southpaw

noun

south·​paw ˈsau̇th-ˌpȯ How to pronounce southpaw (audio)
: 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 The southpaw pitched three innings against the Mariners. Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2024 Adding Miller to the 40-man roster this offseason put him on the fast track as the second southpaw, though Garrett and Ethan Small — both acquired this month — could both factor in this season. Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 14 Feb. 2024 While those years have drifted into the rear-view mirror, the southpaw still averaged more than 95 mph with his fastball last year, ranking in the 71st percentile among MLB pitchers. Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2024 The southpaw won American League Pitcher of the Month in September for his five-start performance, allowing three runs and racking up 43 strikeouts over 30 innings. Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press, 12 Jan. 2024 Instead, though, Tellez stayed squared at the plate against the southpaw and drilled a 1-0 sinker through the right side to score William Contreras and put Milwaukee up, 2-1. Journal Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2023 Just 22 of his 289 plate appearances this season — and 186 of his 1,360 career trips to the plate — have come off southpaws. Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 7 Sep. 2023 The receiver wasn’t a southpaw, but his wheels (his 4.37-second speed in the 40-yard dash out of Texas A&M was the closest anyone on the New England roster could come to Vick’s 4.33 40 coming out of Virginia Tech) helped give them the best possible look. Christopher Price, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Sep. 2023 Teams have been lining up left-handed starters to face the Guardians for months, as Cleveland’s team batting average is nearly 30 points lower when facing southpaws this season. Joe Noga, cleveland, 13 Sep. 2023

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.

Word History

First Known Use

1871, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of southpaw was in 1871

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Cite this Entry

“Southpaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/southpaw. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

southpaw

noun
south·​paw ˈsau̇th-ˌpȯ How to pronounce southpaw (audio)
: a left-handed person
especially : a left-handed baseball pitcher
southpaw adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on southpaw

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