In
baseball, the
pitcher is the player who throws the
baseball from the
pitcher's mound toward the
catcher to begin each play, with the goal of
retiring a
batter, who attempts to either make contact with the
pitched ball or draw a
walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the pitcher is assigned the number 1. The pitcher is often considered the most important defensive player, and as such is situated at the right end of the
defensive spectrum.