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

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Still, the Cubs could use a southpaw who's been a little more dependable, like Andrew Chafin. —

Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025 With an October 2006 birthdate, the southpaw will be one of the youngest players in the draft, but has averaged 16.8 points per game while leading the Sooners to a 14-4 start. —

John Hollinger, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025 Big Lefty, Little Lefty Two years later, the towering southpaw helped pitch the Yankees to a world championship. —

Dan Schlossberg, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025 Despite his sturdy 6-4 frame, MacLeod is a soft-tossing southpaw with an 89-92 mph fastball; a slow, big-breaking curveball; and a changeup used mostly versus right-handed hitters. —

Aaron Gleeman, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for southpaw