Definition

Noun: A baseball game in which the pitcher for one team permits batters from the opposing team to achieve exactly four hits (safe bases reached by batting the ball).

Usage

This is a specific statistical term used in baseball reporting and analysis to describe a pitcher's performance in a complete game. It highlights the pitcher's effectiveness at limiting the opposing team's offense.

Examples

• The rookie pitcher celebrated his first complete game, a brilliant 4-hitter.
• She pitched a shutout 4-hitter to lead her team to victory.
• The team lost 2-1 despite their starter throwing a complete-game 4-hitter.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often modified by adjectives describing the quality of the performance (e.g., "a masterful 4-hitter," "a hard-luck 4-hitter").
• It is part of a numerical series of similar terms (e.g., one-hitter, two-hitter, three-hitter, five-hitter).

Variants and Related Words

• No-hitter: A game in which a pitcher allows zero hits.
• One-hitter: A game in which a pitcher allows one hit.
• Complete game: A game where a single pitcher pitches the entire game for his or her team, regardless of the number of hits allowed.

Synonyms

• Four-hit game (This is a more descriptive phrase than a direct synonym for the compound noun "4-hitter").

Notes

• The term "4-hitter" specifically refers to the pitcher's accomplishment, not the game itself, though it is common to say "he threw a 4-hitter" or "the game was a 4-hitter."
• It is a compound noun formed from the number "4" and the noun "hitter," where "hitter" in this context means "a game with that number of hits allowed."

Noun

1. a game in which a pitcher allows the opposing team 4 hits