The rare lefty catcher

Something that I've failed to notice in all my years of watching baseball is how rare a left-handed catcher is. Think about it, when's the last time you saw someone throwing the ball back to the pitcher with their left hand? If you said anything more recent than 1989, you'd be wrong!

On May 14, 1989, in a game between Pittsburgh and Atlanta, the Pirates moved Benny Distefano from first base to catcher as part of a double switch. Distefano was a lefty, and no other team has had a left catcher in a game since then. In fact, no lefty catcher has started a game since 1900, when Jack Clements retired after playing 10 games behind the plate for the Boston Beaneaters.

This season, the Milwaukee Brewers have Logan Schafer as their emergency catcher. Schafer is a lefty, so although highly unlikely, we may get to see the first lefty catcher in 24 years!

Benny Distefano in 1989. Lefty!

A 1903 Baseball Patent

In 1904, James E. Bennett submitted a patent for a really bizarre looking catching contraption. He intended it to replace the catcher's glove entirely. A big wire cage went over the chest and the catcher's face was also protected via a fence shield. The catcher would then catch the pitch with his chest, getting it to pass through flapped doors, which closed immediately. The ball would hit a padded spring against his chest. Then, gravity would bring it down a hole at the bottom of the cage, where the catcher would grab it and return it to the pitcher, or give it to the umpire. You can see the apparatus in greater detail below!