go to bat for

Idioms  

1. Take the side of, support, defend. For example, Dad will always go to bat for his kids. This term originated in baseball, where it means simply substituting for another batter, but it is the idea of helping one's team in this way that has been transferred to more general use. [Slang; early 1900s]

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Example Sentences

O’Neill, who is set to join the London-based company from Australia’s Woodside Energy WDS -2.65%decrease; red down pointing triangle in April, is a dealmaker who is willing to go to bat for the oil-and-gas business.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025

The issue put Redstone and some high-level executives at odds with journalists, who expressed dismay that the company did not appear willing to go to bat for one of the network’s premier brands.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 5, 2025

Yes, Philadelphians and Pennsylvanians will almost always go to bat for one their own—one of the big upsides for Harris if she chose Shapiro.

From Slate • Aug. 6, 2024

In a statement on Wednesday evening, Mr. Comer called Republicans on his panel “an all-star lineup ready to hit the ground running and go to bat for the American people.”

From New York Times • Jan. 18, 2023

“But if you want someone to go to bat for you, she’s the one.”

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel