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Glite Dictionary
cleanup spot

cleanup spot

1 6.7
A fourth batter in the batting order, usually the strong hitter who tries to make runners score
  • noun
  • /ˈkliːnˌʌp spɑt/
  • Jargon
translation icon : puesto de limpieza

Examples

  • The solution was to keep Montero and have him take over the cleanup spot gradually.

    Blog text (12)

  • Donnie quickly switched me to the cleanup spot.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • In the final inning, the team's best hitter confidently took his place in the cleanup spot.

  • The coach trusts his strongest player to perform well in the cleanup spot and drive in key runs.

  • After several games, he finally secured the cleanup spot due to his excellent batting average.

Synonyms

cleanup
vscleanup spot
  • Jargon
6 4.2

The fourth batter in a baseball lineup usually the team's strongest hitter

is the fourth slot but highlights power hitter expected to drive in runs
cleanup position
vscleanup spot
  • Jargon
6.1

The fourth batter in the batting order, usually the team's best hitter

is the same batting slot but stresses power and run producing role

Surface Forms

cleanup spot singular
cleanup spots plural

Morphology

cleanup + spot

Given the provided constituent meanings, 'cleanup' already denotes the fourth batting position/power hitter and 'spot' means a particular position or place, so their combination straightforwardly yields 'the cleanup spot' as the batting-order position. This is a compositional, predictable naming pattern (term + place/slot) that a learner who knows both constituents would readily understand.

Etymology

The baseball phrase cleanup spot is the fourth place in the batting order. One popular story says the word cleanup comes from the idea of 'cleaning up' a mess: a strong hitter in that spot is expected to 'drive in runs' and bring runners home, so the phrase means the power hitter who bats fourth.