This is an alphabetical list of selected unofficial and specialized terms, phrases, and otherjargon used inbaseball, along with their definitions, including illustrative examples for many entries.

"Oh and ..." Seecount.

The number 1 in baseball refers to the pitcher's position, a shorthand call for throwing to first, a single hit, and a fastball sign.

An inning in which a pitcher faces only three batters and none safely reaches a base. "Three up, three down."

Adouble play in which the pitcher (1) fields a batted ball and throws home to the catcher (2), who retires a runner advancing from third. The catcher then throws to the first baseman (3) toforce out the batter. These almost always happen with the bases loaded.

The pitcher (1) fields a batted ball and throws to the shortstop (6) to force out a runner advancing to second. The shortstop then throws to the first baseman (3) to force out the batter.

Catcher (2) gets a "Two!" call for throws to second, a "two-bagger" is a double, and the number 2 signs for a curveball.

Seedeuces wild.

MLB scouts use a 20-80 scale to grade players: 50 is average (MLB level), with 20 being very low and 80 elite. Applies to overall ability & specific skills like hitting or pitching speed.^[1]

The first baseman (3) receives throws with shouts of "Three!", nabs runners attemptingtriples ("three-baggers"), and the number 3 might signal a slider from the pitcher.

The first baseman (3) fields a batted ball and throws to the catcher (2), who retires a runner advancing from third and then throws back to the first baseman to force out the batter. These almost always happen with thebases loaded.

The first baseman (3) fields a batted ball, steps on first (to force the batter out), and then throws to the shortstop (6), who tags out a runner. Another possibility is a line drive caught by the first baseman, who throws to the shortstop, who then steps on second base for a second out.

The first baseman (3) fields a batted ball and throws to the shortstop (6) to force out a runner at second. The shortstop then throws to the pitcher (1) (who is now covering first because the first baseman was busy fielding the ball) to force out the batter.

The first baseman (3) fields a batted ball and throws to the second baseman (4) to force out a runner at second. The second baseman then throws back to the first baseman to force out the batter.

The first baseman (3) fields a batted ball and throws to the shortstop (6) to force out a runner at second. The shortstop then throws back to the first baseman to force out the batter.

• The second baseman, in scorekeeping shorthand.
• A shout of "Four!" indicates the ball should be thrown to home plate.
• A "four-bagger"is a home run.
• In the context of pitching, the number 4 is a common sign (and nickname) for a change-up.

The second baseman (4) fields a batted ball and throws to the shortstop (6), who forces out a runner at second and then throws to the first baseman (3) to force out the batter.

The 45-foot line in baseball marks the area a batter-runner must stay in to avoid being called out for interfering when running to first base.

An informal term referring to a hypothetical line drawn at a 45 degree angle from the front plane of the#rubber to the first base line. It can be used as a reference point to determine whether a left handed pitcher legally stepped at first base while attempting a pickoff. A pitcher is required to step to the base to which he is throwing, and failing to do so is abalk.

Four consecutive pitchesdeliberately wide of the strike zone.Preacher Roe summarized this strategy toStan Musial as "I throw him four wide ones and try to pick him off at first."^[2]

The third baseman, in scorekeeping shorthand.

• Between a player's legs (the catcher's in particular). From the hockey term for how a puck is advanced past the goalie ("through the five hole").

The space between the third baseman (5) and shortstop (6).

Made famous by perennial batting championTony Gwynn of theSan Diego Padres as his description of where he liked to hit the baseball.^[3]

The third baseman (5) fields a batted ball and throws to the second baseman (4) to force out a runner advancing from first. The second baseman then throws to the first baseman (3) to force out the batter.

3rd baseman (5) fields a hard-hit ball and steps on third for a force out on R2 (6), then throws a laser to 2nd Baseman (4) to force out R1 (7) at second. Finally, 2nd Baseman (4) fires the ball to 1st Baseman (3) to complete the triple play by retiring the batter (2).

A position player (non-pitcher) likeWillie Mays,^[4]Andre Dawson,^[5]Duke Snider,^[6][7]Vladimir Guerrero,^[8] andKen Griffey Jr.,^[6][9] who excels at:

1. hitting foraverage
2. hitting forpower
3. base running
4. throwing
5. fielding^[6]

The shortstop, in scorekeeping shorthand.

The shortstop (6) fields a batted ball and throws to the second baseman (4), who forces out a runner advancing from first and then throws to the first baseman (3) to force out the batter.

The leftfielder, in scorekeeping shorthand.

A fly ball is caught by an outfielder, and a runner tries totag up and score from third but is tagged out by the catcher.

The centerfielder, in scorekeeping shorthand.

The rightfielder, in scorekeeping shorthand.

The official score of a forfeited game in Major League Baseball.

A type of curveball, the motion of which evokes the hands of a clock.

Players who hit 30 home runsand steal 30 bases in a single season.

Players who hit 40 home runsand steal 40 bases in a single season.

Players who hit 50 home runsand steal 50 bases in a single season.

A pejorative term for a pitch that bounces short of the60+1⁄2 feet between the pitchingrubber andthe plate.

When a runner advances one base, he "moves up 90 feet"—the distance between successive bases. A runner on third base is "90 feet away" from scoring.

As of the 2022 season, "Class A" is the lowest grouping of modern affiliatedminor league baseball, with sub-categories of "High-A" and "Single-A". "Short-Season A" leagues also existed before 2021.High-A is divided into three leagues:Midwest League,Northwest League, andSouth Atlantic League.Single-A is also divided into three leagues:California League,Carolina League, andFlorida State League.

• "Double-A" (AA) is the second-highest level ofminor league baseball (below AAA), and as of 2022 includes theEastern League, theSouthern League, and theTexas League.
• "AA" is also the abbreviation for the American Association, which has been the name of numerous professional baseball leagues:a short-lived major league of the 19th century,a minor league for much of the 20th century, and anindependent minor league that became a "Partner League" of Major League Baseball in 2021.

"Triple-A" is the highest level of minor league baseball. As of 2022, this level includes theInternational League and thePacific Coast League.

"Four-A player" (alternatively, "Quadruple-A player") is a term for a minor-league player who is consistently successful in the high minor leagues (AAA), but cannot translate that into success at the major-league level. Poor management can be responsible.^[10] "AAAA" may also informally refer to high-quality but unaffiliated foreign baseball leagues outsideNorth America where play is considered less competitive than in MLB but more competitive than in AAA; this is usually restricted to describingJapan'sNPB.^[11][12][13]

When a runner ison base. When there are runners safely on base, there are "runners aboard".

The beststarting pitcher on the team, who is usually first on a pitching rotation.

To move a runner ahead safely to another base, often the conscious strategy of a team that playssmall ball. If a batter does make an out, hisplate appearance will have been less negative if he still got a runner intoscoring position; in certain situations, batters evendeliberatelysacrifice themselves.

• A term that signifies whether the batter or pitcher possesses the advantage in an at-bat. If a pitcher has thrown more strikes than balls to a batter in an at-bat, the pitcher is ahead in the count; conversely, if the pitcher has thrown more balls than strikes, the batter is ahead.
• If the pitcher is ahead in the count, the batter is in increasing danger of striking out. If the batter is ahead, the pitcher is in increasing danger of walking him.

Sometimes when a pitcher tries a bit too carefully to control the location of a pitch, he is said to "aim the ball" instead of throwing it. This is a different meaning of "aim" from the situation in which a pitcher aims a pitch at a batter in an effort to hit him.

Slang for a fielder's errant throw that sails high over the player to whom he intended to throw the ball. For example, if the third baseman were to throw the ball over the first baseman's head and into the stands, he is said to have "airmailed" the throw. "But Chandler airmailed her throw to third into the dugout ..."

Coined by Pittsburgh Pirates announcer Bob Prince, aBaltimore chop would bounce higher than normal due to the extraordinarily hard dirt at Forbes Field.

Also "gap" or "power alley", the space between the leftfielder and the centerfielder, or the rightfielder and centerfielder. If a batter hits the ball "up the alley" with enough force, he has a stronger chance of advancing beyond first base and being credited with an extra-base hit. Typically, this is an appropriate term for describing a line drive or ground ball; fly balls that hit the wall are not normally described this way.

Swinging at (and especially hitting) the first pitch.

The junior of the two existingMajor Leagues.

The season's final best-of-seven playoff series which determines the American League team that will advance to theWorld Series. The ALCS–like its analog, theNLCS–came into being in 1969. The ALCS winner takes the American Leaguepennant and the title of American League Champion for that season. The winners of theAmerican League Division Series have met in the ALCS since 1995.

The first round of the league playoffs. The winners of the three divisions and the winner of the Wild Card Game are paired off in two best-of-five series, the winners of which advance to the ALCS.

A free ticket to attendance at a ballgame or to first base (a "free pass" or "base on balls").

A play in which the defense has an opportunity to gain a favorable ruling from an umpire by addressing a mistake by the offense or seeking the input of another umpire. Appeals require the defense to make a verbal appeal to an appropriate umpire, or if the situation being appealed is obvious a player may indicate an appeal with a gesture. The onus is on the defense to make an appeal; umpires will not announce potential appeal situations such as runners failing to touch a base, batting out of order, or unchecked swings until an appeal is made.

A short-season minor league in which high-level prospects from all thirty Major League Baseball clubs are organized into six teams on which players have the opportunity to refine and showcase their skills for evaluation by coaches, scouts, and executives. Such teams are referred to as "scout teams" and "taxi squads".

A metonym for a pitcher ("A's trade two young arms to Kansas City ...",^[14] "... Anthopoulos is just stockpiling arms in an attempt to lure a trade ..."^[15]).

• Theinfielders' practice of throwing theball to each other after recording anout, provided there are no runners on base. The purpose is as much traditional as anything, but it serves as a way to celebrate the out. Typically, if an out is made at first base, thefirst baseman will throw to theshortstop, who throws to thesecond baseman, who throws to thethird baseman, who returns the ball to thepitcher. Patterns vary from team to team, but the third baseman is usually the last infielder to receive a throw, regardless of the pattern.
• Throwing the ball around the horn is also done after astrikeout with no baserunners. Thecatcher will throw the ball to the third baseman, who then throws it to the second baseman, who throws it to the shortstop, who then throws it to the first baseman. Some catchers, such asIván Rodríguez, prefer to throw the ball to the first baseman, who then begins the process in reverse. Some catchers determine to whom they will throw based on the handedness of the batter (to first for a right-handed batter because the line to the first baseman is not blocked and vice versa) or whether the team is in an overshift, when the third baseman would be playing close to where the shortstop normally plays and would require a harder throw to be reached.
• An additional application of this term is when a5-4-3double play has occurred, which mimics the pattern of throwing the ball around the horn.

An ineffectiverelief pitcher. Usually apitcher who comes into the game with no one on base but proceeds to give up several runs. Opposite offireman.

An old-fashioned word referring to a baseball bat, which is typically made of wood from an ash tree. "The shrewd manager substitutes a fast runner for a slow one, and sends in a pinch hitter when the man he takes out is just as good with the ash as the man he sends in."^[16]

Slang for a fastball that is especially hard to hit due to its velocity and/or movement, in reference to the difficulty of making contact with something as small as anaspirin tablet. May additionally reference batters seeing a pitched ball as relatively smaller than normal, a potential psychological effect on batters who are in aslump.^[17][18]

Theofficial scorer awards an assist to every defensive player who fields or touches the ball (after it has been hit by the batter) prior to a putout, even if the contact was unintentional. For example, if a ball strikes a player's leg and bounces off him to anotherfielder, whotags the baserunner, the first player is credited with an assist.

A fielder can receive only one assist per out recorded. A fielder also receives an assist if a putout would have occurred, had not another fielder committed anerror.

InNegro league baseball, a team who was not granted league membership or agree to play a league schedule, but games played by league teams against this team will still count in league standings.

A slang term for a baseball record that is disputed in popular opinion (i.e., unofficially) because of a perception that the record holder had an unfair advantage in attaining the record. It implies that the record requires a footnote explaining the purportedly unfair advantage, with theasterisk being a symbol commonly used in typography to call out footnotes. In recent times it has been prominently used in the following circumstances:

• The record holder is widely believed to have usedperformance-enhancing drugs, whether or not such use is proven or admitted.Barry Bonds was regularly greeted with banners and signs bearing an asterisk during the 2007 season when he brokeHank Aaron's career home run record. The ball Bonds hit for the record-breaking home run was subsequently branded with an asterisk before it was sent to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
• A holder of a single-season record accomplished the feat in a longer season, and thus had additional opportunities to break the record. A well-known example of this was whenRoger Maris brokeBabe Ruth's single-season home run record on the last day of a 162-game regular season in 1961, while Ruth set the previous record in a 154-game season in 1927; the asterisk usage is exemplified in the title of the film61*, which was about Maris' quest to break Ruth's record.Baseball CommissionerFord Frick declared that Maris's record should be listed separately from Ruth's (contrary to popular belief no asterisk was mentioned or used in this case), a decision not formally reversed until 1991.
• TheHouston Astros's2017 World Series championship, which was later marred by allegations of the Astrosusing technology to steal signs throughout the 2017 season. Fans of opposing teams, especially theYankees andDodgers, frequently employ the use of asterisks when referencing the team's season in 2017, often derisively calling the team the "Houston Asterisks".

or "atom ball"; slang for a ball batted directly at a defender.

• A completed plate appearance by a batter which results in abase hit or a non-sacrificeout. At-bats (or "times at bat") are used for the calculation of a player'sbatting average andslugging percentage. Note that a plate appearance is not recorded as an "at-bat" if the batter reaches first base as a result of abase on balls, orhit by pitch, nor if he executes asacrifice bunt orsacrifice fly.
• Occasionally a batter may be at the plate when the third out of the inning is made against a base-runner; in this case the batter will lead off the next inning with a clean strike count and his interrupted plate appearance is not counted as an at-bat.

A pitch that crosses the plate at the height of the letters of the team's name on the shirt of the batter's uniform is said to be "at the letters", "letter-high" or "chest-high".

Slang expression of the action of a batted ball that is difficult for a fielder to handle.

See:eat the ball

Slang for pitching aggressively by throwing strikes, rather than trying to trick hitters into swinging at pitches out of the strike zone or trying to "nibble at the corners" of the plate. Equivalent phrases are "pound the strike zone" and "challenge the hitters".

A batted ball in fair territory which bounces out of play (e.g. into the seats) entitles the batter and all runners on base to advance two bases but no further. This term is used by some commentators in lieu ofground rule double, which refers toground rules in effect at each ballpark.

• Since 2023 in MLB, a pitcher is charged with an automatic ball if he does not pitch the baseball before the pitch clock expires.

• A strike is deemed "automatic" when the pitchergrooves a strike–typically on a 3-0count–with such confidence that the battertakes the pitch without swinging at it.
• Since 2023 in MLB, a batter is charged with an automatic strike if he is not in the batter's box and alert to the pitcher when there are at least 8 seconds remaining on the pitch clock.

• A pitch outside the strike zone, on the opposite side of the plate as the batter, is referred to as being "away", in contrast to a pitch thrown between the plate and the batter that is known as "inside".
• Slang for outs. For example, a two-out inning may be said to be "two away"; a strikeout may be referred to as "putting away" the batter.
• Games played at an opponent's home field are "away games". The visiting team is sometimes called the "away" team.

A breaking pitch, usually aslider,curveball, orcut fastball that, due to its lateral motion, passes through a small part of thestrike zone on the outside edge of theplate after seeming as if it would miss the plate entirely. It may not cross the front of the plate but only the back and thus have come in through the "back door". A slider is the most common version, because a slider has more lateral motion than otherbreaking pitches (it curves down and 'slides' across the zone).

• The fence behind homeplate, designed to protect spectators from wild pitches or foul balls.
• Catcher, sometimes "backstopper".

Consecutive. When two consecutive batters hit home runs, they are said to hitback-to-back homers. Or a pitcher may issue back-to-back walks, and so forth.

Opposite of "backdoor". Usually a mistake, apitch that begins inside off ofhome plate and breaks back over the plate. A pitch that does this is said to have "backed up".

A batter who excels at hitting pitches that are outside the strike zone. Notable bad ball hitters includeYogi Berra andVladimir Guerrero.

A ball that bounces in front of aninfielder in an unexpected way, often as a result of imperfections in the playing surface or the spin on the ball.

A base. Also, atwo-bagger is a double or two-base hit; athree-bagger is a triple or three-base hit; afour-bagger is a home run.

