starting pitcher
noun
baseball
: the pitcher who is playing at the beginning of the game
The manager removed the starting pitcher in the third inning.
Examples of starting pitcher in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Last night, Shohei Ohtani, today’s starting pitcher, who will also bat leadoff, crushed a home run over the brick wall in right field and into the San Francisco Bay, where Bonds deposited 35 of his own 762 career home runs.
—
Jeremy Collins, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2025
Just Baseball's Jordan Leandre recently predicted the Mets would trade starting pitcher Kodai Senga to the Houston Astros in an offseason blockbuster.
—Zach Pressnell, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
The Red Sox have already been active on the trade market this winter, acquiring starting pitcher Sonny Gray from the St. Louis Cardinals, infielder Tristan Gray from the Tampa Bay Rays, and most recently starter Johan Oviedo and others from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 7 Dec. 2025
The Chicago Cubs’ right-handed starting pitcher narrowly lost to Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin.
—Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
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Jeremy Collins, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2025
Just Baseball's Jordan Leandre recently predicted the Mets would trade starting pitcher Kodai Senga to the Houston Astros in an offseason blockbuster.
—Zach Pressnell, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
The Red Sox have already been active on the trade market this winter, acquiring starting pitcher Sonny Gray from the St. Louis Cardinals, infielder Tristan Gray from the Tampa Bay Rays, and most recently starter Johan Oviedo and others from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 7 Dec. 2025
The Chicago Cubs’ right-handed starting pitcher narrowly lost to Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin.
—Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for starting pitcher
Cite this Entry
“Starting pitcher.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/starting%20pitcher. Accessed 25 Dec. 2025.
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