Relief pitcher
From Free net encyclopedia
Image:Baseball bullpen 2004.jpg A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness and/or fatigue. Relievers are further divided informally into closers, middle relief pitchers, left-handed specialists, set-up pitchers and long relievers.
A relief pitcher generally has two good pitches – a fastball and some other pitch such as a slider, screwball, or changeup. Because of their limited pitch selection, batters tend to adjust quickly, which limits relievers' effectiveness in repeat at-bats. Therefore, they often only pitch one or two innings.
In the early years of the sport, relief pitchers were generally former starting pitchers who no longer had the endurance to throw for several innings. But gradually over the period between the 1930s and 1960s, relief pitching became a specialized position.
Some of today's best known relief pitchers are Keith Foulke, Eric Gagné, and Mariano Rivera. Four relievers are currently in the Baseball Hall of Fame – Hoyt Wilhelm, Rollie Fingers, Dennis Eckersley, and Bruce Sutter.