A freshman pitcher for Mississippi State is doing things that not even Shohei Ohtani can match.
Jurrangelo Cijntje, a 19-year-old starter on the Bulldogs, went viral on Wednesday for his near-mythical feats on the mound in a game against UL Monroe. During one sequence in the third inning, Cijntje, an ambidextrous pitcher, struck out a righty batter with a 96 mph fastball from his right arm. Then when facing a lefty batter later in the same inning, Cijntje switched to his left arm and struck out the batter with some 92 mph heat. Check it out.
Cijntje allowed just one hit and one walk over four innings pitched against UL Monroe, also striking out seven batters and earning himself the victory. He was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 18th round of last year’s MLB Draft but turned them down to attend Mississippi State.
Ambidextrous pitchers are rare but not totally unheard of. We saw one ex-MLB reliever pitch with both arms in the same inning a few years ago. But what is unheard of is an ambidextrous pitcher who can throw 90-plus with both arms. That is what Mississippi State is getting from Cijntje, a modern-day pitching unicorn.
More must-reads: