nine ‧ pins /ˈnaɪnˌpɪnz/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
1 . a game in which you roll a ball at nine bottle-shaped objects to try to hit them so that they fall
2 . drop/go down like ninepins if people or things drop like ninepins, many of them fall down or become ill or injured suddenly all at the same time:
It’s just three weeks into the season and players are dropping like ninepins.