starting pitcher

noun

baseball
: the pitcher who is playing at the beginning of the game
The manager removed the starting pitcher in the third inning.

Examples of starting pitcher in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Giants starting pitcher Adrian Houser felt his right arm tightening up, and a minutes later, an already lean San Francisco Giants rotation appeared to lose a second member in as many nights on Tuesday. — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 26 Aug. 2026 An All-Star starting pitcher in 2023, Steele is ramping up as a lefty reliever in the hopes of having an impact on a club with World Series aspirations. — Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 Tyler Phillips, who moved from the bullpen to the rotation after a slew of starting pitcher injuries, has gone more than five innings once since the All-Star break. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026 Mariners starting pitcher Logan Gilbert was thrilled to see it, too. — ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for starting pitcher

Rhymes for starting pitcher

See All Rhymes for starting pitcher

Browse Nearby Words

startingly
starting pitcher
starting point
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Starting pitcher.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/starting%20pitcher. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All