pinch hitter

noun

: one that pinch-hits

Synonyms

• backup
• cover
• designated hitter
• fill-in
• locum tenens
• relief
• replacement
• reserve
• stand-in
• sub
• substitute

Examples of pinch hitter in a Sentence

the business owners brought in a pinch hitter until a permanent manager could be hired

Recent Examples on the Web

Weaver struck out pinch hitter Will Brennan and got Guardians superstar third baseman José Ramírez to ground out, ending the threat. —Homero De La Fuente, CNN, 15 Oct. 2024

Zoom in: After Houston took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the seventh, pinch hitter Andy Ibañez hit a double with the bases loaded to give Detroit the lead for good in the eighth. —Joe Guillen, Axios, 3 Oct. 2024

Gray, a 13th-round selection by the Pirates in the 2017 MLB Draft, made his A’s debut on Sunday, drawing a walk as a pinch hitter. —Justice Delos Santos, The Mercury News, 2 Sep. 2024

Lee entered as a pinch hitter for the Houston Astros in the eighth inning of a July 1, 2022 game against the Los Angeles Angels, subbing in for Martín Maldonado. —Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

pinch hitter

noun

1

: a baseball player sent in to bat for another especially when a hit is needed

2

: a person called upon to do another's work in an emergency

pinch-hit

(ˈ)pinch-ˈhit

verb