According to the story, if Ivan Rodriguez, Tony Pena, Johnny Bench, Baudilio Diaz, Mike Piazza, Ramon Hernandez had been left-handed, they would hardly have played as catchers.
It is that between the appearance of a left-handed catcher and another left-handed one of the position in the big leaguers they passed once 58 years, from 1900 to 1958. And only three appeared in the 20th century, each for a few games. During the nineteenth century, however, they had been 11.
That's why one of the questions I've asked the most in my life is that of why there were no more left-handed receivers. Once, when in 1980 Mike Squires played after the home with the White Sox of Chicago for two games, and analyzing, up to a certain time: "It is that there have always been many more right-handed hitters than left-handed, and it is clear that to throw the bases , the right batter hinders the left-handed catcher. "
I say that explanation is good until some time, because more than 30 years ago there are usually presented alignments of left handed batters, and more often even a good majority of them mixed with ambidextrous batters. That could advise, according to what hinders the hitter for the shots, that when they throw rights, they use left-handed catchers, I say, do not you think?
After Squires, others from the strange group in the 20th century were Benny Distefano, who appeared there in the ninth inning of a game in 1989, when he belonged to the Pirates (Benny played with the Navegantes del Magallanes in the 80s). Anyway with left-handed catcher lost that time 5 to 2 against the Braves. The other of the twentieth century was Dale Long, well before those two 60 years ago, in 1958, when he was as a catcher in two games of the Cubs.
When this case of Long arose, for 58 years of having seen the last left-handed catcher in the Major Leagues, Jack Clements, of the Boston Braves, of course in the last year of the XIX century, 1900, when he received in 10 games. But the total of games after home in his career was 1073.
The 14 left-handed catchers in Major Leagues Baseball are:
Fergy Malone, 173 games between 1871 and 1884.
Bill Harbidge, 128, 1875-1884.
Stan Trott, 272, 1880-1888.
John Humphries, 75, 1883-1884.
Dave Oldfield, 35, 1883-1886.
Mike Hines, 99, 1883-1888.
Sy Sutcliffe, 186, 1884-1892.
Pop Tate, 202, 1885-1890.
Art Twineham, 52, 1893-1894.
Fred Tenney, 69, 1894-1898.
Jack Clements, one thousand 73, 1884-1900.
Dale Long, 2, 1958.
Mike Squires, 2, 1980.
Benny Distefano, one, 1989.