It's a good time to be a Texas Ranger. The club has the best record in the American League and a comfortable 8.5-game lead in their division. Right now their biggest concern is staying healthy and keeping their sanity through the dreaded dog days of August.Leave it to old man Adrian Beltre, then, to give the Rangers dugout a jolt of wacky excitement during the fifth inning of an otherwise routine Monday win over the Seattle Mariners. As the veteran strolled up to the batters box to face switch-pitcher Pat Venditte, he got some laughs by flipping his helmet around and pretending to bat left-handed.Technically, there's nothing to stop a hitter like Beltre from hitting lefty once Venditte has committed to throwing right-handed, in accordance with MLB's "Pat Venditte Rule":"The pitcher must visually indicate to the umpire, batter and runner(s) which way he will begin pitching to the batter. Engaging the rubber with the glove on a particular hand is considered a definitive commitment to which arm he will throw with. The batter will then choose which side of the plate he will bat from."Of course, it helps to have actual experience batting left-handed at the Major League level, which Beltre does not. He finished the at-bat as a righty, which is kind of anticlimactic if you ask me.This is the second case of head-related Rangers mischief in as many days. Fellow old timer Carlos Beltran caught his teammates' attention on Sunday by drawing hair onto his scalp with some kind of magic marker. Ah, to be a veteran on a squad rampaging through the AL West; you have all the time in the world to screw with people.[MLB]
Advertisement