• A batter who sees a pitch coming toward his head may "bail out" (hit the deck).
• When two fielders are converging on a fly ball, one of them may "bail out" to avoid running into the other.
• Arelief pitcher may come into the game with men on base and bail the previous pitcher out of ajam.

While the first two examples are analogues to bailing out of a plane via parachute, the last one is akin to bailing out a boat on the verge of being swamped, or perhaps bailing somebody out of jail.

Probably the most confusing concept in baseball, even for avid fans. Balks are covered in rule 6.02(a) in theOfficial Baseball Rules as published byMajor League Baseball.^[19] Generally speaking, a balk is any illegal action by the pitcher when there is a runner (or runners) on base.

• A pitcher who assumes a legal pitching position - thewindup orset - may elect to deliver a pitch to the batter, legally disengage the rubber (by stepping back with thepivot foot and dropping his hands to his sides if he is in the windup position), or make a legal throw to a base in an attempt to put out a runner.
• Any motion which is naturally associated with delivering a pitch commits the pitcher to that delivery. Failing to complete the delivery is an illegal action. With no runners on base, a ball is awarded to the batter. With runners on base it is a balk.
  • A pitcher pitching from theset who swings hisfree foot beyond the back plane of therubber is committed to delivering the pitch to the batter, unless he is making a legal throw or feint to second base. Otherwise it is a balk.
• The penalty for a balk is that each runner is awarded one base and the batter remains at bat with the samecount. In theMLB (or in other leagues which useOfficial Baseball Rules) and the NCAA, certain balks are live ball balks, meaning that the penalty (if necessary) is applied at the end of the playing action. This is typically when a pitcher delivers a pitch without first coming legallyset. The balk is vocalized by the umpire(s), but the batter may still elect to strike at the pitch. If at the end of the playing action each runner (including thebatter-runner) has advanced at least one base, the balk is ignored. Otherwise the penalty is enforced and the batter returns with the same count. InNFHS (high school) rules, a balk is always a dead ball.
• The most common balk scenarios are when a pitcher fails to come fully set (if using theset position) before his delivery; or having coming set, starts his motion and stops again (sometimes called a "double set"); or failing to step directly at a base when attempting a pickoff throw. The general criteria used for determining if a pitcher has stepped at a base is a) did he gain ground toward the base as a result of his step; and b) did he step ahead of his throw; and c) (a bit more subjectively) did he step more toward the base than toward the batter in the case of a left handed pitcher throwing to first base.
• While primarily intented to protect the runner from any intentionally deceitful action by the pitcher, there are other scenarios where a balk may be called:
  • If the ball is inadvertently dropped while the pitcher is in contact with therubber;
  • If the pitcher throws to an unoccupied base, unless it is an attempt to put out or drive back an advancing runner;
  • If after taking a legal pitching position (that is, if he has brought his hands together as required for theset orwindup position) the pitcher removes his hand from the ball, unless it is in actually delivering a pitch or throwing to a base;
  • Failing to legally disengage the pitcher's plate by stepping back with thepivot foot when switching pitching positions (windup to set or vice versa);
  • If the pitcher stands on or astride thepitcher's plate without possession of the ball, or feints a pitching motion while not in contact with the pitcher's plate;
  • Making an illegal pitch, such as aquick pitch.
  • Acatcher's balk is a type of illegal pitch called when a catcher is not inside of the catcher's box if the pitcher is attempting an intentional walk, and carries the same penalty as a balk if runners are on base. However, as pitchers are no longer required to deliver any pitches for an intentional walk, this is exceedingly rare, although it is still listed as an illegal action by the pitcher in rule 6.02(a)(12).

This list is not comprehensive, and the sometimes subjective nature of what constitutes a balk has often been a topic of hot debate. Balks are not reviewable.^[20]

Apitch that misses thestrike zone and is notswung at by thebatter. (For the physical object used in the game, seebaseball (ball).)

Insabermetrics, "ball in play" and "batting average on balls in play" (BABIP) have specific technical definitions that are used to determine pitchers' ability independently of the fielding defense of a team. In this definition, ahome run is not a ball in play. SeeDefense Independent Pitching Statistics. Also seein play.

A ball hit forcefully into the ground near home plate, producing a bounce high above the head of a fielder.^[21] This gives thebatter time to reach first base safely before the ball can be fielded. An important element ofBaltimore Orioles coachJohn McGraw's "inside baseball" strategy, the technique was popularized duringMajor League Baseball'sdead-ball era, during which baseball teams could not rely on the home run.^[22]

To give the maximum bounce to a Baltimore chop, Orioles groundskeeper Tom Murphy packed the dirt tightly around home plate, mixed it with hard clay and left the infield unwatered.^[23] Speedy Orioles players like McGraw,Joe Kelley,Steve Brodie, andWillie Keeler most often practiced and perfected it.

In modern baseball, the Baltimore chop is much less common, usually resulting when a batter accidentally swings over the ball. The result is sometimes more pronounced on those diamonds withartificial turf. The technique still sees use insoftball.^[24]

A bat made with an inferior, low-quality grade of wood.^[25] See also#morning journal

Aballpark with small dimensions that encourages offense, especiallyhome runs. Acrackerbox. (see:Baker Bowl andCitizens Bank Ballpark)

• Cancelling a game because of bad weather: "I thought we were gonna get banged but we got in five innings."
• To hit the ball hard, especially to hit a homer. "Utley banged the game-tying home run."
• Players who arebanged up are injured, though may continue to play. Example: "Banged up Braves ready for playoff rematch with Astros."
• Abang-up game is an exciting or close game. Example from a sports headline: "A Real Bang-Up Finish."
• Abang bang play is one in which the runner is barely thrown out, a very close call, typically at first base. Perhaps reflecting the "bang" of the ball in the first-baseman's glove followed immediately by the "bang" of the baserunner's foot hitting the bag.
• bang it inside is when a pitcher throws on the inside of the plate, and the batter cannot get his arms extended enough to hit the ball, which goes "bang" into the catcher's mitt. "It was an unbelievable feeling and a feeling I'll never forget,"Giavotella said. "Scherzer was trying to come in on me all day. He was banging me inside and I couldn't get my hands extended. I guess he missed over the plate that time and I got my hands inside and barreled it up and it flew out of the park."^[26]

Abatter who lacks power. A banjo hitter usually hits bloop singles, often just past the infield dirt, and would have a lowslugging percentage. The name is said to come from the twanging sound of the bat at contact, like that of abanjo. See alsoPunch and Judy hitter.

Refers to when a fielder catches a ball with the hand not covered by his glove.

An advanced metric that measures the times a batter hits the ball at certain launch angles with certain exit velocities. Barrels are more likely to produce hits, particularly extra-base hits, than non-barrels.

In modern baseball, refers to hitting a pitch hard with the sweet spot of the baseball bat.

Seesweet spot.

Seehit.

Asingle. Also seeknocks.

• Female "groupie" known to "be easy" for baseball players.Susan Sarandon played such a role as the character Annie Savoy in the 1988 American film "Bull Durham".
• InfamousRuth Ann Steinhagen was the first "Baseball Annie". She became obsessed with Cubs and then Phillies first basemanEddie Waitkus. She shot him through the chest, nearly killing him in 1949. This story inspired the 1952 novelThe Natural.

Runners on first, second, and third bases. Also known as "bases full", "bases packed", "bases jammed", "bases juiced", "bases chucked", or "bases drunk". This presents a greatscoring opportunity for thebatting team, but it also presents an easydouble play opportunity for thedefense. Causing the bases to become loaded is calledloading the bases. A batter is oftenintentionally walked when there are runners on 2nd and 3rd base to make it easier for the defense to record more than one out.

A bases-loaded situation is the only time there is aforce athome plate.

Since there is no additional room to place thebatter, should he be awarded first base from abase on balls orhit by pitch, one run will score due to the third-base player's being forced home. Chronologically, only big leaguersAbner Dalrymple,Nap Lajoie,Mel Ott,Bill Nicholson,Barry Bonds,Josh Hamilton, andCorey Seager hold the distinction of beingintentionally walked with the bases loaded.

When ahome run is hit with the bases loaded, it is called agrand slam. It scores four runs, which is the most runs that can be scored on a single play.

Last place, bottom of the standings. Alsocellar.

A baserunner (shortened as "runner") is a player on the offensive team (i.e., the teamat bat) who hassafely reached base.

Catching a fly ball with the glove situated about the waistline, as opposed to the hands being situated above the shoulders.

• Abaseball bat is a smooth contoured round wooden or metal rod used to hit the ball thrown by thepitcher. A bat's diameter is larger at one end (the barrel-end) than at the other (the handle). The bottom end of the handle isthe knob. A batter generally tries to strike the ball in thesweet spot near the middle of the barrel-end of the bat, sometimes referred to as thefat part of the bat or themeat end of the bat.
• The player who uses it to strike the ball—a batter, hitter, or batsman—can be said tobat the ball.
• A player known as a good hitter might be said to have agood bat. Headline: "Shortstop mixes golden glove with solid bat."^[27] A player who is adept at both hitting and fielding might be said to have a good bat and good glove. The headline "Wesleyan shortstop Winn has bat and glove"^[28] does not mean Winn owns a bat and a glove, it means he is very skilled at both hitting and fielding.
• A team with many good hitters might be said to have a lot of "bats" (referring to the players not the instrument). "It's an awesome thing when we all get going like that,"Murphy said. "We've got so many bats in our lineup that we're hard to beat if we keep hitting."^[29]

According toThe Dickson Baseball Dictionary, a team has "batted around" when each of the nine batters in the team'slineup has made aplate appearance, and the first batter is coming up again during a single inning.^[30]Dictionary.com, however, defines "bat around" as "to have every player in the lineup take a turn at bat during a single inning".^[31] It is not an official statistic. Opinions differ as to whether nine batters must get an at-bat, or if the opening batter must bat again for "batting around" to have occurred.^[32]

A physical property of a bat, expressed as a (usually) negative number equal to the bat's weight in ounces minus its length in inches. For example, a bat that is 34 inches (86 cm) long and weighs 31 ounces (880 g) has a bat drop of –3. In general, bats with a larger bat drop (i.e., lighter) are easier to swing, and bats with a smaller bat drop (i.e., heavier) can produce faster ball velocity, though these results depend on the batter's ability.

A celebration in which a batter who just hit a home run flips/tosses the bat in a dramatic way, rather than simply dropping it as they start running. The practice is controversial - some players such asTim Anderson andJose Bautista have been subject to retaliation by the opposing team when they bat flipped after a home run against them.^[33]

To hit the ball with the bat – whether intofair territory orfoul.

The player who isat bat and tries tohit the ball with thebat. Also referred to as the "hitter" or "batsman".

When a batter hits a fair ball not caught by a fielder, he becomes the batter-runner. The batter-runner is forced to advance to first base, and may be put out by being tagged by the ball securely held by a fielder (or by the fielder's glove, provided he has secure possession of the ball in the glove), or by a fielder with secure possession of the ball touching first base before the batter-runner touches it. If there are other runners on base, they may also be forced to advance because the batter has become a runner. This is called aforce play.

A solid-colored, usually dark area beyond thecenter field wall that is the visual backdrop for thebatter looking out at thepitcher. It allows the batter to see the pitched ball against a dark and uncluttered background, partly for his safety. It is comparable to thesight screen incricket. The use of a batter's eye has been standard in baseball since at least the late 1800s.

One example of a batter's eye is the black area in center field of thefirst Yankee Stadium. At one time there were seats in that section, but because of distractions the seats were removed and the area was painted black.

A rectangle on either side ofhome plate in which thebatter must be standing for fair play to resume. A foot and a hand out of the box are not sufficient to stop play (although pitchers will usually respect a batter's wish to step out of the box). The umpire must grant the batter a timeout before play is stopped.

Thepitcher andcatcher considered as a single unit, who may also be calledbatterymen^[34] orbatterymates of one another. The use of this word was first coined byHenry Chadwick in the 1860s in reference to the firepower of a team's pitching staff and inspired by theartillery batteries then in use in theAmerican Civil War.^[35] Later, the term evolved to indicate the combined effectiveness of pitcher and catcher.^[35]

Apitcher andcatcher from the same team. See "battery".

Batting average (BA) is the average number ofhits perat-bat (BA=H/AB). A perfect batting average would be 1.000 (read: "one thousand"). A batting average of .300 ("three hundred") is considered to be excellent, which means the best hitters fail to get a hit in 70% of their at-bats. Even the level of .400, which is outstanding and rare (last achieved at the major league level in 1941), suggests "failure" 60% of the time. Bases on balls are not counted in calculating batting average. This is part of the reasonOBP is now regarded by "figger filberts" as a truer measure of a hitter's worth at the plate. In 1887, there was an experiment with including bases-on-balls as hits (and as at-bats) in computing the batting average. It was effectively an early attempt at an OBP, but it was regarded as a "marketing gimmick" and was dropped after the one year. It eventually putCap Anson in limbo regarding his career hits status; dropping the bases on balls from his 1887 stats, as some encyclopedias do, put his career number of hits below the benchmark 3,000 total.

The period, often before a game, when players warm up or practice their hitting technique. Sometimes refers to a period within a game when one team's hitters have so totally dominated a givenpitcher that the game resembles a batting practice session. Referred to colloquially as well as abbreviated as BP.

When a hitterworks the count, by beingpatient, perhaps by deliberatelyfouling off pitches that he can'tget good wood on, he's said to be "battling".

A strong throwing arm. Agun, acannon, arifle.

• A line drive hit so hard that a fielder has trouble catching up to it. The reference is to being shot from aBB gun.
• "BB" is scorer's shorthand for awalk, otherwise known as a "base on balls". Walks are recorded under the "BB" column of abox score.

An initialism for Batted-BallCoefficient of Restitution, a standard that all non-wooden bats (both metal andcomposite) must meet in order to be approved for use in most amateur baseball leagues, such as U.S.college baseball.^[36]

Apitch intentionally thrown tohit thebatter if he does not move out of the way, especially when directed at the head (or the "bean" in old-fashioned slang). The wordbean can also be used as a verb, as in the following headline: "Piazza saysClemens Purposely Beaned Him."^[37]

When a runner gets to first base before the throw, hebeats the throw orbeats it out. Akin toleg out. "Greene's throw to first base pulls Gonzalez off the bag andNorris Hopper is fast enough to beat it out before Gonzalez can get his foot back on the bag."^[38]

Occurs when a batter hits the ball on the ground with a runner on first and fewer than two outs. If the play has the potential of being adouble play, the batter can beat the rap if he reaches first base before the throw from the fielder who recorded the putout at second base. The result of the play becomes a fielder's choice.

Opposite ofahead in the count. For the batter: when the count contains more strikes than balls. For the pitcher: vice versa.

If the pitcher is behind in the count, he is in increasing danger of walking the batter. If the batter is behind, he is in increasing danger of striking out. "While he allowed only three hits, he walked five and pitched from behind in the count."^[39]

• To hit a ball hard to the outfield or out of the park, fair or foul. "Jones belts that one deep to left ... but just foul."
• The actual belt worn by a player as part of the uniform, usually mentioned in reference to the location of a pitch or a ball in play. "Benard takes a fastball, outside corner at the belt, called a strike", or "Grounded sharply into the hole at short--ranging to his right, Aurilia fields the belt-high hop and fires on to first; two away."

• "The bench" is where the players sit in thedugout when they are not at bat, in the on-deck circle, or in the field.
• "The bench" may also refer to theplayers who are not in the line-up but are still eligible to enter the game. "LaRussa's bench is depleted because of all the pinch hitting and pinch running duties it's been called on to perform tonight."

A player, coach or manager with the talent of annoying and distracting opposition players andumpires from his team's dugout with verbalrepartee. Especially useful against those withrabbit ears. The verbal jousting is frequently called "riding"; hence the "rider" from the dugout becomes a "bench jockey". Riding opposition players enough to unnerve them but not enough to enrage them and provoke a fight is believed^{[by whom?]} to be fast-fading in the 21st-century game. Major League Baseball players on the injured list are permitted to be on the bench but they are not permitted to engage in bench jockeying.^[40]

Acurveball.

When a hitter sees the pitch so well that it appears to be larger than its actual size, he may describe the ball as being "as big as a grapefruit". "After hitting a 565-foot home run,Mickey Mantle once said, 'I just saw the ball as big as a grapefruit'. During a slump,Joe 'Ducky' Medwick of theSt. Louis Cardinals said he was 'swinging at aspirins'."^[41]

Ahome run.

