Watch: Jimmy Rollins shares video of first left-handed at-bat in little league
Perhaps the two most iconic hits in Jimmy Rollins’ illustrious career with the Philadelphia Phillies came from the left side of the plate.
On the final day of the 2007 season, he tripled into the right-field corner, allowing him to join the exclusive 20-20-20-20 (home runs, triples, doubles, steals) club.
In Game 4 of the 2009 NLCS Rollins laced a ball into the right-center field gap off of Los Angeles Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton, allowing Carlos Ruiz to score from first base, extending the Phillies lead in the series to 3-1.
Once upon a time, though, Rollins was a natural right-handed hitter, flirting with the idea of becoming a switch-hitter. Recently, the former National League MVP shared a video of his first ever left-handed at-bat in a game:
While many kids will experiment with hitting from both sides of the plate, the decision for Rollins to become a switch-hitter proved to be life-altering. It led to his selection in the second round of the 1996 MLB Draft by the Phillies, a franchise that he would eventually become the all-time hits leader for.
Rollins, who finished his career with 2,455 hits, hit for a higher average (.271) from the right side than the left side (.262). However, he proved to be a better run producer when hitting left-handed, as 170 of his 231 career home runs came from that side of the plate.
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