On-deck
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For other uses, see On Deck (disambiguation).
In baseball, on-deck refers to being next in line to bat. In a professional game, the batter who is on deck traditionally waits in a location in the foul territory called the on-deck circle.
Being on-deck only guarantees the batter will get a chance to bat in the inning if there are fewer than two outs, and the number of outs plus the number of baserunners (including the one at bat) adds up to fewer than three, because a double play or triple play could occur. Additionally, the manager reserves the right to pull the on-deck hitter for a substitute at his discretion.
The player next in line to bat following the on-deck batter is colloquially referred to as being in-the-hole.