to take action when something needs to be done, even though this is difficult

He took over the team when it became obvious no one else was going to step up to the plate. 在很明显没有其他人愿意的情况下，他挺身而出接管了球队。

In this crisis we all need to step up to the plate and make a difference. 在这场危机中，我们都需要挺身而出，有所作为。