Bullpen意思

"Bullpen" is a term primarily used in baseball to refer to the area where relief pitchers warm up and wait to be called upon to enter the game. It is typically a fenced-off area near the dugout, where pitchers can practice throwing and stay loose in case they are needed to pitch. The term is often used both for the physical area and the group of relief pitchers themselves.

The origin of the term is somewhat disputed, but one theory is that it comes from the term "bullpen" used in stockyards to describe the pen where bulls are held. This term was supposedly adopted by sportswriters to describe the challenging conditions of the bleachers where fans would stand or sit in close proximity to the field, similar to the confined space of a bullpen.

In baseball, the bullpen is an important strategic element of the game, as relief pitchers can be used to close out games, pitch in specific situations, or take over if the starting pitcher is unable to continue. Managers often have a set of relievers with different specialties, such as closers, setup men, and long relievers, who they deploy depending on the game situation and the opposing team's lineup.