Clinch
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
To clinch is to hold tightly. Clinch may also refer to:
- Clinch is a general term for a stand-up grappling position.
- Clinch County, Georgia
- Clinch River
In sports, a team is said to clinch a title when no other team is able to deprive them of that title. The term is used when there are still other games to be played that would normally contribute to determining the winner of the title, but no longer do because of the outcome of prior games. (For instance, if Team A has three more wins than Team B with one game to play, Team A has clinched.)
The word should not be used in regards to individual playoff series in sports; a team does not "clinch" the championship if they win a best-of-seven series. Clinch, as detailed above, is mathematically based and implies there are "dead" games that must be played.