pitching vs playing

pitching and playing both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
pitching	Yes	No	No	No
playing	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, playing is a hypernym of pitching; that is, playing is a word with a broader meaning than pitching:

pitching (noun)	playing (noun)
(baseball) playing the position of pitcher on a baseball team	the action of taking part in a game or sport or other recreation
abrupt up-and-down motion (as caused by a ship or other conveyance)	the act of playing a musical instrument
	the performance of a part or role in a drama