How a Baseball Pitching Lineup is Organized

Over the years there have been all sorts of different changes to the sport of baseball. The days where there are a mere nine players on a team are long gone. Today teams have rosters that are much larger than that of those days, and one of the best examples is that of the pitching lineups. A baseball pitching lineup involves more than just a few starters but also various other types of pitchers.

First, a starting rotation is used. Five starting pitchers will be used for a team. These are pitchers who will begin the game at pitcher and will stay in for as long as needed. Five pitchers are generally used, but some teams can go with just four.

Long relievers are also used. These pitchers are used in the event that the starting pitcher is not capable of completing the game or the pitcher is clearly not doing well. There are usually two long relievers on a typical team, but some can use one. These relief pitchers for baseball depth charts will be ones that can last for about four or five innings on average.

Middle relievers ill be ones that are usually shorter in terms of stamina but can still be useful. These are pitchers that last about two or three innings on average.

A setup pitcher is also used in many cases. A setup pitcher will appear for an inning or two during a situation where the starting pitcher has left the game with a lead. These pitchers usually appear in the seventh or eighth inning.

The last of the pitchers on baseball depth charts is the closer. A closer is a pitcher that works to finish up a game in the ninth inning when the team is winning. When a closer can complete the win that person will get the save.

This typical pitching lineup is a far cry form what was used in the past. One example to use is to compare the 2005 Chicago White Sox and the 1877 Boston Red Caps. Five pitchers were starting pitchers for the World Series winning White Sox team – Mark Buehrle, Freddy Garcia, Jose Contreras, Orlando Hernandez and Jon Garland. Only one starter – Tommy Bond – was used for the National League champion Red Caps. Also, whereas Will White was the only relief pitcher for the Caps the Sox featured eleven relievers over the course of the year, including Cliff Politte and Bobby Jenks.

A baseball pitching lineup involves various different roles. Starting pitchers, long relievers, middle relievers, setup relievers and closers are used. In fact, when the past of the game is considered it can be seen how much strategy has been valued over the history of the sport.