Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to switch-hit

to switch-hit

2 9.0
To bat with either hand depending on which hand the pitcher or bowler uses
  • verb
  • /ˈswɪtʃˌhɪt/
  • Jargon
: batir a ambos lados
  • Many players find it advantageous to switch-hit to better match the opposing pitcher's style.

Examples

  • The switch-hitting slugger was hitting only .221, with five home runs and 30 runs batted in.

    Blog text (14)

  • - You ready to switch hit?

    Dazed and Confused (1993)

  • I want to switch hit like my big brothers.

    The Bad News Bears (1976)

  • - Sean, do you know how to switch hit?

    Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008)

  • Second, I think Jeter should learn how to switch hit this spring.

    Blog text (16)

  • I was thinking around the fourth game, you'd be switch-hitting.

    The Bad News Bears (1976)

  • Thus, players who naturally throw right-handed take up left-handed batting or switch-hitting.

    Academic text (1998)

  • And even with Ellsbury in the lineup, the switch-hitting Reyes offers the kind of top-of-the-order flexibility that would make the Red Sox drool over.

    Blog text (5)

  • Maicer Izturis: The switch-hitting Izturis has swung the bat better as a lefty throughout his career and offers quality defense at both second and third base, giving the team more flexibility around the diamond.

    Blog text (30)

  • In order to improve his batting average, he decided to switch-hit during the game against the left-handed pitcher.

Surface Forms

switch-hit infinitive
switch-hit past
switch-hit past participle
switch-hitting present participle
switch-hits third person singular

Morphology

switch-hit = switch + hit (transparent) = switch + hit

Meaning is directly composed from 'switch' + 'hit' (change the side from which one hits), which learners can infer from the component verbs.

Etymology

Switch-hit comes from two simple words: switch meaning 'change' and hit meaning 'strike the ball', so it feels like 'changing which way you hit'. That's why a player who switch-hit bats right-handed against left-handed pitchers or bowlers and left-handed against right-handed ones.