In
baseball and
softball, a
relief pitcher or
reliever is a
pitcher who enters the game after the
starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness,
fatigue,
ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a
pinch hitter. Relief pitchers are further divided informally into various roles, such as
closers,
set-up relief pitchers,
middle relief pitchers,
left/right-handed specialists, and
long relievers. Whereas starting pitchers usually rest several days before pitching in a game again due to the
amount of pitches thrown, relief pitchers are expected to be more flexible and typically pitch more games but with fewer
innings pitched. A team's staff of relievers is normally referred to
metonymically as a team's
bullpen, which refers to the area where the relievers sit during games, and where they warm-up prior to entering the game.