southpaw

noun

south·paw ˈsau̇th-ˌpȯ

: left-hander

especially : a left-handed baseball pitcher

southpaw adjective

Did you know?

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

Recent Examples on the Web

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The southpaw tossed 146 innings with a 3.58 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. —

Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024 The 31-year-old southpaw got off to a horrendous start to this season after missing spring training due to contract negotiations. —

Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024 New York has a chance to redeem themselves tonight as the southpaw Carlos Rodón takes the hill against Yoshinobu Yamamoto. —

Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 26 Oct. 2024 San Diego has three other southpaws to throw at the left-handed slugger, including Wandy Peralta (two for seven entering Game 1), Adrian Morejon (three for four with a home run) and Yuki Matsui (three for five). —

Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for southpaw