This article is about baseball. For other meanings, see batting order.
The batting order, in baseball, is the sequence in which the nine members of the offensive lineup take their turns in batting against the pitcher. The batting order is set by the manager before the game begins (although substitutions may subsequently take place). If a team bats out of order, it is a violation of baseball's rules and subject to penalty.
Positions in the lineup
The first player in the batting order is known as the leadoff hitter. Generally the leadoff batter is the fastest baserunner on the team; because he bats more than anyone else in the lineup, and in order to have baserunners when the later hitters with more power come to bat, his need for a high on base percentage exceeds even that of the other lineup spots. It is also considered disadvantageous to have a faster player behind a slower one on the bases. Once on base his goal is to advance around the bases as quickly as possible, and then score. As leadoff hitters are selected primarily for their ability to reach base and their speed, they are not typically power hitters.
The second batter, most often just referred to as in the two-hole, is usually a contact-hitter with the ability to bunt or get a hit, his main goal is to move the leadoff man into scoring position.
The third batter, in the three-hole is generally one of the best hitters for batting average on the team, but not necessarily very fast. Part of his job is to help set the table for the cleanup hitter, and part of it is to help drive baserunners himself.
The fourth player in the batting order is known as the clean-up hitter, and is always one of the best hitters on the team – often the one with the most power. Baseball managers place hitters ahead of the clean-up man who are most likely to reach base, so that the fourth batter can "clean" the bases by driving these baserunners home to score runs. His main goal is to drive in runs, although he is expected to score runs as well. In fact, the fourth spot in the order has the luxury of being somewhat "protected" from bad situations early in the game: the batter only rarely faces a spot with two outs and no baserunners in the first time through the order - possible if one of the first 3 batters hit a home run and the other 2 make outs. If nobody gets on base, the cleanup hitter will have a chance to start a rally in the second inning by being the first batter, with zero outs.
The fifth and sixth batters have traditionally been RBI men, with the main goal of driving runners home, especially with sacrifice flies. Modern sabermetric baseball theory suggests that even these batters should have high on-base percentages, though this approach has not been universally adopted.
The seventh and eighth batters are often not as powerful as the earlier batters, and don't have as good average. They are still expected to produce, but have less pressure in those spots. The main piece of pressure the eight hitter has is when there are two outs, in this case he must battle the pitcher to get on base so that the ninth hitter can come up. That way, even if the ninth hitter gets out, the top of the order will come up next. In leagues without designated hitters (DHs), the catcher will often bat eight as the second weakest hitter in the order. However this is by no means always the case.
The ninth batter is almost always the weakest hitter on the team. In leagues without DHs, it is usually the pitcher. If there is someone on first or second base with less than two outs when the ninth hitter is up, he will almost always sacrifice bunt.
Notable cleanup hitters
Perhaps the most well-known "clean-up hitter" of all-time was Lou Gehrig, who was preceded in the New York Yankees lineup by several fine hitters including the immortal Babe Ruth. Gehrig took advantage of this position to lead the league in Runs Batted In five times and hit 23 grand slams over his career.
Other notable batters who have batted cleanup regularly include: