relief pitcher

noun

Baseball.

1. a pitcher brought into a game to replace another pitcher, often in a critical situation.

2. a pitcher regularly so used, as opposed to one who regularly starts games.

relief pitcher

noun

1. Also called: reliever. baseball a pitcher who replaces a side's main pitcher during a game

Word History and Origins

Origin of relief pitcher¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

The Brewers started closing relief pitcher Trevor Megill after the Cubs became the first team in MLB history to hit homers in the first inning of the first four games of a playoff series.

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Anybody who qualifies as a traditional relief pitcher faced exactly one batter, which was actually one more than they had hoped.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

I hear they are soon releasing the movie “Groundhog Day II” in which Bill Murray portrays a Dodgers relief pitcher named “Tanner Treinen.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

No role in baseball has undergone more of a transformation than that of a relief pitcher.

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The back-and-forth animosity on the field came to a peak Thursday when Dodgers relief pitcher Jack Little hit Fernando Tatis Jr. with a pitch in the ninth inning.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bullpen 
• reliever 
• stopper