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Pinch hitter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Pinch hitter (cricket).
In baseball, a pinch hitter is a common term for a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted in at any time while the ball is dead (not in active play); the manager may use any player that has not yet entered the game as a substitute, and the player that is removed from the game cannot return to play for the rest of the game.
Pinch hitters are often used to replace a starting player when the pinch hitter is thought to have a better chance of reaching base or helping other runners to score.
In the National League of Major League Baseball, the Central League in Japan, and various other Minor leagues, pinch hitters are often substituted for the pitcher in the middle or late innings of a game. This is because pitchers are often poor hitters and get tired after six to seven innings of pitching. This use of a pinch hitter is often part of a double switch, in which a relief pitcher replaces a defensive player who will not bat soon, and a defensive player replaces the former starting pitcher that is currently up to bat. This strengthens the lineup in the short term by preventing the relief pitcher from batting and allowing a better hitter to bat. Compared to a single substitution of a pinch hitter for a pitcher, this allows the relief pitcher to pitch additional innings.
The American League of Major League Baseball, the Pacific League in Japan, and various other leagues use the designated hitter rule; thus pitchers seldom bat, removing a possible situation where a pinch hitter may be desired.
Contents |
This is a list of pinch hitters with the most hits in Major League Baseball.
- Notes
- Bold: active player
- Includes games through September 30, 2007
| * Lenny Harris | 212 |
| * Mark Sweeney | 163 |
| * Manny Mota | 150 |
| * Smoky Burgess | 145 |
| * Greg Gross | 143 |
| * Dave Hansen | 138 |
| * John Vander Wal | 129 |
| * José Morales | 123 |
| * Orlando Palmeiro | 120 |
| * Jerry Lynch | 116 |
| * Red Lucas | 114 |
| * Steve Braun | 113 |
| * Terry Crowley | 108 |
| * Denny Walling | 108 |
| * Gates Brown | 107 |
| * Jim Dwyer | 103 |
| * Mike Lum | 103 |
| * Rusty Staub | 100 |
| * Dave Clark | 96 |
| * Larry Biittner | 95 |
| * Vic Davalillo | 95 |
| * Gerald Perry | 95 |
| * Jerry Hairston | 94 |
| * Dave Philley | 93 |
| * Joel Youngblood | 93 |
| * Jay Johnstone | 92 |
| * Dave Magadan | 92 |
| * Elmer Valo | 90 |
- Most pinch hit at-bat
- Lenny Harris – 804
- Most pinch hits career
- Lenny Harris – 212
- Most pinch hit grand slams
- Rich Reese, Willie McCovey, Ron Northey – tied with three each
- Most pinch hit home runs
- Cliff Johnson – 20
- Most pinch hits
- John Vander Wal – 28 (1995) [1]
- Most pinch hit at-bats
- Lenny Harris – 83 (2001)
- Most pinch hit games
- Lenny Harris – 95 (2001)
- Most consecutive pinch hits
- Dave Philley and Rusty Staub – tied with eight each (1958 and 1983)
- Most pinch hit home runs
- Dave Hansen and Craig Wilson – tied with seven each (2000 and 2001)
- Most pinch hit RBI
- Joe Cronin, Jerry Lynch, Rusty Staub – tied with 25 each (1943, 1961 and 1983)
- Most pinch hit walks
- Matt Franco – 20 (1999)
- The major league record for pinch-hit home runs during a doubleheader is two (2), which has only been accomplished twice:
- Joe Cronin (Boston Red Sox), on June 17, 1943
- Hal Breeden (Montreal Expos), on July 13, 1973.
- The following players have been called into a game and hit a pinch-hit home run during their first ever Major League at-bat:
-
American League Date Name Team Inning 04-30-1937 Ace Parker Philadelphia 9th Inning 09-05-1962 John Kennedy Washington 6th Inning 06-19-1963 Gates Brown Detroit 5th Inning 09-30-1964 Bill Roman Detroit 7th Inning 09-12-1965 Brant Alyea Washington 6th Inning 08-07-1968 Joe Keough Oakland 8th Inning 04-07-1977 Al Woods Toronto 5th Inning
-
National League Date Name Team Inning 4-21-1898 Bill Duggleby Philadelphia 04-14-1936 Eddie Morgan St. Louis 7th Inning 05-21-1948 Les Layton New York 9th Inning 09-14-1950 Ted Tappe Cincinnati 8th Inning 04-12-1955 Chuck Tanner Milwaukee 8th Inning 09-08-1998 Marlon Anderson Philadelphia 7th Inning 04-17-2001 Gene Stechschulte St. Louis 6th Inning 08-21-2005 Mike Jacobs New York 5th Inning 09-01-2005 Jeremy Hermida Florida 7th Inning 09-11-2007 Justin Maxwell Washington 4th Inning
- Three teams are tied for the record number of pinch-hitters during a nine-inning game, with 9: the Los Angeles Dodgers (versus the St. Louis Cardinals on September 22, 1959), the Montreal Expos (versus the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 5, 1975), and the Atlanta Braves (versus the Montreal Expos on September 21, 1993). Naturally, all three games were in September, when major-league rosters expand from 25 to 40 players.
- Other players who have batted as pinch hitting specialists in their careers include:
- Pinch hitter, used as a Standard Informal and Conversational term
- Pinch hitting record from the Baseball Almanac
- ^ "In A Pinch", New York Times, Sept 17, 2006, p. Sports p. 2.