The opposite mentality ofsmall ball, if a team is thinking "big inning" they are focusing on scoring runs strictly through base hits and home runs, as opposed to bunts or other sacrifices. More generically, a "big inning" is an inning in which the offense scores a large number of runs, usually four or more.

A nickname forMajor League Baseball

A swing of the bat that produces a home run. "Pinch runnerHernán Pérez came in forMartinez and Perez walkedDirks, setting the stage forAvila's big swing."^[42]

TheBig Leagues,Major Leagues, "the Show". If you're in the bigs you're a big leaguer, a major leaguer.

Asingle. A base hit that ends up with the hitter on first base. "Brown tried to stretch the bingle into a double, and was out,Monte Irvin to Frank Austin."^[43] (A rare usage nowadays.)

Ahome run, normally one that is well hit.

Bleacher seats (in short,bleachers) are uncovered seats that are typically tiered benches or other inexpensive seats located in the outfield or in any area past the main grandstand. The term comes from the assumption that the benches are sun-bleached. "Bleachers" is short for the term originally used, "bleaching boards". Fans in the bleacher seats are sometimes calledbleacher bums orbleacher creatures.

A weakly hit ground ball that goes for a base hit. Ascratch hit. "Dunn walked to bring up Morra, who jumped on the first pitch he saw and hit a bleeder that didn't leave the infield, driving in Gradwohl."^[44]

A ball that is hit so hard that it seems to generate its own heat may be said to have been blistered. "Chapman then blistered a ball toward left-center, andKnoblauch raced back, moving smoothly, and made the catch with his arm outstretched."^[45]

Acatcher who puts a foot, leg, or whole body betweenhome plate and arunner attempting to score, is said to "block the plate". Blocking the plate is a dangerous tactic, and may be consideredobstruction (Official Rules of Baseball, Rule 2.00 (Obstruction)).

AnEephus pitch (q.v.); a trick pitch thrown like aslow-pitch softball pitch, with a high arcing trajectory and very little velocity (ca. 40-55mph or less). Specifically, such a pitch thrown ostensibly as acurveball.

• A blooper or bloop is a weakly hitfly ball that drops in for asingle between aninfielder and anoutfielder. Also known as a "bloop single", a dying quail, or a duck snort.
• A fielding error. Headline: "Red Sox rollWhite Sox afterContreras blooper".^[46]
• An odd or funny play, such as when a pitcher throws the ball to the catcher after the batter has stepped out of the batter's box and timeout has been called -- perhaps hitting the catcher in the head with the pitch.^[47]

• Toblow a game is to lose it after having the lead. "We had the game in hand and we blew it."
• Toblow a pitch ("by" a batter) is to throw one so fast the batter is unable to keep up (with it).
• Toblow a save is to lose a lead or the game after coming into the game in a "save situation". This has a technical meaning inbaseball statistics.
• A hit, typically ahome run: "Ortiz's Blow Seals Win."

To gain a commanding lead in a game, perhaps after the game has been very competitive or the score has remained tied or close. "Pirates Score Late To Blow Open Close Game AgainstStony Brook."^[48]

A blown save (BS) is charged to a relief pitcher who enters a game in asave situation but allows the tying run to score. If the pitcher further allows the winning run to score, he is charged with both a loss and a blown save. If, after blowing the save, the pitcher's team regains the lead, the pitcher may also be credited with the win. The blown save is not an officially recognized statistic by Major League Baseball, but is recognised by theRolaids Relief Man Award, which charges two points against a reliever's record for a blown save opportunity. It is often used on broadcasts to characterize the "record" ofclosers analogous to win–loss records of starters. "Jones has made 31 out of 34 saves" or "Jones has 31 saves and three blown saves."

Rhymes with "closer". Acloser who seems to get moreblown saves thansaves.

• Anumpire, referring to the traditional blue color of the umpire's shirt.
• Sometimes used derisively, such as when complaining about a ruling, e.g.: "Oh, come on, Blue!" However, it is also used as a neutral and informal term (particularly at lower levels) if the umpire is not acquainted with the teams, or they either do not know or do not remember the umpire's name, e.g.: "Hey Blue, can I have time?"

Ahome run.

Aboner is a mental mistake that changes the course of a game dramatically.

A young player who received a signing bonus.

Extra innings. Most famously used bySan Diego Padres (and formerBoston Red Sox) announcerDon Orsillo. Also called "bonus cantos" byYankees announcerMichael Kay.

Made anerror, kicked it – typically referring to a misplay on aground ball. "Miguel Cabrera hit a ground ball toAlex S. Gonzalez, who booted the ball. Had Gonzalez fielded the ball properly, the Cubs could have ended the half-inning with adouble play."^[49]

The second half or "last half" of aninning, during which the home team bats, derived from its position in theline score.

Sometimes said of asinker ordrop ball, implying that a pitch suddenly moved downward as if through atrap door. Ideally, the pitcher throws with the same familiar arm speed and release point only to have the "bottom drop out" at the last instant, leaving the batter wondering what happened.^[50]

• The vicinity of thepitcher's mound. Baseball announcers will sometimes refer to a batted ball going back through the pitcher's mound area as having gonethrough the box, or a pitcher being removed from the game will be said to have beenknocked out of the box. In the early days of the game, there was no mound; the pitcher was required to release the ball while inside a box drawn on the ground. Even though the mound has replaced the box, this terminology still exists.
• Also, thebatter's box, the area within which the batter stands when hitting. The batter must be in the box for the pitcher to pitch.

Statistical summary of a game. Theline score is an abbreviated version of the box score, duplicated from the field scoreboard. Invention of the box score is credited toHenry Chadwick.

• battingpractice.
• Devotees of baseball research also sometimes refer toBaseball Prospectus as BP.

Bats right; used in describing a player's statistics, for example: John Doe (TR, BR, 6', 172 lbs.)

When a team scoresrun(s) that bring the score up to a tie, it is said to be "a brand new ball game". The phrase was popularized byHall of Fame Dodgers broadcasterVin Scully.

Anypitch that markedly deviates from a "straight" or expected path due to a spin used by thepitcher to achieve the desired effect. Some examples are thecurveball, theslider and thescrewball.

To throw acurveball.

When a team gains a multiple-run lead, perhaps in a single rally that expands their lead, the game may be said to be "broken open". "ThePadres broke the game open with five runs in the fifth, thanks to three errors by theCubs, who havedropped 12 of 14."^[51]

Topitch; often used for afastball:bring the gas,bring the heat,bring it.

An adjective referring to a play that originates with a batter's breaking his bat upon making contact with the ball.

A nickname given to theNew York Yankees due to their ability to playing in a hitter-friendly ballpark.

A sarcastic cheer from the crowd; "raspberries".

A batter who strikes out looking, especially if the batter did not move his bat at all. This term is mainly used by sports commentators. Synonymous withwindow shopping.

Apitch intentionally thrown close to abatter to intimidate him, i.e., to "brush him back" from the plate. Also apurpose pitch orchin music. Archaic usage: "a blowdown".^[52]

A player batting between .100 and .199 is said to be batting "a buck and change" or, more specifically, the equivalent average in dollars (bucks) and cents (change). Example: A batter batting .190 is said to be batting "a buck ninety". Major league position players with a batting average this low will very likely be demoted down to AAA for seasoning or even released outright. See alsoMendoza line.

Phrase coined by Pittsburgh Pirates announcerBob Prince in the 1970s. A basehit that skittered through the gap, particularly on artificial turf.

A change-up pitch that appears to arrive at homeplate so slowly that a batter can make three swings and misses on a single pitch. Whiff-whiff-whiff, three strikes and the batter is out. The reference is toBugs Bunny, the animated cartoon character, who is depicted employing such a pitch in the cartoonBaseball Bugs. AsTrevor Hoffman's changeup evolved into an all-world weapon, his pitching teammates were in awe of it, much like many hitters were. They liked it so much, they gave it a nickname. They called it the Bugs Bunny Pitch. 'You could swing at it three times and it still wouldn't be in the mitt',Andy Ashby said, bringing up the image of the famous cartoon. 'I swear, he could tell them it's coming and they still couldn't hit it.'^[53]

• The area used bypitchers andcatchers to warm up beforetaking the mound when play has already begun. This area is usually off to the side along either the left or right base line, or behind anoutfield fence. It is almost never infair territory, presumably due to the risk of interference with live action. A rare exception was at New York'sPolo Grounds where the bullpens were in the deep left and right center field quarter-circles of the outfield wall.
• A team'srelief pitching corps (so named because the relievers are in the bullpen during games).

There are varying theories of the origin of the term, discussed in more detail in the main article.

A strategy by which a club does not assign relief pitchers to specific roles such as "closer", "set-up", or "long relief", and instead may use any reliever at any given time. At the major league level, this strategy is commonly used when the club's closer is unavailable.

A game in which a club employs relief pitchers throughout rather than using one of their starters.

A regular activity for starting pitchers during a season.

An infrequently used strategy that involves using a string ofreliefpitchers (some of whom, in this strategy, may be pitchers more often used asstarters) in stints of no more than two innings instead of relying on one pitcher to work most of the innings.^[54]

The pitchers mound. "Who's on the bump today?"

• To deliberatelybat the ball weakly to a particular spot on the infield by holding thebat nearly still, with one hand behind the sweet spot (q.v. underbat) and letting the ball hit it. Typically, a bunt is used toadvance otherrunners and is then referred to as asacrifice ora sacrificehit or asacrifice bunt. When done correctly,fielders have no play except, at best, to throw thebatter-runner out at first base.
• Speedy runners also bunt forbase hits wheninfielders areplaying back. In such a situation, left-handed hitters may use adrag bunt, in which they start stepping towards first base while completing the bunt swing. Even the great sluggerMickey Mantle would drag bunt once in a while, taking advantage of his 3.1 second speed from home to first base. Currently,Ryan Zimmerman of theNationals is notable in that he is a right-handed hitter who uses drag bunts successfully.

A slang term for play that is ofminor league or unprofessional quality. The"bushes" or the"sticks" are small towns where minor league teams may operate. A "busher" refers to someone from the "bush leagues": see subtitle of Ring Lardner's first book,You Know Me Al: A Busher's Letters.

A day game on a weekday.

To throw afastball in on the hitter's hands. Also:tie him up,in the kitchen.

A very poor fielder.

A strategy where the hitter first shows he intends to bunt, pulls back the bat when the pitcher begins the delivery, and takes a quick swing at the pitch. Generally used by weaker hitters such as pitchers.Greg Maddux was known for employing this tactic effectively in the early part of his career with the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves.

To throw a highfastball up-and-in to a hitter, typically with intent to back the hitter off the plate ormake a statement. Also seebrushback andpurpose pitch.

The group of teams that conduct their pre-seasonspring training exhibition games inArizona where thecactus grows in abundance. See alsoGrapefruit League.

A caddy's sole function is to come in as a substitute in the late innings of a lopsided game to act as a defensive replacement for an aging power hitter or to pinch run.

A Major League team may call up or promote a player from the minor leagues during the season to take a spot on its roster, often to replace a player who has beensent down to the minor leagues or else placed on thedisabled list. Players who have been in the major leagues previously (and were sent down) may be said to berecalled rather than called up. After August 31, several minor leaguers may be called up to take a spot on theexpanded roster.

• A strong arm. Also, agun.
• To throw strongly. Announcer following a play in which the shortstop fields a ground ball and throws hard to first: "Guillen cannons and gets him."

A high, easy-to-catch,fly ball hit to the outfield. The phrase is said to have originated in the nineteenth-century and relates to an old-time grocer's method of getting canned goods down from a high shelf. Using a stick with a hook on the end, a grocer could tip a can so it would fall for an easy catch into his apron. One theory for use of corn as the canned good in the phrase is that a can of corn was considered the easiest "catch" as corn was the best selling vegetable in the store and so was heavily stocked on the lowest shelves. Another theory is that the corn refers to the practice in the very early days of baseball of calling the outfield the "corn field", especially in early amateur baseball where the outfield may have been a farm field. Frequently used byRed Barber, a variation, 'A #8 CAN OF GOLDEN BANTAM' was favored byBob Prince, Pittsburgh Pirates' announcer. The phrase was also used by Yankee announcerPhil Rizzuto, Red Sox and then White Sox broadcasterKen "The Hawk" Harrelson, and Blue Jays broadcaster and former managerBuck Martinez as voiced in the popular video gameTriple Play 2000. Also, a phrase used to refer to something that is not challenging. Informally, can of corn may be used as a phrase to describe mild excitement, personal acknowledgement or recognition of significance.

A manager who often takes a pitcher out of the game at the first sign of trouble.Sparky Anderson was perhaps the best example of a "Captain Hook" at the major league level. Seehook.

When a pitcher quickly dispatches a batter with three or four pitches that the batter only whiffs at, the pitcher may be said to have "carved up the batter" – like a chef carving up a turkey. Headline: "HowBuehrle carved upTampa Bay with just one 90-m.p.h. pitch."^[55]

To knock in a runner who is already on base. "Lauren Rorebeck then cashed both runners in with a home run over the left field fence to tie the game at 7–7 with two innings to play."^[56]

A desirable or auspicious situation. Popularized byRed Barber, longtime broadcaster for theBrooklyn Dodgers.James Thurber wrote in his short story of the same title:"[S]itting in the catbird seat" means sitting pretty, like a batter withthree balls and no strikes on him. Thecatbird is said to seek out the highest point in a tree to sing his song, so someone in the catbird seat is high up.

As if a batter were running a footrace with a fastball, he's said to "catch up" to a fastball if his reaction time and bat speed are quick enough to hit a fastball by apower pitcher. "Our scouting reports indicate he can still hit and still catch up to a fastball. As long as he can catch up to a fastball, he's going to get the money."^[57]

It is catcher's interference when the catcher physically hinders the batter's opportunity to swing at a pitch. In professional baseball, play continues and after continuous playing action ceases, the umpire calls time. The penalty is that the batter is awarded first base; any runner attempting to steal is awarded that base and all other runners advance only if forced. The manager of the offensive team has the option of keeping the result of the play. He will not be given the option by the umpires and must explicitly declare it before the play continues after awarding bases. The catcher is charged with an error. This is one of many types ofinterference call.

A term used when the third strike is called on a batter without the batter attempting to swing at the pitch.^[58]

A baserunner who istagged out because he wasn't paying attention to what the defensive players were doing is "caught napping". Often this involves apickoff play in which the infielder sneaks up behind the runner and takes a throw from the pitcher or, less often, the catcher.

Last place, bottom of the standings. A team that spends too much time in last place, especially over a stretch of years, tends to acquire the unflattering title ofcellar dweller. SYNONYM:basement.

A baseball pitched with the intent to break out of the strike zone that fails to break and ends up hanging in the strike zone; an unintentional slow fastball with side spin resembling a fixed-axis spinning cement mixer, which does not translate.

Frombronxpinstripes.com: A butcher's term for the best cut of beef. In baseball lingo, it is a fastball down the middle.

Specifically regarding a batter: A seat on the bench, as opposed to reaching base or remaining in the batter's box. As in, "throw him the chair". The expression is an encouragement to the pitcher to strike out the batter, sending him back to the dugout, thus "throwing him the chair"—forcing him to sit down.

When a pitcher is aggressive and throws strikes, perhaps his best fastball, he may be said to "challenge the hitter". Akin topounding the strike zone orattacking the strike zone. "Jared has outstanding stuff", Mee said. "The one thing I would like to see him do is throw more strikes and challenge the hitters. He has a lot of ability and when he is ahead in the count he's a very difficult guy to hit off of."^[59]

A pitcher "changes the eye level" of a hitter by throwing pitches at different heights in the strike zone. This is intended to keep the hitter off-balance or uncomfortable. "Changing the eye-level of a hitter is important because as you advance, it'll become more difficult for you to get a hitter to move his feet in the batters box – even by pitching inside – so the next option is to move the hitter's eyes."^[60]

A changeup ora change is apitch meant to look like afastball - but with less velocity - short forchange of pace. A variety of this pitch is thecircle change, where a circle is formed using the thumb and index finger on the last third of a ball. This causes the ball to break inside and down to right-handed batter from a right-handed pitcher, frequently resulting in ground balls. Also, astraight change - made famous byPedro Martínez - can be utilized. The grip requires all fingers to be used in holding the ball, resulting in more friction, thus slowing the ball down tremendously.

• When an infielder runs towards a ground ball rather than wait for it to come to him.
• Runs are said to be "charged" to the pitcher who initially allowed the scoring runner to get on base.

Charging the mound refers to a batter assaulting the pitcher after beinghit by a pitch or in some cases after narrowly avoiding being hit. The first incident of a professional charging the mound has not been identified but the practice certainly dates back to the game's early days. Charging the mound is often the precipitating cause of abench-clearing brawl and will most likely result in the batter'sejection.

• To chase (or chase after) is toswing at apitch well outside of thestrike zone.
• A pitcher who is removed from the game by the manager because he gave up too many runs is said to have been "chased from the game" or "chased from the mound" by the opposing batters. "Pettitte was chased from the game in the seventh inning following an RBI single byWilly Taveras and a two-RBI triple byKazuo Matsui."^[61]
• A player or coach who isejected from the game by an umpire can be said to be chased. "Martin was tossed by umpireLee Weyer in the fourth game of the1976 Series, seven years afterWeaver was chased byShag Crawford in the fourth game in 1969."^[62]

To verbally challenge or taunt to distract the opposing batter. Fans and players alike participate in chatter. "Heybattabattabatta" is an example of common baseball chatter.

Nickname forDodger Stadium. The ballpark was built in the late 1950s in a former residential neighborhood named Chavez Ravine.

A run that comes about from luck or with little effort by the offensive team. Headline: "A Cheap Run for the Rays." Story: "Carl Crawford got lucky with that blooper down the line; wasn't a bad pitch fromJamie Moyer."^[63]

When thepitcher or an infielder who fields a ball, looks in the direction of arunneron base and thereby causes him to not take as large of alead as he would otherwise have taken.

A batter checks a swing by stopping it before the bat crosses the front of home plate. If he fails to stop it in time, theumpire will call a strike because he swung at the pitch. Often the umpire's view of the swing is obstructed. If the umpire calls the pitch a ball, a defensive player such as the catcher or pitcher can ask the home plate umpire to ask another umpire whether the batter swung at the pitch. In such a case, the home plate umpire always accepts the judgment of the other umpire. "Basically, theTigers tied theSox in knots the entire game—or else they wouldn't have had as many checked swings as they did. Or as many strikes that they tried to sell to the umpires as balls."^[64]

Seecheese.

Afastball, particularly one that is difficult to hit. A fastball high in the strike zone is also calledhigh cheese, and one low in the zone can be called cheese at the knees. 'Easy Cheese' refers to the seemingly effortless motion of a pitcher as he throws a fastball at very high velocity.^[65]

Ahigh and tight,up and inpitch meant to knock a batter back fromhome plate to avoid being hit on the chin. Also known as abrush-back orpurpose pitch.

• An older term for a home run, often a high fly ball, that barely clears the fence at that part of the outfield closest to the plate. It was frequently used in reference to such hits at thePolo Grounds, former home of theNew York Giants, which had notoriously short foul lines. Its use has declined since that stadium was demolished, and even further as it has been perceived as ethnically offensive.^[66]
• A secondary sense is that of a long fly ball, usually one that travels backward from home plate. This usage appears to be restricted tosandlot ball games inNew England, where it may have evolved from a supposed "Chaney's home run", a backward foul by a player of that name who eventually won a game for the hitting team when the ball, the last one available, could not be found. The umpire then ruled that the other team failed to provide an adequate number of balls and had thus forfeited the game.^[66]

Ablooper; adying quail; ableeder.

A chopper refers to a batted ball that immediately strikes the hardened area of dirt directly in front of home plate, causing it to bounce high into the infield. Batters who are fast runners can convert such choppers into base hits. Also a batted ball that bounces several times before either being fielded by an infielder or reaching the outfield. Former Braves broadcaster Skip Caray often whimsically called bouncers to third base when Atlanta was on defense as "a chopper to Chipper" in reference to long-time Braves third basemanChipper Jones.

Abatter "chokes up" by sliding his hands up from the knob end of thebat to give him more control over his bat. It reduces the power and increases the control. Prior to driving in the Series-winning hit with abloop single in the2001 World Series,Luis Gonzalez choked up on the bat.^{[citation needed]} Thus he came through, and did not "choke" in the clutch.

Throw. A pitcher is sometimes referred to as a chucker or someone who can really chuck the ball. In San Francisco, sometimes the fans are referred to asbattery chuckers, referring to several incidents where many fans threw batteries onto the field. These incidents date back at least to the early aughts in San Francisco, although there was at least one earlier incident involving Phillies fans.^[67]

Theon-deck circle, officially known as thenext batter's box.

An outstanding catch, usually when a fielder has to leave his feet or go through contortions to make, resembling a circus acrobat in the process.

When a batter hits a ball through the infield without its being touched by a fielder, he may be said to have a "clean hit". Similarly, if a batter hits a ball over an outfielder's head, he may have a "clean hit". "Tris truly loved to hit and would always get a thrill when getting a 'clean' hit that travelled over an outfielder's head."^[68]

When a pitcher allows zero hits, walks or runs and the defense does not commit an error. "I want to see clean innings",Cooper said. "This is a time when we should be seeing them – crisp, clean innings. Yet we're hitting guys [who] are trying to bunt, walking guys on four pitches ... This is not young kids doing this stuff. This is ridiculous. I don't care who it is. It shouldn't be happening. We've got to clean it up. I'd like to see some clean innings sooner or later. We should be throwing strike one, strike two, make some pitches. We're all over the place. We're not even close to the strike zone."^[69]

The fourthbatter in the lineup, usually apower hitter. The strategy is to get somerunners on base for the cleanup hitter todrive home. In theory, if the first three batters of the game were toload the bases, the No. 4 hitter would ideally "clean up" the bases with agrand slam.

A batter who drives home all the runners on base without scoring himself is said to "clear the bases". "Dikito's base-clearing triple sent the pro-Falcon crowd into a frenzy."^[70]

• A tactic where apitcher delivers a succession ofpitches out of thestrike zone, each higher than the last, in an attempt to get the batter to swing at a pitch "in his eyes".
• When afielder makes an unusually high jump to catch a highline drive, as though he climbed an invisible ladder to make the catch

A dominant performance by one person or team. "David Price really put on a clinic out there, striking out the side."

Arelief pitcher who is consistently used to "close" or finish a game by getting the final outs. Closers are often among the mostoverpoweringpitchers, and sometimes even the most erratic. Alternatively, they might specialize in a pitch that is difficult to hit, such as thesplitter or thecut fastball.

One can "close the book" on a pitcher who has been replaced when his statistics for the game become final. If arelief pitcher enters the game with one or moreinherited runners, and those runners eventually score, they still affect the statistics of the pitcher who allowed them on base (e.g.,earned run average). Once all runners charged to a particular pitcher score or get put out, or the third out is made in the inning, then his statistics can no longer change (except his status aspitcher of record) and his "book" is "closed".

See "throw a clothesline".

A team'slocker room, which may also include eating, entertainment, and workout facilities, especially at the highest professional level. The term "clubhouse" is also frequently used in the sports of golf and thoroughbred horse racing.

Good performance under pressure when good performance really matters. May refer to such a situation (beingin the clutch) or to a player (a goodclutch hitter, or one who "can hit in the clutch"); or to specifichits ("that was a clutch hit"). Most baseballfans believe that clutch hitting exists, but there is significant disagreement amongstatheads whether clutch hitting is a specific skill or instead just something good hitters in general do. An old synonym for clutch ispinch, as inChristy Mathewson's book,Pitching in a Pinch.

A belt-high, very hittable fastball, usually down the middle of the plate. As used by Bob McClure, former Red Sox Pitching Coach: "When you throw a cock-shot fastball just above the belt, right down the middle, you're hoping they don't swing. A lot of times, that gets hit out of the ballpark."^[71]

Symbol of going hitless in a game, suggested by its resemblance to a zero, along with the implication of "choking";to wear the collar: "If Wright doesn't get a hit here, he'll be wearing an 0 for 5 collar on the day." Also,to take the collar: "Cameron Maybin took the collar in his major league debut, striking out twice."^[72] Also,Bob Starr (sportscaster) who was a Major League baseball announcer for 25 years (1972-97), restricted his use of the term "wears the collar" only to players whostruck out 4 times in a game.

A line drive or ground ball batted directly back to thepitcher.

The advanced skill of a pitcher's ability to throw a pitch where he intends to. Contrast with control, which is just the ability to throw strikes; command is the ability to hit particular spots in or out of thestrike zone. Also seelocation.

A complete game (denoted by CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game himself, without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A complete game can be either a win or a loss. A complete game can be awarded to a pitcher even if he pitches less than (or more than) nine innings, as long as he pitches the entire game.

A complete game shut out (CGSO) occurs when a pitcher throws a complete game and does not allow the other team to score.

A hitter who does notstrike out often. Thus, he's usually able to make contact with the ball andput it in play. This doesn't mean he's necessarily a pitty-pattyslap hitter. He may hit for power, but typically with more doubles/triples instead of home runs.Pete Rose,Tony Gwynn, andWade Boggs are all excellent examples of contact hitters.

Seepitch to contact.

When a runner at third base is instructed by a coach to attempt to score as soon as he hears the bat make contact with a pitch, not waiting to learn what kind of contact has been made (fair ball or foul ball, fly ball or ground ball). In such a case, the runner is told to "run on contact". This play would typically occur when the game is close or the bases are loaded. More generally, "Baserunners 'run on contact' when there are two outs, since there is nothing to lose if the ball is caught or the batter is thrown out."^[73]

A pitcher who gives up very few bases on balls or has excellentcommand of his pitches. Also known as acontrol pitcher.

A pitch that is easy to hit. Conversely, in the case where the first pitch is a strike and the second pitch is a ball, the second may be the result of a pitcher's missing his spot; the pitcher responds by throwing acookie to regain control.^[74]

A metonym for theHall of Fame, located in Cooperstown, New York. A player or manager "on his way to Cooperstown" is one thought destined for induction into the Hall of Fame.

Abat in whichcork (or possiblyrubber or some other elastic material) has been inserted into the core of the wooden barrel. Although modifying a bat in this way may help to increase bat speed or control by making the bat lighter, contrary to popular belief it does not impart more energy to the batted ball.^[75] A batter could achieve a similar effect bychoking up on the bat or using a shorter bat. A player who is caught altering his bat illegally is subject to suspension or other penalties. The last such case in Major League Baseball involved the sluggerSammy Sosa.^[76]

• When runners are "at the corners", they are at first base and third base on the baseball diamond, with no runner on second base.
• The "corners of the plate" are the inside and outside edges of home plate. Some pitcherslive on the corners or justnibble on them. Others are skilled at "painting the corners".

Theleft fielder andright fielder are corner outfielders.

Acorner infielder, or an infielder who plays third or first base.

The number of balls and strikes a batsman has in his current at-bat. Usually announced as a pair of numbers, for instance "3–0" (pronounced "three and oh"), with the first number being the number of balls and the second being the number of strikes. A 3–2 count – one with the maximum number of balls and strikes in a given at bat – is referred to as afull count. A count of 1–1 or 2–2 is calledeven, although the pitcher is considered to have the advantage on a 2–2 pitch because he can still throw another ball without consequence, whereas another strike means the batter is out. A batter is said to beahead in the count (and a pitcher behind in the count) if the count is 1–0, 2–0, 2–1, 3–0, or 3–1. A batter is said to bebehind in the count (and a pitcher ahead in the count) if the count is 0–1, 0–2, or 1–2.

A pitcher who is easy for a particular batter to hit.^{[citation needed]}

• Part of the infielders' job is to cover bases. That is, stand next to a base in anticipation of receiving the ball from another fielder, then make a play on a baserunner who is approaching that base. On aforce play or anappeal play, the fielder covering a base stands with one foot on that base when he catches the ball.
• When afielder goes to make aplay at abase that is not hisposition (usually because the fielder for that base is unavailable tocatch the ball at that base because he is busyfielding thebatted ball). A common example is when thefirst basemanfields abattedground ball, but is too far from the base toput the runner out. Thepitcher runs over to "cover"first base to take the throw from the first baseman (play would be scored as "3-1", meaning first baseman to pitcher).

• The sound of the bat hitting the ball. The term is used in baseball to mean "immediately, without hesitation". For example, a baserunner may start running "on the crack of the bat", as opposed to waiting to see where the ball goes.
• Outfielders often use the sound of bat-meeting-ball as a clue to how far a ball has been hit. As physicistRobert Adair has written, "When a baseball is hit straight at an outfielder he cannot quickly judge the angle of ascent and the distance the ball will travel. If he waits until the trajectory is well defined, he has waited too long and will not be able to reach otherwise catchable balls. If he starts quickly, but misjudges the ball such that his first step is wrong (in for a long fly or back for a short fly), the turn-around time sharply reduces his range and he will again miss catchable balls. To help his judgment, the experienced outfielder listens to the sound of the wooden bat hitting the ball. If he hears a 'crack' he runs out, if he hears a 'clunk' he runs in."^[77]
• Similarly, with metal bats, the outfielders have to learn to distinguish a "ping" from a "plunk".

A small baseball field considered to be friendly to power hitters and unfriendly to pitchers. Abandbox. (see:Baker Bowl)

A player or team with power and exceptional skill.

Another term for acontrol pitcher.Greg Maddux was a crafty pitcher.

To hit a ball for extra bases, typically a home run. "Jeter cranked a homer to left to make it 6–5."^[78] Also, a turn of the century (19th century) euphemism for baseball spectators, referring to the cranking of the turnstiles as they pass into the ballpark.

A method of defending against abunt in which the first and third basemencharge towards the batter to field the ball, the second basemancovers first base, and the shortstop covers second or third, depending on where the lead runner is going. May also refer more generally to the action of any infielder charging towards the batter on a bunt.

A number other than a zero or a one, referring to the appearance of the actual number. A team which is able to score two or more runs in aninning is said to "hang a crooked number" on the scoreboard or on thepitcher.

A home run that is clearly going out as soon as it is hit. It is referred to in this manner because it is disturbing to the pitcher like some type of creature.

• When a catcher calls for the pitcher to throw one type of pitch (e.g., a fastball) but the pitcher throws another (e.g., a curveball), the catcher has been crossed up. This may lead to apassed ball, allowing a runner on base to advance. "Barrett's passed ball allowed the last of three runs to score in the fifth as theReds increased their lead to 7–2.Williams' pitch crossed him up. 'I was looking for a sinker and it cut away from me', Barrett said. 'I had a play at the plate, but my shin guard stuck in the grass. It was a frustrating day.'"^[79]
• When a batter has been set up to expect a certain type of pitch but instead receives a different one, he may be crossed up, perhaps leading to a weakly hit ball or a swing and a miss.

When a pitcher throws the ball toward the inside part of the plate, he may be trying to "crowd the hitter" by making it difficult for him to extend his arms and get a full swing at the pitch.

When abatter sets hisstance extremely close to theplate, sometimes covering up part of thestrike zone. This angerspitchers and, if done repeatedly, can lead to abrush-back pitch or even abeanball being thrown at the batter to clear the plate. "I am fully aware that when you crowd the plate, you're going to get a high heater."^[80]

• A batter who hits a ball extremely hard and far might be said to crush the ball, as if he had destroyed the baseball or at least changed its shape. Related expressions arecrunched the ball ormashed the ball. Indeed, a slugger is sometimes described as amasher. Illustration: "Though the 25-year-old has impressed with two homers in five games, he's more of a pure hitter than a masher."
• Other types of baseball destruction includeknocking the stuffing out of the ball andknocking the horsehide [cover] off the ball.

When a ball is hit off the end of the bat, the batter may be said to have "cued the ball" (as if he hit it with apool cue). "Kendrick took third on a broken-bat ground-out and scored on a cued grounder to first base byRyan Shealy ..."^[81]

A short time spent by aminor league player at themajor league level. The idea is that the player was there only long enough to have a cup of coffee. It can also be used to describe a very brief stay (less than a season) with a major league club.

Apitch that curves or breaks from a straight or expected flight path towardhome plate. Also called simply "a curve".

• A swing of the bat.
• To be removed from theroster or from the team.

A cut fastball or cutter is afastball that has lateralmovement. A "cut fastball" is similar to aslider that is more notable for its speed than its lateral movement.

When a batter reduces the amplitude of his swing, either bychoking up on the bat or just by starting his swing less far behind his head, he "cuts down on his swing", thereby helping him to get his bat around faster. Also "shorten his swing". "Guerrero swung so hard during an 0-for-5 night Tuesday he looked as if he might come right out of his spikes. So,Hatcher suggested Wednesday that Guerrero widen his stance slightly, a move that forces hitters to cut down on their swing a bit."^[82]

When a ball is hit in the gap between outfielders, a fielder often has to make a choice whether to run toward the fence to catch or retrieve the ball or to run toward the ball and try to field it before it gets by him and reaches the fence. In the latter case, he's said to"cut the ball off" because he's trying to shorten the path of the ball. "WhenGranderson drifted towards left-center field onCarlos Peña's fifth-inning line drive, he wasn't heading that direction to make a catch. He was preparing to field it on the bounce. 'I was actually getting into position to cut the ball off', Granderson said after theTigers' 11–7 loss to theRays Monday afternoon. 'I didn't think I was going to have a chance to catch it.' "^[83]

A defensive tactic where afielder moves into a position between theoutfielder who hasfielded thebatted ball and thebase where aplay can be made. This fielder is said to "cut off" the throw or to be the "cut-off man". This tactic increases accuracy over long distances and shortens the time required to get a ball to a specific place. It also gives the cut-off man the choice of putting out a trailing runner trying to advanceon the throw if he thinks it impossible to make the play at home.Missing the cut-off (man) is considered amistake by an outfielder (though not scored as an error) because it may allow a runner to advance or to score.

Afielder who "cuts off" a long throw to an important target. Often theshortstop,second baseman, orfirst baseman will be the "cut-off man" for a long throw from theoutfield tothird base orhome plate. "Hit the cut-off man" is a common admonition from acoach.

Seehit for the cycle.

Old-fashioned term for a hard-hit ground ball, close enough to the grass to theoretically lop the tops off any daisies that might be growing on the field.

The erratic movement of a well-thrownknuckleball. "Hopefully his knuckler doesn't dance, andhangs a little, or we're in trouble."

A pitch that is difficult to see, much less hit. "Throw him the dark one" is an encouragement to the pitcher, typically given with two strikes, to throw a strike past the batter.

When a normally effective or dominant pitcher seems unable to throw as hard as he usually does, he may be said to have a "dead arm". "If you have watched the radar gun whenCarlos Zambrano has pitched this month, you know something's not right. The problem, the Cubs right-hander said Saturday, is that he's going through a 'dead arm' phase."^[84]

The ball becomes "dead" (i.e., the game's action is stopped) after a foul ball and in cases of fan or playerinterference, umpire interference with a catcher, and several otherspecific situations. When the ball is dead, no runners may advance beyond bases they are entitled to, and no runners may be put out. The ball becomes "live" again when the umpire signals that play is to resume.

The period between 1903 and 1918, just prior to theLive Ball Era, when the composition of thebaseball along with other rules tended to limit the offense, and the primary batting strategy was theinside game. Hitting a home run over the fence was a notable achievement.

Apull hitter is abatter who generally hits the ball to the same side as which he bats. That is, for aright-handed batter, who bats from the left side of the plate, will hit the ball to left field. Hitters are often referred to asdead pull if they rarely do anything other than pull the ball. A contemporary example of a dead pull hitter isJason Giambi.

If a batter is "sitting/looking dead red" on a pitch, this means he was looking for a pitch (typically a fastball), and received it, usually hitting a home run or base hit.

• Delivery of apitch, commonly used by play-by-play announcers as the pitcher releases the ball, e.g., "Smith deals to Jones."
• Pitching effectively, e.g., "Smith is really dealing tonight."

A team's games "decided in the last at bat" are those with a winning team scoring the go-ahead or winning run in its last offensive inning. In this case, "at bat" is the team's time at the plate, constituting three outs (not to be confused with an individual at bat). See alsowalk-off.

Whenever a third ball has been called, (3-0, 3-1, or 3-2count), the situation favors the batter. "In his fourth start after missing two months following elbow surgery,Robertson … went deep in the count against many hitters but allowed just five hits and two earned runs in five innings."^[85]

Seefielder.

Asabermetric concept: the rate at which balls put into play are converted into outs by a team's defense.^[86] An analogous concept is used in the analysis of other team sports, including basketball and football. It is figured this way in baseball: 1-(((H+ROE)-HR)/(PA-(SO+HBP+HR))) where H=Hits allowed, ROE=opposing team's reached base on error, HR=home runs allowed, PA=opposing team's number of plate appearances, SO=team's pitching strikeouts, and HBP=pitcher's hit-by-pitch.

When thedefense allows abaserunner to advance one or more bases. The runner then does not get credit for astolen base because the base was "given" not "stolen". The defense may allow this in the ninthinning with a large lead, where the focus is on inducing the finalbatters to makeouts.

• To deliver is topitch. Announcer: "Koufax delivers ...Strike three!!!"
• Delivery is the basic arm angles ofpitchers, e.g., overhand delivery, sidearm delivery. This is in contrast to cricket, in which the term "delivery" is akin to type of pitch in baseball.

A process that allows a player to be removed from his team's 40-man roster.

The designated hitter (DH) is a player who permanently hits in the place of a defensive player (typically the pitcher) and whose only role in the game is to hit. TheAmerican League has used the DH since 1973, while theNational League did not permanently adopt the role until 2022.

• Acurveball, because thecatcher's sign is usually made by extending the first two fingers.
• Adouble play.

Fromplaying cards, where the "2" card is conventionally called the "deuce".

When a large quantity of the number "2" appears on the scoreboard at the same time: 2 baserunners, 2 outs, 2 balls and 2 strikes on thebatter. Derived from thepoker phrase "deuces are wild". Often used by Hall of Fame broadcasterVin Scully.

An abbreviation ofdesignated for assignment.

Designated hitter

To hit ahome run. Headline: "Sox Sluggers Dial Long Distance—Ramirez,Ortiz Each Crank Two-Run Homers."^[87] The phrase is sometimes stated as "Dial 9 for long distance."

Referring to a fastball. "He dialed up that pitch."

The layout of the fourbases in theinfield. It's actually a square 90 feet (27 m) on each side, but from the stands it resembles a parallelogram or "diamond".

A fly ball is said to die if it travels a shorter distance from home plate than initially expected due to wind or other aerodynamic factors. Not to be confused withdead ball.

• Tofield aball on or near the ground. Usually afirst baseman taking a low throw from anotherinfielder. To "dig it out of the dirt".
• To run hard through first base on a close ground ball play in an attempt to beat the throw.

Injured; often used in reference to persistent minor injuries.

Ahome run.

To trip or fall in the outfield or on the base paths. A blown save may also be referred to as a dirt-nap.

A means by whichMajor League teams may temporarily remove injured players from theiractive roster. Another player can then becalled up as a replacement during this time. The term "disabled list" was replaced by "injured list" prior to the 2019 MLB season.

• The Hitter (Batter)stands off the dish [Home Plate].
• Home plate. "Thecatcher settles in behind the dish."
• Apitch, particularly a good one. "Here comes the dish (the pitch)", or "He's really dishing it (pitching well) tonight."

When a batter tends to lean in toward the plate so he can more easily hit a ball that is on the outside of the strike zone, he is said to be "diving over the plate" or "diving for the pitch". To protect the strike zone, a pitcher may respond to this by pitching the ball inside, perhaps with a "purpose pitch". "NowGlavine has an equalizer with his cutter. He can bore it into the hands of righthanders to keep them from diving over the plate with impunity at his sinker and changeup."^[88]

Thedisabled list. Sometimes used as a verb, as in "Wood was DL'ed yesterday."

Applying a foreign substance to the ball or otherwise altering it in order to put an unnatural spin on a pitch. Examples: By applyingVaseline or saliva (aspitball), or scuffing with sandpaper,emery board (anemery ball), or by rubbing vigorously to create a shiny area of the ball (ashineball). All of these became illegal beginning in the 1920 season, helping to end thedead-ball era. (Official Rules of Baseball, Rule 8.02(a).) In practice, there are ambiguities about what kinds of things a pitcher can legally do.^[89]

A number of famous cases of doctoring the bat have also occurred in the Major Leagues. Seecorked bat.

Ahome run.

A slang term for the pitcher hitting the batter with a pitched ball (knockdown pitch), either intentionally or accidentally. If a player "shows up" a pitcher (taking a long time to circle the bases or having an excessive celebration after a home run), if an important player on a team is struck by a pitch, or a player violates of one of baseball'sunwritten rules, the offending player can expect to get "dotted" the next time he is at bat as a form of intimidation or correction of the perceived offense. One of the "unwritten rules" is that the "dotting" done by the pitcher should be below chest level on the batter to minimize risk of injury as a higher pitch risks injuries to the hands or even the head. Pitching higher is known as "head hunting" or "buzzing the tower", and puts the pitcher at risk of actual violence by the other team.

• When a pitcher is throwing strikes on the corners of the strike zone, it is said he is dotting the corners.

Ahit where thebatter makes it safely to second base before the ball can be returned to the infield. Also atwo-base hit.

When a fielder – usually an infielder or a catcher – draws his arm back twice before throwing he's said to "double clutch". This hesitation often leads to a delayed or late throw, allowing runners to advance a base. The term is borrowed froma method of shifting gears on an automotive vehicle.

A pitcher who is getting a lot of quick outs. Implies that he has parked his car illegally and is trying to get back to it and avoid a ticket, and this is why he is keen to get outs quickly.

• A play by the defense where two offensive players are put out as a result of continuous action resulting in two outs. A typical example is the 6-4-3 double play.
• Thedouble play combination (or DP combo) on a team consists of the shortstop and the second baseman, because these players are the key players in a 6-4-3 or 4-6-3 double play. They are also sometimes calledsackmates because they play either side of second base (also known as second sack).

'Roll a bump' is a colloquial east coast slang for turning a 1-6-3 double play or a 1-4-3 double play.

A defensive tactic that positions themiddle infielders to be better prepared for adouble play at the expense of positioning for a hit to thethird-base side.

Two runners attempt to simultaneously steal a base. Typically this is seen when runners who are on first and second make an attempt to steal second and third. Another common example is when a runner on first steals second, enticing the catcher to throw down to second so the runner on third can then steal home.

The double switch is a type of player substitution that allows a manager to make a pitching substitution and defensive (fielding) substitution while at the same time improving the team's offensive (batting) lineup. This is most effectively used when a pitcher needs to be replaced while his team is on defense, and his turn to bat is coming up in his team's next offensive try. Rather than replace the pitcher with another pitcher, a position player (one who recently batted in his team's last offensive try) is replaced with a new pitcher, and the outgoing pitcher is replaced by a player able to play the position of the outgoing position player. The two subs then trade to their natural defensive roles but keep the batting order positions of those they replaced so that when the team next comes up to bat, it is the newly subbed position player who hits during the turn of the vacated pitcher, and the new pitcher does not have to hit until the outgoing position player's turn comes again. The double switch is primarily used by leagues that do not usedesignated hitters, such as Japan'sCentral League, or theNational League prior to 2022.

• When a runner becomes the second out in adouble play, he may be said to have been doubled up (or doubled off). This could be a batter who has hit into a double play or a runner who is caught off base when a fielder catches a ball and throws behind the runner to a fielder who touches the base to complete a double play (hence "doubling up" the runner).
• A team that wins adoubleheader may be described as having doubled up their opponent: "Royals double upBlue Jays".^[90] Also refers to winning by exactly double the amount of runs of the opponent, such as an 8–4 or 6–3 score.

When two games are played by the same two teams on the same day. When the games are played late in the day, they are referred to as a "twilight-night" or "twinight" doubleheader. When one game is played in the afternoon and one in the evening (typically with separate admission fees), it is referred to as a "day-night" doubleheader. A doubleheader can also be referred to as a Twinbill. In minor league and college baseball, doubleheader games are often scheduled for seven innings rather than the standard nine for aregulation game.

According to the Dickson dictionary, the term is thought to derive from a railroading term for using two joined engines (a "double header") to pull an exceptionally long train.

Agap hitter.

Put out. "One down" means one out has been made in the inning (two more to go in the inning). "One up (and) one down" means the first batter in the inning was out. "Two down" means two outs have been made in the inning (one more to go). "Two up (and) two down": the first two batters of the inning were retired (made outs). "Three up, three down":side retired in order.

On the field near thefoul lines, often refers to the location ofbatted balls.

Over the middle portion ofhome plate, often refers to the location of pitches. Also referred to asdown the pipe,down the pike,down Main Street,down Broadway, and, inAtlanta,downPeachtree. Very different fromup the middle.

When a team is approaching the end of the season in pursuit of the pennant or championship, it is heading down the stretch. Perhaps this derives from horse racing or automobile racing in which competitors come out of the final turn of the track and are heading down the home stretch toward the finish line. "Detroit provided more than enough offense forFister, who was terrificdown the stretch after the Tigers acquired him in a trade withSeattle shortly before the July 31 deadline."^[91]

A slang term for a shortstop and second baseman combination, as primary executors ofdouble plays. They are also occasionally referred to assackmates. Generally speaking, only the best sets of middle infielders get called DP combos.

Abunt in which a left-handed hitterlays down a bunt out of the reach of the pitcher and toward the right side of the infield, in hopes that he will safely reach first base. Often such a bunt has an element of surprise to take advantage of the batter's speed and the fact that the first baseman and second baseman are playing their positions back. The batter may even take a stride toward first base as he bunts the ball, thereby appearing to drag the ball with him as he runs toward first base.

A batter who gets called balls is sometimes said to have "drawn a ball" or "drawn a walk". "After a brief pause to put specially marked baseballs in play,Bonds drew ball one and ball two – with boos raining down onVandenHurk - before a called first strike. Then, the 96 mph fastball was gone – a drive estimated at 420 feet."^[92]

• When the outfield plays closer to the infield to prevent fly balls from dropping between them and the infielders, they are said to be "drawn in". This typically happens when the game is close in the final inning, and with less than two outs, and the defensive team wants to prevent the offense from getting base hits that might score the winning run (while conceding that a long fly ball might score a run even if the ball is caught in the outfield).
• The infield may also be drawn in if there is a runner on third base with less than two outs, so that the infielders may field a ground ball and attempt to throw out the runner at the plate.
• A single infielder, typically the third baseman or the first baseman may also play "in" when it's anticipated that a batter may attempt to make asacrifice bunt.

A poorly hitgrounder that gains little distance and consists of several hops; sometimes used synonymously withtapper^[93]

Hit by a pitch,plunked.

• Aline drive (noun).
• To hit a line drive (verb). "Magglio drove the ball to center."
• To make hits that produceRBIs. "Tejada drove him home from second." "Ramirez drove in three."

• To lose a game. "Tigers drop fourth in a row in loss toBlue Jays."^[94]
• To beat another team is also todrop them. Headline: "Dodgers one win from clinching playoff berth after droppingNationals."^[95]
• Bat drop.

• Asinkerball. Also known as adropper orel droppo.
• Some extreme12-to-6curveballs are also referred to as "drop balls", since they start high and dive as they reach the plate.

Apitched ball, usually acurveball, thatbreaks extremely sharply.

A dropped third strike occurs when the catcher fails to cleanly catch a pitch which is a third strike (either because the batter swings and misses it or because the umpire calls it). The pitch is considered not cleanly caught if the ball touches the dirt before being caught, or if the ball is dropped after being caught. On a dropped third strike, the strike is called (and a pitcher gets credited with a strike-out), but the umpire indicates verbally that the ball was not caught, and does not call the batter out. If first base is not occupied at the time (or, with two outs, even with first base occupied), the batter can then attempt to reach first base prior to being tagged or thrown out. Given this rule, it is possible for a pitcher to record more than three strike-outs in an inning.

A softlyhit ball that goes over theinfielders and lands in theoutfield for ahit. Originally called a "duck fart",^{[citation needed]} the term was popularized by White Sox announcerHawk Harrelson to make it more family friendly.

Runners on second or third base, but especially when thebases are loaded. "His batting average is .350 when there are ducks on the pond."

A batter is said to be "due" when he's been in a hittingslump, but he usually hits for a fair or better average. Example: "Paul Konerko is 0-for-3 today, he's due for a hit." This is a baseball version of theGambler's fallacy.

Thedugout is where a team's bench is located. With the exception of relief pitchers in thebullpen, active players who are not on the field watch the play from the dugout. A dugout is the area being slightly depressed below field level, as is common in professional baseball. There is typically a boundary, often painted yellow, defining the edges of the dugout, to help the umpire make certain calls, such as whether an overthrown ball is considered to be "in the bench" or not. The rule book still uses the termbench, as there is no requirement that it be "dug out" or necessarily below field level. The original benches typicallywere at field level, with or without a little roof for shade. As ballpark design progressed, box seats were built closer to the field, lowering the height of the grandstand railing, and compelling the dugout approach to bench construction.

