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In baseball, a team's ace is the best starting pitcher on the team and nearly always the first pitcher in the starting rotation. Barring injury or exceptional circumstances, the ace is usually the pitcher that starts on Opening Day. In addition, aces are usually preferred to start crucial playoff games, sometimes on three days rest.^{[citation needed]}

In the early days of baseball, the term "ace" was used to refer to a run.^[1]

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v • d • e Baseball positions Pitchers (1) Ace pitcher · Starting pitcher · Relief pitcher · Setup pitcher · Middle relief pitcher · Closer · Left-handed specialist · Long reliever · Power pitcher · Control pitcher · Groundball pitcher · Flyball pitcher · Switch pitcher Defensive players Basic: Catcher (2) · First baseman (3) · Second baseman (4) · Third baseman (5) · Shortstop (6) · Left fielder (7) · Center fielder (8) · Right fielder (9) Other terms: Infielder · Outfielder · Utility player · Utility infielder · Position player · Battery · Fourth outfielder · Corner outfielder Offensive players Batter · Runner · Batting order (1-9) · Designated hitter · Pinch hitter · Pinch runner · Lead off · Cleanup hitter · Clutch hitter · Contact hitter · Switch hitter Non-players Official scorer · Umpire · Manager · Coaches · General manager Related Disabled list · Phantom ballplayer