Olney: How ABS has helped propel a left-handed-hit...
Key takeaways
- Yankee Stadium was designed for left-handed hitters -- initially for slugger Babe Ruth.
- So perhaps it's no surprise that left-handed hitters are dominating in 2026 -- and a rule change this season might have swung the pendulum even more in their favor.
- Kyle Schwarber, the Philadelphia Phillies' left-handed slugger, leads the majors with 29 homers.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
Left-handed hitters have a slightly shorter distance to cover on their journey to first base, and with right-handed pitchers generally outnumbering left-handed ones, lefty batters have had more platoon opportunities than their right-handed peers. Yankee Stadium was designed for left-handed hitters -- initially for slugger Babe Ruth. When lists of the prettiest swings are compiled, most of the candidates are usually left-handed, from Ted Williams to Will Clark to Ken Griffey Jr.
So perhaps it's no surprise that left-handed hitters are dominating in 2026 -- and a rule change this season might have swung the pendulum even more in their favor.
Kyle Schwarber, the Philadelphia Phillies' left-handed slugger, leads the majors with 29 homers. The top eight hitters in OPS are Yordan Alvarez, Nick Kurtz, Ben Rice, Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, Schwarber, Munetaka Murakami and James Wood -- all of whom swing from the left side. Miami's Otto Lopez, right-handed, has the league's highest batting average -- but six of the next seven highest belong to left-handed hitters.