A player who bunts the ball may be said to dump a bunt. "Polanco dumped a bunt down the third base line." See alsolay down. A right handed hitter dumps a bunt to third and pushes the bunt to first. A left handed hitter drags the ball to first and pushes the bunt to third

Apitch, often abrush-back, thrown so farinside that thebatter drops to the ground ("hits the dust") to avoid it. Somewhat contradictorily, on the same play thepitcher may be said to have "dusted off" the batter.

Abatted ball that drops in front of theoutfielders for ahit, often unexpectedly (like a shot bird). Also known as ablooper, a li'l looper, achinker, a bleeder, or a gork.

Seeearned run average.

The first threeinnings of a regulation nine-inning game.

Anyrun for which thepitcher is held accountable (i.e., the run did not score as a result of afielding error or apassed ball). Primarily used to calculate theearned run average. In determining earned runs, an error charged to a pitcher is treated exactly like an error charged to any other fielder. Some pitchers, notablyEd Lynch, referred to earned runs as "earnies".

In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine. Runs resulting from defensive errors are recorded as unearned runs and omitted from ERA calculations.

Anearned run. "The unlucky loser was Carson Wheeler, who gave up six earnies in one plus innings of work."^[96]

A reminder to the defensive team that when there are two outs only one more is needed to end the inning, and therefore they should get the easiest out possible. "Let's go D, two away, get the easy out." An easy out is also a weak-hitting batter, usually at the bottom of the order.

The action of fielding a batted ball (usually cleanly or almost so) but holding on to it rather than attempting to make a throw to a base to retire a runner. This is usually done because the fielder believes there is little chance of retiring the runner and that it would be preferable to allow the runner to reach one base unchallenged rather than risk committing an error that might allow the runner to advance additional bases. The phrase is usually used only to describe the action of an infielder, catcher, or pitcher. "That slow roller didn't get past a divingScutaro, but he decided to eat the ball rather than risk a throw to nip the quick-runningGardner." Also commonly used in the past-tense. "The charging third baseman Cabrera ate the ball after that great bunt fromJuan Pierre."^{[citation needed]}

A very slowpitch with a high arcing trajectory. Invented by 1930sPittsburgh Pirates hurlerRip Sewell, it is a part of Phillies pitcher Jose Contreras' repertoire; thrown very rarely to fool a hitter's timing. It is best used sparingly, because it can be very easy to hit without the element of surprise.Ted Williams said the game-winning home run that he hit off of Sewell in the 1946 All-Star Game was his greatest thrill in baseball.

A player or coach who is disqualified from the game by anumpire forunsportsmanlike conduct. Synonyms include: tossed, thrown out, banished, chased, given the thumb, given the (ol') heave-ho, kicked out, booted, run, sent to the clubhouse.

When the lining of a player's pockets are sticking out of the pockets.

A late and often awkward defensive swing at a pitch that usually appears to be a ball but breaks late into the strike zone.

When apitcher who is normally areliever or in theminor leagues is called on tostart the game on short notice because the originally scheduled starter is injured or ill. Illustration: "WithChan Ho Park sidelined indefinitely by what was diagnosed as anemia,Mike Thompson is expected to get the call yet again as the emergency starter, arriving viaPortland, where he has spent the past 10 days with the Triple-ABeavers."^[97]

A baseball that has been scuffed by anemery board. A method for a pitcher todoctor the ball; illegal since 1920. Also known as ascuff ball.

A runner who is already safely on a base is "erased" by being thrown out.

• An error is a fielder's misplay which allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases when, in the judgment of theofficial scorer, that advance could have been prevented by ordinary effort. An error is also charged when a fielder fails to catch a foul fly ball that could have been caught with ordinary effort. The term error can also refer to the play in which an error was committed. Because the pitcher and catcher handle the ball so much, some misplays by them are called a "wild pitch" or a "passed ball", and are not counted as errors.
• SYNONYMS: bobble, blooper, muff, miscue, flub, kick or boot ("Lopez kicked the grounder"; "Johnson booted it".)

1-1 or 2-2. Seecount.

• Aposition player, as opposed to apitcher who may play only every few days. Sometimes a talented prospect who is a good pitcher but an outstanding hitter will be encouraged to focus on playing another position and thereby become an everyday player to take advantage of his hitting.
• A position player who's a regular in the starting line-up in virtually every game, as opposed to either:
  • aplatoon player who plays only against pitchers of the opposite hand.
  • a substitute who begins most games on the bench or only occasionally starts games to spell the regular starting player at his position. Sometimes these players are referred to asbench players orrole players. They may also take onpinch hitting orpinch running assignments.

A common nickname for theNew York Yankees due to its wealth and winning by far the most championships. This nickname is used especially by fans of theBoston Red Sox and by fans of other teams to a lesser extent. Even some Yankees fans have been known to call themselves and their team the "Evil Empire" as a badge of honor.

When abatter inadvertently hits the ball during acheck swing. Contrast withswinging bunt.

When a pitcher getsahead in the count, he "expands the strike zone" because the hitter is more likely to swing at a pitch that is at the edge or out of thestrike zone or in some otherlocation where he can't hit it. "Ideally, a pitcher is going to try and getahead in the count and when this happens the pitcher has effectively 'expanded the strike zone' since the batter is now on the defensive and will be more prone tochase pitches outside the strike zone."^[98]

AMajor League term for the largerroster of players that can be used under specific circumstances, such as when gaining an extra player on days of a double header or the previous (before 2019) controversial practice when major league rosters could expand from 25 to up to 40 players on September 1.

When a batter is able to hit a pitch that is at a comfortable distance from his body, he is said to have "extended his arms", which allows a full swing and hitting the ball harder. "J. D. Martinez has hit two homers in three career at-bats offAllen, who was trying to protect a 2–1 lead against the middle of Detroit's vaunted lineup. 'I was just overthrowing it', Allen said. 'I just didn't make pitches when I had to. One pitch – J. D. Martinez got extended on a fastball and hit it very hard.'"^[99]

Anybases gained by abatter beyondfirst base on ahit. Sodoubles count for one "extra base",triples for two, andhome runs for three. These kinds ofhits are referred to as "extra base hits" and improve abatter'sslugging percentage.

Additionalinnings needed to determine a winner if a game is tied after the regulation number ofinnings (nine at the college/professional level, seven at high school level, six in Little League). Also known asbonus baseball orfree baseball because paying spectators are witnessing more action than normal. It is sometimes, but not commonly, referred to as "overtime" as a play on other team sports.

Seeextra innings. Also seeframe.

When a team makes a mistake on a defensive play that should have been an easy out, the team is said to have given its opponent an "extra out". "'There were a couple of innings where we gave them extra outs,'Wedge said. 'They may not be errors, but we're not making plays.'"^[100]

Baseball slang for the concept of “fake hustle” or “working hard for the appearance of working hard”.^[101]

TheWorld Series—the championship series ofMajor League Baseball, in which the champion of theAmerican League faces off against the champion of theNational League. Typically, this series takes place in October, soplaying in October is the goal of any major league team.Reggie Jackson's moniker "Mr. October" indicates that he played with great distinction in the World Series for theYankees. Another Yankee,Derek Jeter, picked up the nickname "Mr. November" after he hit awalk-off home run in Game 4 of the2001 World Series just after midnightlocal time on November 1. By comparison, Yankees ownerGeorge Steinbrenner's dubbing another of his players (Dave Winfield) "Mr. May" expressed his disappointment with that player's performance in the Fall Classic.

The one time the Fall Classic was actually played in the summer was 1918, when the season was curtailed due to World War I and the Series was played in early September.

The first time the Fall Classic extended in to November was in 2001. Jeter's walk-off homer was the first plate appearance in the month of November in MLB history; the 2001 season had been delayed for several days following9/11, eventually pushing the start of the World Series into the last week of October – and the end of the Series in to November. The 2009, 2010, and 2015–17 World Series would subsequently have games in November.

A pitch is said to "fall off the table" when it starts in the strike zone or appears hittable to the batter and ends low or in the dirt. This term is mainly used forchange ups andsplit-fingered fastballs, and occasionally for anoverhand curveball.

To "fan" abatter is tostrike him out, especially aswingingstrike three.

When a fan or any person not associated with one of the teams alters play in progress (in the judgment of an umpire), it is fan interference. The ball becomesdead, and theumpire will award any bases or charge any outs that, in his judgment, would have occurred without the interference. This is one of several types ofinterference calls in baseball.

If a fan touches a ball that is out of the field of play, such as a pop fly into the stands, it is not considered to be fan interference even if a defensive player might have fielded the ball successfully. So the infamous case in Game 6 of theNLCS in which aChicago Cubs fan,Steve Bartman, attempted to catch a ball in foul territory thereby possibly preventing Cubs left fielderMoisés Alou from making a circus catch, was not a case of fan interference.

A fielder who puts an extra flourish on his movements while making a play in hopes of gaining the approval of the spectators.^[102][103]Wilbert Robinson was manager whenAl López started out as a catcher in the majors. Robinson watched Lopez' style and finally hollered, "Tell that punk he got two hands to catch with! Never mind theFancy Dan stuff." Lopez went on to eventually surpass Robinson's record of games behind the plate.

A farm team is a team or club whose role it is to provide experience and training for young players, with an expectation that successful players will move to the big leagues at some point. Each Major League Baseball team's organization has afarm system of affiliated farm teams at differentminor league baseball levels.

Acronym for "fielder allows runner to score like a moron." Occurs when a fielder makes a mental error that enables the opposing team to score a run.

Apitch that is thrown more for high velocity than for movement; it is the most common type of pitch. Also known as smoke, a bullet, a heater (the heat generated by the ball can be felt), the express (as opposed to the local, an offspeed pitch), or a hummer (the ball cannot be seen, only heard).

Acount in which the pitcher would be ordinarily expected to throw afastball, such as 3–1, 3–2, or 2–1, as fast ball are usually easiest to locate in the strike zone. Occasionally a pitcher willpull the string by throwing an off-speed pitch.

When a pitcher relies too much on his fastball, perhaps because his other pitches are not working well for him during that game, he is said to be "fastball happy". This can get a pitcher into trouble if the batters can anticipate that the next pitch will be a fastball. "Andy is at his best when he trusts his breaking stuff and doesn't try to overpower guys. When he gets fastball happy he gets knocked around."^[104]

Apitch that is located exactly where the hitter is expecting it. The ball may look bigger than it actually is, and the batter may hit it a long way.

To throw the ball carefully to another fielder in a way that allows him to make an out. A first-baseman who has justfielded a ground ball will "feed the ball" to the pitcher who is running over from the mound to make theforce out at first base. An infielder who has fielded a ground-ball will feed the ball to the player covering second base so the latter can step on the base and quickly throw to first base to complete adouble play.

Aslugger.

• Abaseball field or baseball diamond upon which the game of baseball is played.
• A ballfield, ballpark, or stadium (e.g.,Dodger Stadium,Wrigley Field,Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome).
• Tofield the ball is to capture or make a play on aground ball or to catch afly ball.
• To take the field means the defensive players are going to their positions, while the other team is on the offense or at bat. "The Reds have taken the field, and Jose Reyes is leading off for the Mets."

Any defensive player (the offense being batters and runners). Often, defensive players are distinguished as eitherpitchers orposition players. Position players are further divided intoinfielders andoutfielders.

The head coach of a team is called themanager (more formally, the field manager). He controls team strategy on the field. He sets the line-up and starting pitcher before each game as well as making substitutions throughout the game. In modern baseball the field manager is normally subordinate to the team'sgeneral manager (or GM), who among other things is responsible for personnel decisions, including hiring and firing the field manager. However, the term manager used without qualification almost always refers to the field manager.

A fielder's choice (FC) is the act of afielder, uponfielding abatted ball, choosing to try toputout abaserunner and allow thebatter-runner to advance tofirst base. Despite reachingfirst base safely after hitting the ball, thebatter is notcredited with ahit but would be charged with anat-bat.

An old-fashioned and more colorful way of saying "numbers nut" orstathead, for afan with a near-obsessive interest in the statistics or "figures" of the game. The first true "figger filbert" was probably Ernest Lanigan, who was the first historian of theBaseball Hall of Fame and prior to that was one of the first, if notthe first, to publish an encyclopedia of baseball stats, in the 1920s. In the modern era,Bill James could be said to be the iconic "figger filbert". He is also a founding father of the field of baseball research calledsabermetrics.^{[citation needed]}

When a batter has two strikes on him and gets a pitch he cannot hit cleanly, he may be said to "fight off the pitch" byfouling it off. "Langerhans fought off one 3-2 pitch, then drove the next one to the gap in left-center to bring home the tying and winning runs."^[105]

A compliment for a pitcher, especially one who specializes in breaking balls with a lot of movement. Also for a particularly impressive breaking ball, especially one thrown for a third strike. Synonymous with "nasty".Bert Blyleven was an example of a pitcher with an absolutely filthy curveball.

To get a base hit by hitting the ball between infielders. "The 13th groundball thatZachry allowed found a hole."^[106]

When a batter has been in a slump perhaps for no evident reason, but then starts getting hits, he may be said to have "found his bat". "With theTigers having found their bats for a night, they reset the series and put themselves in position to all but lock up the AL Central."^[107]

When a batter has experienced aslump, he may take extra practice or instruction to "find his swing". Perhaps he has ahitch in his swing, or his batting stance has changed. Having "lost his swing", now he must "find it". This phrase is also used ingolf.

As if a ball leaving the bat is in search of a place to land, a ball that "finds the seats" is one that leaves the field of play and reaches the stands. It may either be a home run or a foul ball (out of the reach of the fielders).

Apitcher who throws extremely high-velocityfastballs, in excess of 95 miles per hour. Aflamethrower.

A team's toprelief pitcher who is often brought in to end anoffensiverally and "put out the fire". The term has been attributed toNew York Daily News cartoonistBruce Stark, who in the 1970s first depictedrelievers for theNew York Mets andYankees as firemen coming in to save their teams from danger.^[108]

A player, often one of small stature, who is known for his energy, extroversion, and team spirit – sometimes perhaps more than for his playing ability. "Morgan defied this mold by outworking everybody and employing his moderate athletic gifts to become one of the best all-around players of his era. He hit for power, he hit for average, he stole bases and manufactured runs and he was one of the toughest, smartest defensive second basemen the game has ever seen. He was a relentless fireplug, respected by opposing players and hated by opposing fans."^[109]

Ahitter who likes to hit the firstpitch in anat bat, especially if the hitter often gets a hit on the first pitch.

When a batter swings at a pitch that is inside and the ball hits the bat close to his fists (hands). "Following the top half of the first, the Bulls offense struck early when junior leftfielder Junior Carlin fisted a pitch back up the middle on a 1–0 count."^[110]

A derogatory term referring to a starting pitcher who is unable to go beyond five innings before wearing out. In the current era in which managers are increasingly aware of the risk of injury to pitchers who have highpitch counts, and in which relief pitching has become a critical part of the game, starters achieve fewer and fewercomplete games. Headline: "Vasquez Disputes Five-and-Dive Label".^[111]

Ahitter who hits really well during batting practice, but not so well during games. These were formerly known as "ten o'clock hitters" or "two-o'clock hitters" back when there were no night games.

See5-tool player.

Abbreviation forFederal League, amajor league that existed from1914 to1915. This would be the last "third Major League" to come into existence.

To catch or knock down aline drive, as if flagging down a speeding train. "Cody Ross, who singled and moved to second on a ground-out, wasstranded whenRamírez's scorched liner ... was flagged down by a divingJones."^[112]

Afireballer.

Afly ball hit a short distance into the outfield. "Pudge hit a flare just out of the shortstop's reach."

Making an outstanding or difficult defensive play. A player who regularly makes difficult defensive plays may be described as a"leather flasher". Seeleather.

• The act of a fielder's softly tossing the ball to a teammate covering a base when the two are so close that making a regular overhand throw would waste time and/or unnecessarily risk an inaccurate throw.
• A game played in the bullpen by relief pitchers. There are multiple rules and strategies that can be used.

Aknuckleball. A pitch that may appear to the batter to float or bob up and down on its way to theplate.

Abase hit that results from a weakly batted ball or one that takes an odd bounce.

