Jump To:

• pinch hit
  pinch hit

  noun

  a hit made by a pinch hitter.
• pinch-hit
  pinch-hit

  verb (used without object)

  to serve as a pinch hitter.

pinch hit

¹ American  

noun

Baseball.

1. a hit made by a pinch hitter.

---

pinch-hit ² American  

[pinch-hit] / ˈpɪntʃˈhɪt /

verb (used without object)

pinch-hit, pinch-hitting

1. Baseball. to serve as a pinch hitter.

2. Informal. to substitute for someone, especially in an emergency.

---

verb (used with object)

pinch-hit, pinch-hitting

1. Baseball. to get, or make (a hit) in pinch-hitting.

pinch-hit British  

verb

1. baseball to bat as a substitute for the scheduled batter

2. informal to act as a substitute

3. cricket (of a batsman in a limited-overs match) to bat aggressively at the start of an innings in order to take advantage of fielding restrictions

---

Other Word Forms

• pinch hitter
  noun

Etymology

Origin of pinch hit¹

First recorded in 1910–15

Origin of pinch-hit²

1930–35, back formation from pinch hitter

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pinch hit pinch-hit pinch-hitting

If Scott had thrown a scoreless inning and sent the game into the 10th, Roberts planned to have Ohtani pinch hit for Miguel Rojas, the third batter due up.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026

But when his next turn at the plate came, Josh Rojas pinch hit for him.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 21, 2024

He felt like Edman would be the perfect choice to pinch hit with the contest on the line.

From Washington Times ● Aug. 30, 2023

He was replaced on the mound by Tyler Anderson and Nolan Schanuel came in to pinch hit for him.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2023

Affidavit, allegro, lee shore, and pinch hit are "technical," while vamp, savvy, bum hunch, and skiddoo are "slang."

From The Century Vocabulary Builder by Bachelor, Joseph M. (Joseph Morris)

Manager Dave Roberts, who had watched Rojas and Santiago Espinal go a combined 0 for 4, pinch-hit for both in the eighth.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2026

But after Smith hit a two-out double, leaving first base open, the Diamondbacks surely would have intentionally walked Ohtani if he pinch-hit for Espinal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026

Is it on par with Kirk Gibson’s pinch-hit, walk-off home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series?

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 17, 2026

By the time the inning ended, a pair of Los Angeles relievers had let nine runs cross the plate, punctuated by Addison Barger’s pinch-hit grand slam, the first in World Series history.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2025

He was called off the bench to pinch-hit with two outs in the ninth, two Dodgers on base after walks, and the enemy leading by one run.

From "In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson" by Bette Bao Lord

Axl Rose even stepped in as a pinch-hitting lead vocalist in 2016.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 2, 2025

Openers Phil Salt and Will Jacks combined for 39, but both struggled to unleash their trademark bombastic pinch-hitting and they fell in quick succession, skying catches off the bowling of Jayden Seales.

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2024

Occasionally it’s pinch-hitting for substance, mere showiness with nothing behind it.

From New York Times ● May 9, 2024

Manager Rocco Baldelli declined to speculate about whether Buxton could play the outfield, but he indicated the 2022 All-Star would only be considered for pinch-hitting or pinch-running opportunities.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 11, 2023

“Doc” Scanlon was pitching for Brooklyn, and, evidently intimidated by Sam’s pinch-hitting reputation or something, suddenly became wild and gave the Giant batter three balls.

From Pitching in a Pinch or, Baseball from the Inside by Mathewson, Christy