Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
⚾ A left-handed pitcher ✋ A left-handed person
left-hander

left-hander

5 5.5
A baseball pitcher who throws the ball with the left hand
  • noun
  • /ˈlɛftˌhændər/
translation icon : lanzador zurdo
  • And left-hander Francisco Liriano is pitching well in winter ball.
  • Dodgers' left-hander
  • rookie left-hander
  • left-hander who pitched

Examples

  • Jose Reyes and left-hander Mark Buehrle, two of the five Marlins headed to Toronto in a pending blockbuster, are upset that the team broke verbal promises to them regarding trades, according to major-league sources.

    Blog text (26)

  • Raptors left-hander Gregg Downing gave up eight earned runs before being lifted in the fourth, while Missoula's Jared Ray allowed seven earned runs in three innings.

    Blog text (16)

  • And he gets to battle the left-hander right here.

    Three Fugitives (1989)

  • And they get a left-hander up.

    For Love of the Game (1999)

  • Nationals left-hander Gio Gonzalez finished third.

    Blog text (26)

  • The Twins then called left-hander Brian Duensing out of the bullpen.

    Blog text (18)

  • "I can't wait to get to play with Torii," said Tigers left-hander Drew Smyly, who is from Hunter's home state of Arkansas.

    Blog text (15)

  • The Giants like giving Bonds two consecutive days of rest, and with an off day yesterday and a left-hander, Oliver Perez, starting for the Mets tonight, benching him was the natural move.

    Blog text (23)

  • The Nationals became a contender a year sooner than some expected, with the help of left-hander Gio Gonzalez, who was acquired last winter in a 4-for-2 trade with the Oakland A's.

    Blog text (18)

  • In the championship game, the star left-hander struck out ten batters to lead his team to victory.

Synonyms

lefty
vsleft-hander
  • Informal
60 8.2

A person who uses their left hand more than their right, often a baseball pitcher

is the hyphenated short form for the same baseball role
southpaw
vsleft-hander
  • Jargon
12 8.7

A person who uses their left hand in sports like boxing or baseball

is the hyphenated short form for the same baseball role
left-handed pitcher
vsleft-hander
3 3.5

A baseball player who throws the ball to batters with the left hand

is the hyphenated short form for the same baseball role
lefthander
vsleft-hander
1 5.2

A baseball pitcher who throws with the left hand

is the hyphenated short form for the same baseball role

Surface Forms

left-hander singular
left-handers plural

Morphology

left-hander = left-hand (transparent) = left + hand + er

Agentive '-er' added to 'left-hand' yields 'left-hander' meaning someone (here, a pitcher) who uses the left hand; the derivation is direct.

Etymology

The sports use of left-hander comes from the same parts: left ('on the left side') and hand ('the body part'). So in baseball a left-hander is a pitcher who throws with their left hand, and the name tells you which hand they use.