Aknuckleball, afloater.

Aball hit high in the air. See alsopop fly,infield fly, andground ball.

A pitcher who tends to induce more fly balls than ground balls. Those pitchers are disadvantageous in that they allow more home runs than any other pitcher.

• An out that results from an outfielder catching afly ball.
• A batter whose fly ball is caught in the outfield is said to "fly out". "Rodriguez flew out to center fielder Suzuki." (Past tense "flied"is acceptable.)

Synonymous with "buckled" where a pitcher throws a breaking ball (typically a curveball) that starts inside, appearing to the batter that it may hit him, causing him to duck, but which breaks into the zone. It refers to the folding of the knees as the batter attempts to move out of the way.

• Any play where arunner is forced to advance because the batter has become a runner after hitting a fair ball not caught. Any runner put out is considered to have been forced out for the purpose of determining whether a run has scored, if that runner is put out before reaching the base to which he is forced to advance. No run may score on a play where the third out is the result of a force play, whether that runner is tagged or a fielder with secure possession of the ball touches the base to which the runner is forced to advance.
• The term "force out" is generally used to refer to any time a runner is put out because a fielder with secure possession of the ball touches the base to which the runner is forced to advance on a force play before the runner reaches the base.
• The term "force out" is also used to refer to a runner who is put out when a fielder with secure possession of the ball touches the base which a runner is forced to retouch after a batted ball is caught in flight by a fielder.

A type ofsplit-fingerfastball or splitter in which the fingers are spread out as far as possible. The ball drops sharply and typically out of the strike zone, maybe even into the dirt.

A batted ball that settles into foul territory.

Two straight lines drawn on the ground from home plate to the outfield fence to indicate the boundary betweenfair territory andfoul territory. These are called either theleft-field foul line and theright-field foul line, or thethird-base foul line andfirst-base foul line, respectively. Thefoul poles on the outfield walls are vertical extensions of the foul lines.

Despite their names, both the foul lines and the foul poles are infair territory. Any fly ball that strikes the foul line (including the foul pole) beyond first or third base is a fair ball (and in the case of the foul pole, ahome run).

Note that while the foul lines in baseball are in fair territory, just like the side- and end-lines of a tennis court, in basketball or American football the sidelines are considered out of bounds. In other words, hitting the ball "on the line" is good for the offensive player in baseball and tennis, but stepping on the line is bad for the offensive player in basketball and American football. The situation is slightly different in association football (soccer): the sideline and the goal line are inbounds, and the ball is out of play when it has wholly crossed the side line (touch line) or the goal line, whether on the ground or in the air.

Purposely batting apitchfoul with twostrikes in order to keep theat-bat going, in part to tire thepitcher and in part to get another, different pitch that might be easier to hit.Luke Appling was said to be the king of "fouling them off". Such a hitter might also be said to bebattling orworking the pitcher.

A pole located on each foul line on the outfield fence or wall. Theleft-field foul pole andright-field foul pole are used by umpires to determine whether a batted ball is ahome run or afoul ball. The foul pole is a vertical extension of thefoul line. The term "foul pole" is actually a misnomer, because the "foul pole" (like the foul line) is in fair territory and a fly ball that hits the foul pole is considered to be afair ball (and a home run).

A batted ball that is hit sharply and directly from the bat to the catcher's mitt and legally caught by the catcher. It is not a foul tip, as most announcers and journalists mistakenly use the term, if the ball is not caught by the catcher. In this case, it is simply a foul ball. It is also not considered a foul tip if it rebounds off something, like the ground, catcher's mask, the batter, etc. after being struck by the bat but before touching the catcher's mitt. A foul tip is considered in play, not a foul ball, and also counts as a strike, including the third strike (and is also considered a strikeout for the pitcher). It is signalled by the umpire putting his right hand flat in the air and brushing his left hand against it (imitating the ball glancing off the bat) and then using his standard strike call. If the out is not the third out then the ball is alive and in play (unlike on a foul) and runners are in jeopardy if they are trying to advance.

Ahome run. Note that the 4th "bag" is actually aplate.

Anintentional base on balls, from the manager's signal to direct the pitcher to issue one, or to direct the umpire to award the batter first base.

A standardfastball, which does not necessarily break though a good one will havemovement as well as velocity and location that makes it difficult to hit. The batter sees the four parallel seams spin toward him. Afour-seamer. Seetwo-seamer.

• As a noun, a frame is half an inning (either the top or the bottom). Announcer: "Two hits, and two runs scored so far in this frame." Also abowling term, as suggested by the resemblance of an inning-by-inning scoreboard to a bowling scoresheet.
• As a verb, framing [a pitch] refers to the positioning and/or movement of the catcher's mitt and body when he catches a pitch and the effect this has on the umpire calling a pitch a strike. The boundaries of the strike zone are clearly defined in the rules; however, with many major-league pitches traveling well in excess of 90 mph (140 km/h), or with "moving" pitches such as the curveball and the knuckleball, it is often difficult for an umpire to judge whether a ball went through the strike zone based solely on watching the ball, particularly at the boundaries of the strike zone. Consequently, umpires sometimes unofficially use the catcher's position and/or movement to help judge whether a pitch is a strike. Framing is a catcher's attempt to use this to his team's advantage. For example, on a pitch near the boundary of the strike zone, a catcher might move his mitt a short, subtle distance toward the strike zone within a split second after catching the ball, with the hope that the umpire will call a strike even if it did not go through the strike zone. Conversely, a pitch near the top of the strike zone might be called a ball if the catcher has to rise from his crouched position to catch it, even if it did go through the defined strike zone.Sabermetricians have developed metrics for how well catchers perform in framing pitches.^[113]

Slang forextra innings. The fans get to see extra innings "for free".

The pitcher's foot which is not required to be in contact with thepitcher's plate. This foot will correspond with the pitcher's glove hand.

Abase on balls. "Free" because the batter does not have to hit the ball to get on base. Also referred to as a "free ticket" and anAnnie Oakley.

To throw a strike that is so unexpected or in such a location that the batter doesn't swing at it. "AsCashman spoke,Pettitte fired a strike on the corner, which froze the hitter."^[114] "But the right-hander reached in her bag of tricks and threw a tantalizing changeup that froze the hitter for the final out."^[115]

A nickname for Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs.

A hard-hitline drive. Also a strong throw from the outfield.

Acount of 3balls and 2strikes; another strike will result in astrikeout, while another ball will result in awalk. At that point, only a foul ball will extend the at-bat.

• Three of a kind (three balls), and two of a kind (two strikes): afull count. From the term used inpoker. Sometimes calledfull boat. Instead of holding up fingers indicating the count, the umpire may hold up closed fists, implying "full".
• Capacity crowd; all seats filled in the stadium. From the theatrical term.

Afly ball hit for fielders to practice catching. It is not part of the game, but is accomplished by a batter tossing the ball a short distance up in the air and then batting it himself.

A lightweightbat with a long, skinnybarrel used to hitfungoes. It is not a legal or safe bat to use in a game or even in practice with a live pitcher, because it is too light.

A player who plays particularly hard (especially with a willingness to sacrifice his body for the play) and is prone to making the right play at the right time, often in big games. Also used to refer to an excellent piece of equipment, such as a glove or mitt.

The space betweenoutfielders. Alsoalley. A ball hit in the gap is sometimes called aflapper or agapper. "He's swinging the bat right now better than he has all year, and I'm hoping now some of them turns into gappers",Leyland said.^[116]

Hits with power up thealleys and tends to get a lot ofdoubles. Adoubles hitter.

Afastball. "Give him [the batter] the gas"; as in stepping on a car'sgas pedal to accelerate.

A pitcher who gives up runs in bunches or in untimely situations. Named as such because he'd be pouring gas over a fire.

The gross ticket prices paid by all the customers who passed through the entrance gates for a game or a series. Also referred to simply as"the gate". "There's a big gate awaiting the champions ..."^[117]

Abbreviation for game endingdouble play.

The general manager (GM) runs the organization of a baseball team (personnel,finance, and operations). Normally distinct from thefield manager and the club owner.

A very well pitched game, almost always a win, in which the pitcher allows few if any hits and at most a run or two. Headline: "Mulder Shakes Off Injury to Pitch Gem".^[118]

When swinging a round bat at a round ball, the batter hopes to hit the ball solidly in the center. When he does, he's said to "get a good piece of the ball". "'When you hit in the middle of the order, those are the situations you want', saidCabrera, who leads the major leagues with 116 RBIs. 'He threw me a fastball, and I got a good piece of it.'"^[119]

Getaway Day (orGetaway Game) refers to the last game of a regular season series (usually on a Wednesday, Thursday, or Sunday afternoon) that sees the visiting team leave town ("get away") after its conclusion, either for the next stop on theirroad trip or for home. May also refer to the last day of a team'shome stand. "MLB's new labor deal requires earlier start times on getaway days."^[120]

A startinglineup for Getaway Day that features backup players. Usually assembled by amanager so that his regular starters can enjoy a day's rest (especially if they had played the night before), though considerations such as the team's standing in thepennant race may preclude him from making such moves. "The San Francisco Giants completed a four-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies, even with a getaway day lineup taking the field."^[121][122]

When afielder (usually anoutfielder) runs extremely fast towards a hard hit ball in an effort tocatch it.

Tohit a ball hard. Abatter who "gets good wood on the ball" or who "gets some lumber on the ball" hits it hard.

To break a scoreless, hitless, or winlessstreak (i.e., a schneid). According to theDickson Baseball Dictionary, the term "schneid" comes to baseball viagin rummy, and in turn comes from German / Yiddish "schneider", one who cuts cloth, i.e., a tailor.

Statistical abbreviation forgrounded intodouble play.

• Abaseball glove ormitt is a large padded leather glove that players on the defensive team wear to assist them in catching and fielding. Different positions require different shapes and sizes of gloves. The term "mitt" is officially reserved to describe the catcher's mitt and the first-baseman's mitt. By rule, fielders other than the first-baseman and the catcher can wear only conventional gloves (with individual finger slots), not mitts. There is no rulerequiring fielders to wear a glove or mitt, but the nature of the game makes it necessary. A fielder may have to catch a ball bare-handed, if he loses his glove in pursuit of a ball or finds himself at the wrong angle to use it.
• Most batters nowadays wear leatherbatting gloves to improve their grip and provide a small amount of padding. Base-stealing artists, especially those who practice the head-first hands-first slide, wear specializedsliding gloves.
• Players generally keep batting and sliding gloves in their pants pockets when not in use, and their fielding gloves in the dugout. At one time, players would leave their fielding gloves on the field; later they carried them in their pants pockets. This illustrates (1) how much larger and baggier uniforms were and (2) how much smaller the gloves were. The adage "two hands while you're learning" was a necessity in the early years, when gloves simply absorbed shock. The glove has since evolved into a much more effective "trap", and one-hand catches are now the norm.
• Jokes used in movies and cartoons notwithstanding, the rules forbidthrowing the glove to "catch", slow down, or even touch a batted ball. When the umpire calls it, the batter is awarded an automatic triple (meaning all runners ahead of him are allowed to score freely); it is also a live ball, and the batter-runner can try for home. Similarly, it is against the rules to use one's cap as a glove, as "All the Way Mae" (Madonna) did inA League of Their Own. Note that it is only against the rules to actually touch the ball with a thrown glove or other equipment; there is no penalty if the ball is not touched.
• A player who is very skilled at defense is said tohave a good glove.

An abbreviation forgeneral manager.

The run which puts a team which was behind or tied into the lead. Used particularly with runners on base (e.g., "The Phillies haveJimmy Rollins andShane Victorino on base down 4–2; Victorino represents the tying run andChase Utley is the go-ahead run at the plate.").

• Tohit ahome run. "Richie Sexson andKenji Johjima also went deep for the Mariners."^[123]
• A starting pitcher who pitches past the 6th inning is said to "go deep into the game". "Against the White Sox on Thursday,Morrow'scommand wasn't there. He walked six batters in5+2⁄3 innings, and despite coming one out shy of recording aquality start, he didn't prove yet he's able to pitch deep into games."^[124]

• When the defending team allows no opponent on base in a half-inning, thereby retiring the side facing the minimum three batters, the batting team is said to have gone down in order, the defending team is said to have retired it in order.

• When a team fails to mount a strong offense, such as going 1–2–3 in an inning, it may be said to have "gone quietly". "Outside of a walk toMantle afterTresh's clout and a ninth-inning single byPepitone, theYankees went quietly the rest of the way."^[125]
• A player who retires without a lot of fanfare or complaining may be said to "go quietly".

Seego the route.

A pitcher who throws acomplete game "goes the route".

To "go yard" is tohit ahome run, i.e., to hit the ball the length of the baseball field or "ball yard".

One more way to say "hit a home run".

The major league player chosen as the best in his league at fielding his position is given aGold Glove Award.

One whostrikes out four times in one game is said to have gotten a "golden sombrero". Three strike outs is called the "hat trick", while the rare five strike outs is called the "platinum sombrero." Only eight times has a player struck out six times in a game; this is called the "horn" (named byMike Flanagan afterSam Horn who did this in 1991), "double-platinum sombrero," or "titanium sombrero." If it ever happens, Flanagan said a seven-strikeout game shall be called "Horn-A-Plenty."

Swinging at an obviously lowpitch, particularly one in the dirt. Also used to describe actual contact with a pitch low in the zone.

• Ahome run. Announcer: "That ball is gone."
• Conversely, a batter who has just been struck out, especially by apower pitcher, as in "He gone!"
• An announcer may simply announce "one gone" or "two gone" to indicate how many outs have been made in the inning; likewise "one away" and "two away".

A hitter who has excellent awareness of the strike zone, and is able tolay off pitches that are barely out of the strike zone, is said to have a "good eye", "Ortiz andRamirez are a constant threat, whether it's swinging the bats or taking pitches",Cleveland third basemanCasey Blake said. "They have a couple of the best swings in the game and a couple of the best eyes in the game ..."^[126]

Said to have been the world's shortestscouting report, and often quoted in reference tosluggers such asDick Stuart andDave Kingman, who were notoriously poorfielders.

A situation where a batter puts the ball in play in a way that maximizes the result for his team. "Good pieces of hitting" tend to result in runs scoring and draining several pitches out of an opposing pitcher, especially in situations where the pitcher's team was looking for a decent amount of length.

An accolade given to a batter who does not swing at a pitch that is close to, but not in, the strike zone; most often said to a batter with two strikes (who is naturally tempted).

Exclamation by a broadcaster when a batter hits a home run. First uttered by an unknown broadcaster in the filmThe Natural.Spalding is a major manufacturer of baseballs.

When a team has zero on the scoreboard.

A gopher ball (orgopher pitch) is a pitch that leads to ahome run, one the batter will "go for". Illustration from an on-line chat: "He was always that guy who'd go in and throw the gopher pitch in the first inning and he'd be two down." A game in which several home runs are hit by both teams may also be described as "gopher ball".

When a batter hits a foul ball or foul tip, perhaps surviving a two strike count and remaining at bat, a broadcaster may say "He got a piece of it."

Short for "got him out".

When a team's batters gets several hits and runs off of the opposing starting pitcher inearly innings the batters are said to "get to him early".

When a hitter swings slightly under the center of the pitched ball, thereby leading to a high fly ball out instead of a home run, he's said to "get under the ball".

Go sit on thebench, used as a taunt after astrikeout. Popularized byGiants sportscasterMike Krukow.

Home run hit with the#bases loaded. A "grand salami" or a "grand ol' ding dong".

Showing off for the fans in thegrandstands. Also calledgrandstanding. Not only players, but managers, owners, and politicians often play to the crowd to raise their public image. An example: "Tellem weighed in with a thoughtful back-page article in this Sunday'sNew York Times regarding the recent Congressional and mainstream media grandstanding over steroids."^[127]

Agrand slam. "Torii Hunter's game-winning grand slam was his 10th career granny and third careerwalk-off homer."^[128]

The group ofMajor League teams that conductSpring Training inFlorida, wheregrapefruit trees grow in abundance.

A sarcastic term for seats high in thebleachers, a long way from the playing field. The phrase was popularized byBob Uecker in a series of TV commercials.

