What Teams Strike Out The Most In The MLB To Left Handed Pitchers | StatMuse (2025)

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Which MLB team strikeout the most against lefties? ›

Statistically in Major League Baseball (MLB), left-handed batters are less successful against left-handed pitchers than right-handed batters are against right-handed pitchers, leading to some left-handed pitchers being used strategically as left-handed specialists.

The Oakland Athletics have the most strikeouts by a team against right-handed pitchers this season, with 760 strikeouts.

For example, a right-handed hitter will have a bigger advantage facing a lefty pitcher since the pitch will come from the outer half of the plate. It's a release point that's easier to recognize with even average pitch recognition skills.

Reggie Jackson holds the record for the most career strikeouts by a batter with 2,597. Jim Thome (2,548), Adam Dunn (2,379), Sammy Sosa (2,306), Alex Rodriguez (2,287), Miguel Cabrera (2,105), and Andrés Galarraga (2,003) are the only other hitters to strike out over 2,000 times.

Warren Spahn is considered the greatest left handed pitcher in history, with more wins (363) than any other southpaw. Remarkably, he earned his first victory at the ripe old age of 25.

Definition. A "southpaw" is a left-handed pitcher.

However, a left-handed pitcher would release the ball closer to the first base, which allows more room for a right-handed hitter to “pull” the ball. Moreover, the sidearm pitchers and pitches that move horizontally increase this angle advantage even more.

Who is the strikeout king? ›

Nolan Ryan is the all-time leader in career strikeouts.

Warren Spahn has won the most career games by a left-hander, with 363 wins.

Over nearly 145 years of professional baseball, no player was tougher to strike out than Hall of Fame shortstop Joe Sewell. In 7,132 career at-bats, Sewell heard the umpire say “Strike three” just 114 times. That's one strikeout for every 63 at-bats, or once every 17 games, or in just .

Over the last six seasons, there has been a 17-point wRC+ gap between left-handed hitting performance against lefties compared to right-handers but only a 10.5-point gap for right-handed hitters when facing lefty pitchers versus righties.

The Philadelphia Phillies have a . 263 batting average against left-handed pitchers this season.

Kevin Pillar and Zach Neto are tied for the highest batting average for the Angels against left-handed pitchers this season, with an average of . 385.

First base.

The perfect place for a left-handed player who can catch the ball well, even when, as is often the case in youth baseball, it is thrown over his head, bounced in the dirt, or off line. Strength and size (particularly height) are important; a strong throwing arm is not.

In 1975, Orioles utility player and left-handed thrower Royle Stillman was listed primarily as a shortstop - in fact, he was listed in the box score as a shortstop in six of his thirteen games as a September call-up that season, more than at any other position.