Every time sophomore pitcher Kyle Hook steps onto the pitcher’s mound, he possesses a strength that most athletes do not have. He may not be the fastest throwing pitcher, the fastest base runner or the best hitter, but he has a huge advantage when he winds up to throw. He throws with his left hand.
A recent study by Washington University and the National Baseball Hall of Fame revealed that left-handed baseball players have a considerable advantage over their right-handed counterparts. The results of the study support new findings that left-handed athletes enjoy considerably more success in sports than right-handed players.

Left-handed athletes, like Hook, are no exception to this study and do possess an advantage in their sport.
“Being left-handed as a pitcher has given me a huge advantage because when I’m up there pitching, the ball comes in from a completely different angle than the batter is used to, since they are used to facing righties,” Hook said. “It throws them off, and it gives me an edge.”
But what is it that gives these lefties such an advantage? Lefties and righties don’t differ in pitching mechanics; they both have the same types of pitches in their arsenal. According to the study, the element of surprise is the key.

Only 10 percent of the world’s population is left-handed; however, one in four baseball players is a lefty. Because the average hitter is used to facing a right-handed pitcher, they are often uncomfortable facing a lefty. In the end, this inexperience with the angle of left-handed throws will give lefties an advantage.
Head Coach Jay Lehr said he sees this advantage every day at the high school level.
“There are not many lefties out there,” Lehr said. “You see more righties growing up in little league, so it becomes harder to hit off lefties because you just don’t see them. The batter has less time to see the ball, less time to pick it up and decide to swing, and ultimately that’s the difference between a hit or a strike.”

But left-handed advantages are not limited to the field. Because left-handed athletes are significantly less common than their right-handed counterparts, they are often recruited more heavily.
According to Lehr, many are encouraged to play baseball from a very young age.
“If you find out you are left-handed, people are going to try to get you to play baseball,” Lehr said. “It’s easier to climb the ladder into the starting rotation as a lefty than as a righty.”
This advantage is not developed. Rather, one is born with this inclination. Hook said he realizes that simply being left-handed has increased his stock on the team.
“I think being left-handed has greatly influenced my value as a pitcher,” he said. “I think a lot of people want me on their team just because I am left-handed.”
Being left-handed has other perks in baseball. Left-handed hitters also possess an advantage in base running and bunting, and it is easier for a lefty pitcher to pick a runner off on first. But this advantage is not exclusive to baseball.
In many one-on-one sports, being left-handed presents a valuable edge. In sports like tennis and boxing, lefties thrive. A left-handed tennis player has the element of surprise, returning serves that would be impossible for a right-hander to return. A boxer surprises his right-handed opponent with jabs and punches his opponent isn’t accustomed to.
Even in team sports, lefties learn to thrive and gain an edge. In volleyball, left-handers dominate the right side position and setting positions.
Rich Coleman, head coach of the women’s volleyball team, left-handed allows volleyball players to be more assertive and aggressive.
“The setting position is easier for left-handers as they can be more offensive based on their body positioning to the net,” Coleman said.
Caroline Boatright, left-handed setter and sophomore, said that being left-handed has given her an edge in setting.
“I will go up to set, and they expect me to be right-handed, so they set up to block where a right-hander would set,” Boatright said. “I surprise them by being left-handed.”

Life as a lefty is not always the easiest. Growing up left-handed can be difficult to adjust to because society is dominated by right-handed people. Often, lefties have to overcome certain obstacles, such as learning to write differently. Most tools are made with right-handers in mind, and at times it is impossible for lefties to use these tools. Hook had the most difficulty watching demonstrations and having to adapt it to his hand.
“When I’m watching a pitching lesson, they show everything from a right-handed perspective, and I have to reverse everything they say to fit me,” Hook said. “I have learned to adjust to that by now.”
While lefties are at a disadvantage in some areas of life, ultimately, left-handed athletes here use their hand to gain an edge. They will continue to dominate opponents with the element of surprise. They will help our school to victory, just with a different hand than their right-handed counterparts.

“This advantage is huge for me,” Hook said. “I see it playing a big role in my future.”