Setup pitcher

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In baseball, a setup pitcher (or set-up pitcher, sometimes called the setup man) is a relief pitcher who regularly pitches before the closer. They commonly pitch the 7th and/or 8th innings, with the closer pitching the 9th.

The concept of a team having a defined setup pitcher is a relatively new one which has been aided by the addition of the statistical category of holds. The role, however, remains a flexible and sometimes ill-defined one. Setup pitchers, unlike closers, commonly appear in games where their team is tied or even behind, making the designation of setup pitcher representative of only a certain number - perhaps under half - of the pitcher's appearances within a season. However, it is fairly common for a young setup man that achieves success to be moved to the closer role.

Accolades for setup men are few and far between; occasionally they will be selected to the All-Star Team (Brendan Donnelly, Hideki Okajima, and Mike Stanton, for instance) or receive votes for the Cy Young Award or MVP (Mariano Rivera finished 3rd in the AL Cy Young voting in 1996).

Teams commonly have a right-handed and a left-handed setup pitcher in their bullpens.

Current set-up men by team:

[edit] American League

[edit] National League


v • d • e
Pitcher
Strategies
Roles
Languages