Editing Pinch hitter (section)

==Usage==
Pinch hitters are often used to replace a starting player because of injury or when the pinch hitter is thought to have a better chance of reaching base or helping other runners to score.

When the [[designated hitter]] rule is not in effect (e.g., in the [[Central League]] in [[Nippon Professional Baseball|NPB]], in the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] before 2022 and [[American League]] before 1973 in [[Major League Baseball|MLB]] and leagues such as the [[Atlantic League of Professional Baseball|Atlantic League]] which use the [[Designated_hitter#Minor League Baseball|double hook]] rule), 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 may become less effective after six to seven innings of pitching. Thus, as the manager often plans to replace the pitcher in the next inning, the player being replaced cannot re-enter the game, the major downside of using a pinch hitter.

This use of a pinch hitter is often part of a [[Double switch (baseball)|double switch]], in which a [[relief pitcher]] replaces a defensive player who will not bat soon, and at the same time a defensive player replaces the pitcher who is scheduled to bat soon. If a player acts as a pinch hitter and his team bats around in the inning, he may come to the plate a second time. The second (and subsequent) times he bats in the inning are not considered pinch-hitting appearances.

The pinch hitter need not (but may) assume the same position as the player for whom he pinch-hits as long as some other player assumes that position. For example, on August 16, 2009, the [[Washington Nationals]]' [[Ryan Zimmerman]] pinch-hit for second baseman [[Alberto González (baseball)|Alberto González]] and then remained in the game at third base, with previous [[third baseman]] [[Ronnie Belliard]] switching positions to play second base after the change.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore?gameId=290816117|title=Nationals vs. Reds - Box Score - August 16, 2009 - ESPN|website=ESPN.com}}</ref> Alternatively, the manager may designate another player to replace the pinch hitter; this scenario is common when a team pinch-hits for a pitcher without executing a double switch, such that the new pitcher then replaces the pinch hitter and assumes the previous pitcher's place in the batting order.

If a pinch hitter hits for the [[Designated hitter|DH]], the new pinch hitter stays in the game as a DH, and may not be used in the field. If the new DH does take the field, then the team forfeits the DH for the remainder of the game (thus, causing the pitcher to enter the batting order).