Handedness in sports offers an interesting example of both nature and nurture. Which hand you throw with seems to be quite innate. On the other hand, how you swing a stick two-handed seems influenced by your culture. In baseball and golf, most players who throw right-handed swing the bat or golf club with their left side forward. (But plenty of right-handed baseball players take a stance with their right side forward, and natural righthander Phil Mickelson plays golf with his right side forward.)

But in ice hockey, right-handers tend to shoot with their right sides forward so they can put their dominant hand higher up on the stick for more control. Hence among Canadian-born major league baseball players, 42% of right-handed throwers bat “left-handed” compared to 19% of right-handed throwers born in the United States.

Colby Cosh has the details.