Relief pitcher

<p>In <a href="/facts/Baseball/42bEQy1Y">baseball</a> and <a href="/facts/Softball/4aPg2eqt">softball</a>, a relief pitcher or reliever is a <a href="/facts/Pitcher/08gAFpa3">pitcher</a> who pitches in the game after the <a href="/facts/Starting_pitcher/Dv4dCJ93">starting pitcher</a> or another relief pitcher has been removed from the game due to <a href="/facts/Fatigue_(medical)/C2oo4Hvg">fatigue</a>, injury, ineffectiveness, <a href="/facts/Ejection_(sports)/BW52szps">ejection</a>, high pitch count, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weather delays or <a href="/facts/Pinch_hitter/LL73kt1X">pinch hitter</a> substitutions. Relief pitchers are further divided informally into various roles, such as <a href="/facts/Closer_(baseball)/CssVA6UQ">closers</a>, <a href="/facts/Setup_men/wXSpyDVo">setup men</a>, <a href="/facts/Middle_relief_pitcher/4uPudUX4">middle relief pitchers</a>, <a href="/facts/Left-handed_specialist/0DBsAXG5">left/right-handed specialists</a>, and <a href="/facts/Long_reliever/YSmvMvj5">long relievers</a>. Whereas starting pitchers usually <a href="/facts/Pitch_count/R3VWICAE">throw so many pitches</a> in a single game that they must rest several days before pitching in another, relief pitchers are expected to be more flexible and typically pitch in more games with a shorter time period between pitching appearances but with fewer <a href="/facts/Innings_pitched/q4AVyC6m">innings pitched</a> per appearance. A team's staff of relievers is normally referred to <a href="/facts/Metonymy/EdwzPEyE">metonymically</a> as a team's <a href="/facts/Bullpen/DQBjtNtR">bullpen</a>, which refers to the area where the relievers sit during games, and where they warm-up prior to entering the game.
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Relief pitcher open-in-new

Relief pitcher