The term “starting rotation” refers to a group of pitchers who are used to start games for a baseball team. They usually take turns starting games in a specific order, then returning to the beginning of the order, or rotation. A team’s starting rotation in modern professional baseball almost always consists of five pitchers, though a four-pitcher rotation may be used on occasion. The team’s best starting pitcher, known as the “ace,” is usually the first pitcher in the rotation. Although this is not always the case, for various reasons, its second-best starter is usually second in the order, and so on through the rest of the starting rotation.
Pitcher Preservation
Starting rotations are necessary because pitching a baseball can be very taxing on the arm and shoulder muscles. After throwing a certain number of pitches or innings in a game, a pitcher usually needs to rest for several days before pitching again. Many starting pitchers, for example, take four days off before pitching again, though these days can include various forms of exercise and even some throwing. Pitchers who are overworked and do not get enough rest between starts are more likely to become fatigued and injured.
Importance
The starting rotations of most baseball teams are regarded as one of the most important aspects of the team. This is due to the fact that starting pitchers are frequently asked to pitch more than half of the innings in games they start, if not the entire game. Some pitchers can complete games, but this is becoming increasingly rare as the use of relievers — players who come in to relieve previous pitchers — has become more common, primarily for strategic reasons. Except in extreme circumstances, pitchers who are part of their teams’ starting rotations are almost never used as relievers.
Rotation Adjustment
The manager of the team determines the order of pitchers in a starting rotation, which almost always starts with the team’s best starter. The rotation could then continue with the second-best pitcher, then the third-best, and so on, or the manager could set the rotation using a specific strategy. If at all possible, some managers prefer to alternate right-handed and left-handed pitchers. Others may alternate pitchers with different styles, such as a hard thrower followed by a pitcher known for throwing slow curveballs or changeups.
Making Adjustments
During the baseball season, even professional teams do not have games scheduled every day, and some games are postponed due to rain. A manager may be forced to make a decision about the team’s starting rotation if there is a day without a game, such as whether to skip the pitcher whose turn it would have been or to push everyone in the rotation back by one day. Lower-level pitchers are occasionally skipped in order to allow the team’s best starters — those at the top of the rotation — to pitch in more games. When one of the starters is injured or hasn’t pitched well enough, a manager may change the order of the starting rotation or replace a pitcher in the rotation.