go to bat against

go to bat against someone

Fig. to aid someone against someone else. I would be happy to go to bat against Dan. We refused to go to bat against one of our friends.
See also: bat, go
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • intrigue with
  • intrigue with (someone)
  • intrigue with (someone) against (someone)
  • go green on someone
  • fortify (someone or something) against (something) with (something)
  • avenge (oneself) against (someone or something)
  • get up against
  • get up against (someone or something)
  • clash
  • clash against
References in periodicals archive
Fox TV will have a large "The Walking Dead" zone with a baseball field where teams of fans can go to bat against zombies.
Under the Tuscan Sun, fans gather and play: with over 220,000 geeks walking down medieval streets, the Italian fest puts Comic-Con to shame
It is typically the nurses who go to bat against the doctors to say, "This med routine is not working; let's come up with something new." Nurses also monitor and, if necessary, train staff, particularly when unlicensed staff are passing meds.
Views from the American Assisted Living Nurses Association (AALNA)