pinch-hitter
Emergency plate appearance
A pinch-hitter in baseball is a substitute batter sent in to hit for another player, typically at a crucial moment when a better swing is needed.
The term extends to anyone who substitutes for another in a pinch: She served as pinch-hitter when the keynote speaker canceled.
The verb is pinch-hit.
What takes another's place
- stand-inTemporary human placeholder
- fill-inTemporary substitute person
- backupStored duplicate for recovery
- reserveSupply kept back
understudy · surrogate · temp · relief · sub · last-minute · emergency · covering
Replacement for another
- batterUncooked cake mixture
- clutchMechanism linking engine to gearbox
- lineupOrdered list of participants
- plateFlat dish for food
dugout · bench · utility player · at-bat · swing · inning · manager · roster
Force upon contact
- high-stakesInvolving significant consequences
- crucialOf supreme importance
- momentBrief period of time
- expectationBelief about future outcomes
nerves · performance · deadline · urgency · delivery · crunch-time · decisive · critical
replacement
What takes another's place
- stand-inTemporary human placeholder
- fill-inTemporary substitute person
- backupStored duplicate for recovery
reserve · understudy · surrogate · temp · relief · sub · last-minute · emergency · covering · proxy
substitute
Replacement for another
- batterUncooked cake mixture
- clutchMechanism linking engine to gearbox
- lineupOrdered list of participants
plate · dugout · bench · utility player · at-bat · swing · inning · manager · roster · walk-off
pressure
Force upon contact
- high-stakesInvolving significant consequences
- crucialOf supreme importance
- momentBrief period of time
expectation · nerves · performance · deadline · urgency · delivery · crunch-time · decisive · critical · do-or-die
- substitutessubstitute, subs, replacement, substitutes, stand-in