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
Matt Guzman, Kansas City Star, 16 July 2024
The southpaw isn’t known for his command, as walks were at times an issue in the minors, but none of his four pitches to leadoff batter Daz Cameron were anywhere close to the strike zone.
—Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 6 July 2024
The southpaw will bring another dynamic to the Royals bullpen.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 6 July 2024
The talented southpaw has registered 102 strikeouts, which rank second in the American League.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 19 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for southpaw 
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 26 Jul. 2024.
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southpaw
noun
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