In baseball, a pinch hitter is a batter in place of another batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while there is not an active play. The manager may use any player who has not entered the game. Unlike basketball, American football, or ice hockey, baseball does not have a "free substitution rule". The player replaced by the pinch hitter is never allowed back into that game. The pinch hitter takes the spot in the batting order of the player that he replaces.