STARTING LINEUP

A 'starting lineup' in sports refers to the set of players actively participating in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as ''starters'', whereas the others are ''substitutes'' or ''bench players''.
The starters are commonly the best players on the team at their respective positions. Consequently, there is often a bit of prestige that is associated with being a starter. In both baseball and basketball, it is common for players' positions to be denoted by a number as well as by a name. In that instance, the associated number is used as well. If a common abbreviation is known, the abbreviation is listed after the associated number.

Contents

Baseball starting lineup

Basketball starting lineup

Ice hockey starting lineup

Association football (soccer) starting lineup

Netball starting lineup

Australian rules football starting lineup

American football starting lineup

See also

Baseball starting lineup

The starting lineup in baseball comprises either nine or ten players. In the National League of Major League Baseball, there are nine players in the starting lineup and all players bat. American League teams have the option of using a designated hitter (DH) in place of the pitcher in the batting order. The DH does not play when the team is on defense.
# P - Pitcher
# C - Catcher
# 1B - First baseman
# 2B - Second baseman
# 3B - Third baseman
# SS - Shortstop
# LF - Left fielder
# CF - Center fielder
# RF - Right Fielder
# DH - Designated hitter

Basketball starting lineup

The starting lineup on a basketball team usually comprises five positions and is called the 2-1-2 lineup:
# PG - Point guard
# SG - Shooting guard
# SF - Small forward
# PF - Power forward
# C - Center

Ice hockey starting lineup

In ice hockey, a team starts out with six players on the ice:

★ Two defencemen

★ A goaltender

★ A centreman

★ A left-winger

★ A right-winger

Association football (soccer) starting lineup

The most common starting lineup in soccer is called 4-4-2 and consists of:

★ A goalkeeper

★ Four defenders (may include a sweeper)

★ Four midfielders

★ Two strikers

Netball starting lineup

In netball, a team starts with seven players on the court:
# GS - Goal shooter
# GA - Goal attack
# WA - Wing attack
# C - Centre
# WD - Wing defence
# GD - Goal defence
# GK - Goal keeper

Australian rules football starting lineup

In Australian rules football, a team starts with eighteen plays on the field:
# F - Three forwards (one full-forward, two forward pockets)
# HF - Three half forwards (one centre-half forward, two half-forward flanks)
# C - Three centres (one centre, two wing-men)
# HB - Three half backs (one centre-half back, two half-back flanks)
# B - Three backs (one full-back, two back pockets)
# Fol - Three followers (one ruck-man, one ruck-rover, one rover)
In Pokemon, a team usually will usually comprise the following, though teams can vary greatly:
# Physical Sweeper, may or may not be Choice-banded
# Special Sweeper
# Wall
# Tank / Hazer / Pseudo-hazer
# Back-up sweeper, or additional support
# Back-up sweeper, or additional support

American football starting lineup

In American football, a team starts with 11 players on offense, 11 players on defense, and a special teams squad of 11 players for punts, kickoffs, and extra point attempts. Very often most of the special teams players are starters or bench players for offense or defense. An example of this is Dante Hall of the Kansas City Chiefs. He is their prime kick returner but also is a wide receiver.
Offense:
# QB -- Quarterback
# RB -- Running back
# C -- Center
# LG, RG -- Left and right guard on either side of the center
# LT, RT -- Left and right tackles on either end of the five man offensive line
# TE -- Tight end
# WR -- Wide receiver Teams can have up to five receivers on the field so long as there are no more than 11 offensive players.
Defense:
Traditional football defense is the 4-3 formation. However, the 3-4 formation is becoming more popular among professional and NCAA Division I teams.
# DT -- Depending on formation a team may have up to two defensive tackles. If there is only one he is called the Nose Tackle (NT)
# DE -- A team has two defensive ends
# LB -- A team can start three or four linebackers based on formation
# SS -- Strong safety
# FS -- Free safety
# CB -- Teams usually start two cornerbacks
Special Teams:
# K -- Kicker
# P -- Punter
# PR -- Punt returner
# KR -- Kick returner
# LS -- Long snapper

See also

★ Basketball position