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relief pitcher

American  

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 British  

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of relief pitcher

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Or, if that metaphor doesn’t appeal to you, how about a late-inning relief pitcher warming up in the bullpen?

From Salon • Jan. 2, 2026

It features relief pitcher Roki Sasaki and Smith embracing after the Dodgers clinched the National League pennant, with the slogan “On the Double.”

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 24, 2025

Crawford led off the bottom of the 15th inning with a single before Detroit relief pitcher Tommy Kahnle hit Randy Arozarena with a pitch.

From Barron's • Oct. 11, 2025

Pogacar is loose, more like a free-spirited relief pitcher.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

Occasionally Joe went in as relief pitcher, when the game was safe in the "ice box," but the chance he wanted was to pitch against the New Yorks at St. Louis.

From Baseball Joe in the Big League or, A Young Pitcher's Hardest Struggles by Chadwick, Lester

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.