OK...maybe I have the wrong 'nickname' but it's the batter who is 4th in the lineup. I've heard my husband, dad, etc... call this person the 'clean up' batter or something like that.
He's suppose to be the big hitter, right?
Why does he bat 4th?
What's the strategy behind that, especially if the 3 before him all struck out?
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2007-07-15 07:05:47 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Sports ➔ Other - Sports
You have received other good answers so I won't go over that again. But your question about the first three striking out - that could happen but is not very likely. The line-up has good hitters in the first three positions before the clean-up hitter.
All of this strategy is assuming that there is a good team involved. You will see especially with younger children's teams that this strategy does not always work. But when talking about strategy we are assuming a good team of players who are mature enough to understand what is going on, etc.
My niece was, at 9 years old, clean-up hitter. Of course this strategy did not always work being that the first child could get hit by a ball and end up being out of the game, etc. but the idea was to teach the children how the game should be played and about team unity, sportsmanship, etc. and the strategy was the same. The first three hitters were players who usually got a base hit at least.
2007-07-15 08:10:48 · answer #1 · answered by Patti C 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Think about it in terms of if the first three do NOT strike out. Usually the best hitters are at the top of the lineup (first, second, third), with the very best being fourth. That way if the first three (or even one or two of them) get a hit and get on base, the fourth batter can "clean things up" by (hopefully) hitting a home run and batting them all in, or at least getting a hit so one or two of them can score. Even if no one scores, if one of the first three gets on base and the cleanup hitter moves him along by getting a hit also, the team is that much closer to scoring.
The ideal situation envisioned by setting up the lineup this way is that the first three will all get base hits, and when the fourth batter comes up the bases will be loaded and he'll hit a "grand slam" home run, scoring four runs right there. It doesn't usually happen that way, but that's the hope.
2007-07-15 07:11:13 · answer #2 · answered by Anne M 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the clean up hitter always hits 4th in the line up. he is usually the hitter with the best batting average or most likely to home run . seeing how there are 3 outs per inning if 1 of the 1st 3 batters were to get on base the would be a very good chance that the 4th batter (clean up) would get to the plate and have the best chance of getting a base hit or home run and scoring that runner. if all 3 of the batters in the 1st inning were to get out you would have you best hitter leading off in the 2nd inning. to answer you question, putting your best hitter 4th maximizes your chances of producing runs. oh ya, he is called the clean up hitter because he is usually left with a man on base and 2 outs, and it is his job to clean the runner or runners off the bases.
2007-07-15 07:19:20 · answer #3 · answered by jonathan338 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The strategy is to get the lead-off hitters (1-3) on base and then slam them home with a homerun to get quite a fair lead from the beginning of the game. It doesn't always work like in the case you mentioned where they all strike out, but its a nice attempt to capture the game from the beginning so you'll have more room for error towards the middle and end. Hope i helped
2007-07-15 07:13:05 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Realistically, the 3 batters ahead of him are not supposed to strike out; it's their job to get on base. The cleanup hitter is usually the most powerful hitter on the team. He's expected to drive in runs via the home run, a double, etc.
2007-07-15 07:09:51 · answer #5 · answered by elltea87 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
the strategy is for the three before him to NOT strike out. The point is that the first three should be reliable base hitters or walkers. Load up the bases, and then the clean up hitter should hit a home run (or grand slam in this situation).
2007-07-15 07:09:13 · answer #6 · answered by robin0408 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
your first 3 batters jobs are to get on base, then the 4th batter is suppose to drive in runs, he is the power hitter. he is suppose to clean off the bases, in a matter of speaking. he hits for power while the other are trying to get on. you want the meat of your line up to be 3 and 4 batters, that way you can get the first and secound on then 3 and 4 can drive them in.
2007-07-15 09:37:24 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The idea is to get your guys most likely to get a hit at the top of the lineup, then have your big RBI producer (someone who hits a lot of homeruns and has a good on-base percentage) bat 4th to drive in those runs.
2007-07-15 07:09:05 · answer #8 · answered by Freethinker 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
it's like for a best possible senario, if the other three got on base by walks or hit.. or at least like one or two of them... then the "clean up" hitter could hit a grand slam or at least a few run homer. if the best hitter was first, then he would alwaya get solo home runs, or get hits woth nobody on. always better to hit the ball when sombody is on.
hope i helped.
2007-07-15 07:11:00 · answer #9 · answered by NY Lady 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If the bases are loaded, the clean up batter is the one who comes along, and knocks them all into him.. Or tries too.. He/she is generally stratigicly placed to do this..
2007-07-15 09:03:03 · answer #10 · answered by AlleycatJo 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