a lefty, I know that it is very hard for me to hit a ball that is high. A pitch that is high looks great. You can see it so well, but is very hard for a lefty to hit. On the other hand a low ball ( inside or out) is very hittable, and crushable on the inside half of the plate. I figured this out when I was about 12, so I know it wasn't because that's where I was being pitched all the time, and I got good at it. I feel like it has more to do with living in a right hand dominated world where there are a lot of day to day activities that have to be done right handed. Which I feel makes a lefty's swing different from a righty's because a lefty has a stronger opposite arm than a righty. I am not trying to say a lefty has a stronger or better swing. It is just a different swing.

Answer 7

its your right hand that get more power. also from a pitchers point of view he is on the right side