relief pitcher

noun

: a baseball pitcher who takes over for another during a game

Examples of relief pitcher in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
If your relief pitcher throws a wild pitch after your defense allowed a gift triple, your season can end in a hurry. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026 Teams bring on relief pitchers to replace the pitchers that have seemingly run out of gas. — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 4 Oct. 2026 During the Royals’ 7-3 win, relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel got sick on the mound. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2026 One thing is certain — Mets relief pitcher Jefry Yan got everyone’s attention with his high-flying, post-strikeout celebration during his MLB debut on Wednesday in Cleveland against the Guardians. — Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for relief pitcher

Word History

First Known Use

1884, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of relief pitcher was in 1884

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Relief pitcher.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/relief%20pitcher. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Kids Definition

relief pitcher

noun
: a baseball pitcher who takes over for another during a game

More from Merriam-Webster on relief pitcher

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster