0 to do something for someone because they are suddenly unable to do it:
He was pinch-hitting for one of the regular TV sportscasters, and was a great success.
1 (in baseball) to take another player’s turn to hit
He can pinch-hit, play tomorrow, there are a lot of options.
He didn't trust younger players, often inserting himself to pitch or pinch-hit for them.
He did not play in the second game, but in the first game, he hit a pinch hit home run in the sixth inning.
The organization thought that he might get some opportunities to pinch hit with the major league team.
He was a versatile player, who could play many different positions, as well as pinch hit.
He was announced as a pinch hitter but did not get to bat because he was subsequently pinch hit for himself.
He also sometimes pinch hit for his starting pitcher in early innings if he felt a timely hit would break the game open.
In that contest, he surrendered a pinch hit single in the eighth, but did not allow any runs until a ninth-inning home run.
