Batters six to nine typically descend in batting skill level, meaning that the ninth batter is often the least effective batter in the lineup. He shares multiple traits with the cleanup hitter and therefore can compete for the cleanup hitter's spot in the batting order. The fifth batter in the lineup also has the job of batting in runs, in effect a backup for the cleanup hitter. The third and fourth batters tend to be interchangeable in the batting order. The cleanup hitter coming up to hit-if he has runners on base-has the opportunity to produce runs by getting a base hit or a home run. He has the role of scoring runs himself, but his job comes down to getting on base for the cleanup hitter to have a turn to bat in the same inning. The third batter is usually the best batter, the hitter with the highest batting average. The first or second batter might bunt his way on base as they both will be speedy runners. The second batter is usually a contact hitter, meaning he is able to consistently make contact with the ball and put it in play to move base runners forward and into scoring position. Traditionally, the lead off hitter, the number one spot in the batting order, has good foot speed, plate discipline, and a high on-base percentage. The thinking behind the use of the cleanup hitter is that at least one of the batters before him will reach base somehow, usually via a walk or a base hit. His job is to "clean up the bases", i.e., drive in base runners. The cleanup hitter is traditionally the team's most powerful hitter. In baseball, a cleanup hitter is the fourth hitter in the batting order. Lou Gehrig, with 1,515 runs batted in as a cleanup hitter, has "cleaned up" the most bases of any cleanup hitter in Major League Baseball history.
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