Starting pitcherIn baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pitchers are expected to pitch for a significant portion of the game, although their ability to do this depends on many factors, including effectiveness, stamina, health, and strategy.
Opener (baseball)In baseball, an opening pitcher, more frequently referred to as an opener, is a pitcher who begins a game, but is only expected to get a few outs before being replaced by a long reliever (or follower), in contrast with starting pitchers, who are traditionally expected to pitch as many innings as possible before being replaced.
Batting (baseball)In baseball, batting is the act of facing the opposing pitcher and trying to produce offense for one's team. A batter or hitter is a person whose turn it is to face the pitcher. The three main goals of batters are to become a baserunner, to drive runners home or to advance runners along the bases for others to drive home, but the techniques and strategies they use to do so vary.
Games pitchedIn baseball statistics, games pitched (denoted by Games G in tables of only pitching statistics) is the number of games in which a player appears as a pitcher. The statistic is also referred to as appearances, especially to refer to the number of games a relief pitcher has pitched in. Normally, a pitcher must face at least one batter (or three batters in some relief situations), but exceptions are made in the case of injury.
PitcherIn baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the defensive numbering system used in baseball, the pitcher is assigned the number 1.
Nolan RyanLynn Nolan Ryan Jr. (born January 31, 1947), nicknamed "the Ryan Express", is an American former professional baseballpitcher and sports executive. Over a record 27-year playing career in Major League Baseball (MLB), Ryan pitched for the New York Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros, and Texas Rangers. After his retirement in 1993, Ryan served as chief executive officer (CEO) of the Texas Rangers and an executive advisor to the Houston Astros.
Baseball statisticsBaseball statistics collect a variety of metrics used to evaluate player and team performance in the sport of baseball. Because the flow of a baseball game has natural breaks, and player performance is individually measurable, the sport lends itself to easy record-keeping and compiling statistics.
Cy YoungDenton True "Cy" Young (March 29, 1867 – November 4, 1955) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher and manager. Born in Gilmore, Ohio, he worked on his family's farm as a youth before starting his professional baseball career. Young entered the major leagues in 1890 with the National League's Cleveland Spiders and pitched for them until 1898. He was then transferred to the St. Louis Cardinals franchise.
Major League BaseballNorth American professional baseball leagueMajor League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league in North America composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada and is considered the premier baseball league in the world.Platoon systemA platoon system in baseball or American football is a method for substituting players in groups (platoons), to keep complementary players together during playing time. In baseball, it is usually used to optimize batting performance against pitchers of opposite handedness. Right-handed batters generally perform better against left-handed pitchers and vice versa.
Pud GalvinJames Francis "Pud" Galvin (December 25, 1856 – March 7, 1902) was an American professional baseball pitcher in the 19th century. He was the first 300-game winner in the major leagues and was posthumously inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1965. In 1883, Galvin had 656+1⁄3 innings pitched (IP); the next season, he had 636+1⁄3 IP. These totals are the fifth and sixth most IP by a player in a single season, respectively.
Base runningIn baseball, base running is the act of running from base to base, performed by members of the team at bat. Base running is a tactical part of the game with the goal of eventually reaching home base (home plate) to score a run. Batters strive to become base runners, and to enable existing base runners to move to a subsequent base or to score. In statistics, the number of baserunners (for example those allowed by a pitcher) is denoted by the abbreviation BR.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.