southpaw
noun
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Southpaw is of obscure origin. A popular theory holds that it comes from the onetime position of ballparks in relation to the sun. Supposedly, late 19th-century ballparks were laid out so that the pitcher looked in a westerly direction when facing the batter. The throwing arm of a left-handed pitcher would then be to the south-hence the name southpaw. This theory of its origin is undermined, however, by the fact that the original use of southpaw does not involve baseball at all. Rather, the term was used as early as 1848 to describe, simply, the left hand or a punch or blow given with the left hand. Today, we often use southpaw as a good-natured term for a left-handed person, but the word is sometimes viewed as stigmatizing by left-handed people.
Examples of southpaw in a Sentence
Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2024
He is scheduled to get the ball Tuesday, pairing the two southpaws back-to-back in the Giants’ rotation.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024
An unorthodox throwing motion Just being a southpaw alone makes Penix unique.
—Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY, 8 Jan. 2024
The southpaw was one of three pitchers in 2023 to have 18 or more starts of 6 IP and 2 ER or less allowed, with just Gerrit Cole and Blake Snell as his company.
—Tyler Small, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
The other southpaw already on the 40-man, Erik Miller, was optioned to the minors earlier this week.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2024
The southpaw pitched three innings against the Mariners.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2024
Adding Miller to the 40-man roster this offseason put him on the fast track as the second southpaw, though Garrett and Ethan Small — both acquired this month — could both factor in this season.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 14 Feb. 2024
While those years have drifted into the rear-view mirror, the southpaw still averaged more than 95 mph with his fastball last year, ranking in the 71st percentile among MLB pitchers.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'southpaw.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Southpaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/southpaw. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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southpaw
noun
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