cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/14460211

Cijntje (pronounced SAIN-ja) is a Mississippi State sophomore who can pitch baseballs with both arms. He’s a right-handed pitcher. He’s also a left-handed pitcher. And he’s only getting better at it as he gets older.

“I throw 99 from the right side,” Cijntje said, quite matter-of-factly. “And from the left side, I top out at 95.”

Cijntje’s ambidexterity began back when he was 6 years old on the Caribbean shores of baseball-loving Curaçao.

He was born a left-hander, but he wanted to be a catcher – like his dad Mechangelo – who played professionally in the Netherlands. Left-handed catchers are almost as rare as ambidextrous pitchers. So, he began working on the strength and accuracy of his right arm. With tires and screws.

“We were just hanging out one time in the backyard,” Cijntje remembered. “And my dad grabbed a ball and put a screw in it. So, when I threw the ball, the ball would get stuck in the tire. I was just throwing the ball with the screw in it and I think that developed my arm. It didn’t actually take long for me to just start throwing with my right arm. … It became almost natural.”