southpaw
/ˈsaʊθpɔː
/noun
1A left-handed boxer who leads with the right hand: he needed three rounds to work out the Mexican southpaw before taking over [as modifier]: Penalosa’s lack of mobility is counterbalanced by his southpaw stance...
- Fighting from the left-handed southpaw stance, Magee's slashing left hands and jabs kept Hatton off balance for the majority of the opening stages.
- Spinks is going to cause problems for any fighter he faces because of his southpaw stance and elusive style.
- In the second round, Simms switched to a southpaw stance, which paid quick dividends.
1.1 Baseball A left-handed pitcher.His numbers look good, and he's a southpaw in a pitcher's park, both of which bode quite well for his future....
- Based on rate stats, Wagner is unquestionably one of the best active pitchers, left-handed relievers, and southpaws in the history of the game.
- He left his own indelible mark on the game as a premier southpaw who made World Series appearances with two different teams, 17 years apart.
1.2 informal, chiefly North American A left-hander in any sphere: southpaws are handy at math and spatial reasoning
Origin
Mid 19th century (denoting the left hand or a punch with the left hand): the usage in baseball is from the orientation of the diamond to the same points of the compass, causing the pitcher to have his left hand on the south side of his body.