Permission from themanager for abatter orrunner to be aggressive. Examples include permission for the batter toswing away on a 3–0count or for arunner tosteal a base. An example: "Instead of the bunt sign,Tigers managerJim Leyland gaveRodríguez the green light and he hit a three-run homer offRiske to give the Tigers a 3–2 win overKansas City on Sunday."^[129]

• The Green Monster is a popular nickname for the 37.2 feet (11.3 m) high left field wall at Fenway Park, home to the Boston Red Sox baseball team. The wall is 310 feet (94.5 m) from home plate and is a popular target for right-handed hitters. The seats on top of the Monster, installed for the 2003 season, are among the most coveted seats at Fenway.
• The Red Sox have spring training at JetBlue Park at Fenway South (informally, JetBlue Park) in Fort Myers, Florida. JetBlue is an exact copy of Fenway, including a full-sized Green Monster.
• The Red Sox' mascot is "Wally, the Green Monster".

When a pitcher throws a pitch down the middle of the plate ("the groove"). The result may be predictable. An example: "But in the third, with two out and a man at second and the Cards ahead 2–1,Verlander grooved a pitch thatPujols clobbered for a home run."^[130]

A hit that bounces in theinfield. Alsogrounder. Abunt is not considered a ground ball.

Aground ball that barely gets between twoinfielders for abase hit, seeming to "see" the only spot where it would be unfieldable. Also seeing-eye grounder, orseeing-eye single.

Apitcher who tends to induce moreground balls thanfly balls. Often amanager will bring a ground ball pitcher in as arelief pitcher when there are men on base and less than two outs, hoping the next batter hits a grounder into adouble play.

Under standardground rules, there are conditions under which a batter is awarded second base automatically. If a ball hit in fair territory bounces over a wall or fence (or gets caught in the ivy atWrigley Field) without being touched by a fielder, it will likely be declared a double. If a ball hit into fair territory is touched by a fan, the batter is awarded an extra base.

Rules specific to a particularballpark (or grounds) due to unique features of the park and where thestandard baseball rules may be inadequate.^[131]

A hitter who primarily guesses what type of pitch is coming and where it will be located as their approach to hitting rather than just looking for a fastball and then reacting to off speed pitches.

• A strong arm. Also, acannon.
• To throw hard. Announcer (following a grounder and throw to first): "Guillen guns and gets him."

To throw out a runner. "Valentin was erased when he tried to steal second, though, andPosada gunned him down."^[132]

A type of curveball with a severe break.Boston Red Sox pitcherDaisuke Matsuzaka is said to throw a gyroball. It was designed by a couple of Japanese scientists to reduce arm fatigue in pitchers. The result was a way to throw the ball with an extreme break. Whether such a special pitch really exists remains the subject of great controversy among experts of various pedigrees.^[133]

To swing awkwardly at the ball. "As his son stood in the batter's box and hacked away, Wolpert came up with the idea of opening his own batting cage in Manhattan."^[134] Sometimes said of an aggressive hitter who would swing at any pitch within reach, whether high, low, inside, or outside. "An unrepentant free swinger who hacked at anything in the same area code as the strike zone,Puckett drew just 23 walks that year."^[135]

TheBaseball Hall of Fame inCooperstown, New York. AbbreviatedHOF. In popular usage, the terms "Hall of Fame broadcaster" and "Hall of Fame writer" are often used to describe recipients of two annual awards, respectively theFord C. Frick Award andJ. G. Taylor Spink Award. Recipients of these awards are recognized in dedicated Hall exhibits, but are not considered actual Hall of Fame members.

Atongue-in-cheek expression used to refer to players who had successful careers, but whose stats and/or overall performance are not good enough to put them into consideration for the Hall of Fame. Example of players said to be in the "Hall of Very Good" areChris Carpenter,^[136]Lee Smith (who eventually earned Hall of Fame induction), andMark McGwire.^[137]

• To hit the ball hard, typically for extra bases. "Aaron hammered that pitch."
• The nickname ofHenry Aaron—Hank "The Hammer" Aaron—second all-time in Major League career home runs.
• A curve ball, usually of the12 to 6 variety.

• A hard-hit ground ball that bounces directly at an infielder is difficult for him to get his hands on – he appears to have been handcuffed.
• A pitch thrown high and inside "handcuffs" a batter because he can't get his hands far enough away from his body to swing the bat.

Often it's said of a player who has not fielded a batted ball cleanly that he "couldn't find the handle on it". This suggests the fanciful notion that a baseball would be easier to hold onto if it had a handle.

• Abreaking ball that does not "break", or change direction, and so is easy tohit. Ahanging curveball.
• Apitcher may behung with aloss if he is responsible for his team falling behind in runs and the team never recovers the lead.
• A runner may behung up if he is caught in arundown.
• A runner may behung out to dry if he gets picked off at first base, or if a hitter misses a hit-and-run sign and the runner is easily tagged out at second base. A player may be hung out to dry if his team treats him in an unexpected or disappointing way. (Story: "The Mets got what they needed from pitcher Al Leiter yesterday. Unfortunately, Leiter was hung out to dry again, done in by his team's anemic offense.")
• A team mayhang a (number) on the opposing pitcher or his team by scoring that many runs. May use a literal number or an informal term such as acrooked number or asnowman.

When a pitcher uses a particular type of pitch so much that he becomes less effective, he's sometimes said to be "happy" with the pitch – fastball happy or curveball happy, for example. "This article is a response, in part, to aBoston Globe sports rumor asserting thatJosh Beckett has become 'Curveball Happy' and has changed his release point."^[138]

A tendency to mishandlefielded balls. Alsostone fingers. Contrastsoft hands.

Baseball, as opposed tosoftball.

Tostrike out three times. Used jokingly, as the same term means to score three times inhockey and other sports. This term is also used to indicate someone who has hit threehome runs in a game.

Hit By Pitch.

When a player breaks their bat after hitting the pitch, and the main portion of the bat (the barrel) lands within the infield, the broken portion can splinter into many pieces. (If the barrel lands either in foul territory or outside the established infield, the event isnot a head of lettuce.) The term pays homage to other food-related baseball terms such as "can of corn", "high cheese", "in a pickle", etc. The original use of the term dates to 2006 when Joshua Githens first noted the likeness to striking a head of lettuce with the bat. "That bat exploded like a head of lettuce!"

Apitcher who has a reputation for throwingbeanballs.

Middle of home plate. "Looking to go up the ladder, Hughes instead missed right over the heart of the plate just below belt high with a 95-mph fastball. As good hitters do,Vladimir Guerrero made him pay with a single up the middle."^[139]

Alsoheater. Afastball.

Apower hitter. A player who hits a lot of home runs or otherextra-base hits. A batter with a highslugging percentage. Aslugger. A term shared with the sport ofboxing, referring to a fighter who scores a large number ofknockouts.

Said of apitcher who knocks in runs as ahitter, thereby helping himself to earn credit for a win.

A pitcher with an unusual or awkward wind-up or motion, as if he's not in full control of his legs and arms, may be said to have a herky-jerky motion.

A pitcher who pauses in his wind-up, perhaps at the top of the wind-up, may be said to have a hesitation pitch. If this is part of his regular motion, it may be effective in throwing off the timing of the batter. If it's an occasional motion and used when there are runners on base, the pitcher is at risk of being called for abalk.

A very rare feat in which a fielder has the ball and hides it from a runner, tricking him into believing some other fielder has it or that it has gotten away from them. (There is no rule against such deception except that once the pitcher toes or stands astride the rubber, hemust have the ball in his possession or else abalk will be called.) Any baserunner so victimized will be ribbed endlessly by his teammates for having beencaught napping.

Alocationpitch thrown above thestrike zone and close to thebatter.

Afastball thrown high in thestrike zone.

Afastball thrown high in, or above thestrike zone.

Astrike thrown high in thestrike zone.

An adage about batting against aknuckleball pitcher. Fluttering knuckleballs are notoriously hard to hit, especially low in the strike zone.

Thepitcher's mound.

• The act ofsafely reachingfirst base after batting the ball intofair territory. Abbreviated asH, this meaning is synonymous withbase hit. See alsosingle,double,triple,home run,extra-base hit,error,fielder's choice.
• The act of contacting the ball with the bat. "The batter hit the ball right at the second baseman."
• When a batter is touched by a pitch. Seehit by pitch
• The termsacrifice hit is used by scorekeepers to indicate a sacrifice bunt. It is typically an out, not a base hit (unless the batter beats the throw to first without benefit of an error).

To hit the ball very hard, typically a line drive.

Anoffensive tactic whereby abaserunner (usually onfirst base) starts running as if tosteal and thebatter is obligated to swing at thepitch to try to drive the ball behind the runner to right field. Contrast this to a run and hit, where the runner steals, and the batter (who would normally take on a straight steal)may swing at the pitch.

After a batter has attempted but failed to lay down a bunt, or in a situation in which he might ordinarily be expected to bunt, he may instead make a normal swing at the ball on the next pitch. In such a case he is said to "hit away" or "swing away". "Smoltz swung away, fouling it off for strike one. Knowing that the bunt had been given away on the first pitch,Braves managerBobby Cox took off the bunt sign this time."^[140]

Anoffensive tactic where thebatter intentionally puts the ballin play to the right side (thefirst base side) with arunner onsecond. The intent is to advance the baserunner to third, where asacrifice fly by the next hitter can score arun.

• When apitch touches abatter in thebatter's box, the batter advances tofirst base. If the pitch hits him while he is swinging (striking) he is not awarded a base, and if the umpire feels he made no effort to avoid getting hit he simply calls a ball.
• Colloquially, a batter who is hit by a pitch has been plunked, drilled, nailed, plugged, or beaned.

Said to be the (grammatically casual) response of turn-of-the-20th-century playerWillie Keeler to the question, "What's the secret to hitting?" in which "'em" or "them" are thebatted balls, and "they" are thefielders.

Contrary to what might be literally implied, a player who "hits for average" is one who achieves a highbatting average.

When a given player hits asingle,double,triple andhome run in the same game. To accomplish this feat in order is termed a "natural cycle". Hitting for the cycle is a rare enough occurrence thatMajor League Baseball keeps special statistics on it.^[141]

Hit the ball into the stands for ahome run.

When a player seems to have a natural aptitude to get hits in all situations. "Magglio can hit Christmas Day",Tigers managerJim Leyland said. "It's an old saying, and he's one of those guys who can. There's nothing fancy. He sees it, hits it and does it pretty damned good."^[142]

A rapid succession of hits within the same inning or a high total of hits throughout a game.

To hit the ball even center with measured force, often resulting in a loud crack of the bat. Aslumpingbatter might be comforted by "hitting the ball on the screws" when not getting ahit. The phrase derives fromgolf, referring to a well executed shot. Back when "woods" were actually made of wood, manufacturers screwed a plastic insert into the club face as a safeguard against premature wear. When a golfer hit a good shot he would say, "I hit it on the screws."^[143] Another source is the fact that early baseball bats usually cracked lengthwise into two pieces; many were repaired using glue and two screws. (Such repairs are now illegal.)

When a batter drops or dives to the ground to avoid being hit by a pitch. "The third kind of pitch is the one that is coming right at your head. This one you don't even have time to think about. Some part of you sees the ball as it leaves the pitcher's hand, and something about the fact that the ball is coming straight toward your eye makes it almost disappear into a blind spot. You hit the deck before you even know you've done it."^[144]

Toslide. Sometimes used also as equivalent tohit the deck.

When a batter does not swing the bat in a single motion – perhaps he lifts the bat or moves his hands or hesitates before swinging – he may be said to have a "hitch in his swing". Having a hitch may slow down how quickly or powerfully he swings at the pitch. "All winter,Green worked on eliminating a hitch from his swing. He did it by setting up a video camera at a batting cage near his home in Irvine, California, taping swing after swing, and comparing it with video from his days with the Los Angeles Dodgers."^[145]

Batter.

a person who hits a ball with a bat in baseball.

When a batter is way ahead in the count (3–0, 3–1, 2–0) he's likely to anticipate that the next pitch will be thrown down Broadway—in the middle of the plate. Seecount.

• A baseball park in which hitters tend to perform better than average. This may be a result of several factors, including the dimensions of the park (distance to the outfield fences, size of foul territory behind the plate and down the lines), prevailing winds, temperature and relative humidity, and altitude. Whether a park is a hitter's park or a pitcher's park (in which hitters perform worse than average) is determined statistically by measuringPark Factors, which involves comparing how well hitters perform in a given park compared with how they perform in all other parks. This measure is regularly reported and updated for Major League Baseball parks by ESPN.com.^[146] Baseball Reference^[147] and other baseball research organizations also report park factors for major league parks. Baseball Prospectus^[148] and other baseball researchers calculate park factors for minor league parks to help in adjusting the statistics of baseball prospects.
• Whether a park is a hitter's park orpitcher's park may change from day to day. For example, when the wind is blowing "out" atWrigley Field, it is typically rendered a "hitter's park", and a double-digit score for one or both teams is not unusual.
• On the other hand, some are hitter's parks, any and all other factors notwithstanding.Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, Braves home field from 1966 to 1996, was known asThe Launching Pad.

A physical and/or mental state where a player is seeing pitches well and his timing is on, so that observers or the player himself feel he has a good chance at getting a hit. Often used by players and sportscasters. "It's like Charley Lau used to tell us, used to tell me: 'You look very hitterish up there. You look hitterish, you look like you're going to hit the ball hard'", Brett said in camp.^[149]

• A hold (abbreviated asH) is awarded to arelief pitcher if he enters in a save situation, records at least one out, and leaves the game without having relinquished that lead. To receive a hold, the pitcher mustnot finish the game (thus becoming the closing pitcher) or be the winning pitcher.
• Unlikesaves, more than one pitcher can earn a hold in a game. It is also not necessary for the pitcher's team to win the game in order to achieve a hold; they merely have to be in the lead at the time the pitcher exits.
• The hold was invented in 1986 to give credit to non-closer relief pitchers. Holds are most often accredited tosetup pitchers, as they usually pitch between thestarter and thecloser. Holds are not an official Major League Baseball statistic, but are recognized by the MLB in its rules.

When a runner is on first base, the first baseman might choose to stand very close to first base rather than assume a position behind first base and more part-way toward second base (a position better suited to field ground balls hit to the right side of the diamond). When he does this he's said to "hold the runner on (first)" because he's in a position to take a throw from the pitcher and thereby discourage the runner from taking a big lead-off.

When a batter begins to swing the bat at a pitch but stops swinging before the bat makes contact with the ball or the bat passes the front of the plate, he may be said to "hold up on his swing".

• One of the nine places in the batting lineup. The leadoff hitter in the first inning is the player in the "one hole". In the four hole, the cleanup hitter is hoping to get to the plate in that inning.
• Also see#in the hole.

A tendency to drop fly balls, usually after they hit (and seem to go through) the fielder's glove.

Ascouting report phrase describing abatter who can't hitstrikes in a particularlocation. "Howard became a star after fixing a hole in his swing."^[150]

A team that has one or more weak hitters in its 9-person batting order has a "hole in the lineup" that opposition teams can take advantage of. "There are no holes in that lineup, so to say you're going topitch around one batter might not be the best thing."^[151] "If the team thatShapiro has constructed is going to overtake theBoston Red Sox, theNew York Yankees or any of the other contenders in theAmerican League, it can't afford another season with a hole in the middle of the lineup thatHafner was from May through the playoffs last season."^[152]

Home plate. For a runner to reach home safely is to score a run. Getting a runner who is on base home is the goal of any batter.

• When a player for thehome team gets a favorable or generous call from the official scorer, the players may refer to the scorer's call as "home cooking". For example, the scorer may credit a batter for a base hit on a batted ball that a fielder bobbled briefly and then failed to make a putout.
• "Home cooking" is sometimes used synonymously withhome field advantage. The reference may be to the home team having the advantage of living at home, not just to being able to play in its own stadium.

Teams playinghome games have a small advantage over visiting teams. In recent decades, home teams have tended to win about 53.5% of their games.^[153] Because teams play the same number of games at home as they do away during the regular season, this advantage tends to even out. In play-off series, however, teams hope to gain from home-field advantage by having the first game of the series played in their home stadium.

A game played at the home stadium or ballpark of a baseball club. When theYankees play inYankee Stadium, they're playing a home game. The team hosting the game is referred to as the home team. In rare instances, the home team plays in a stadium not their own. In 2005, the Houston Astros played a "home" series against the Chicago Cubs at Miller Park in Milwaukee, home of the Brewers, because their home stadium,Minute Maid Park, was rendered temporarily unusable because ofHurricane Rita. In 2010, the Toronto Blue Jays played a "home" series against the Philadelphia Phillies at the Phillies' home park, Citizens Bank Park, because of security concerns due to theG-20 summit being held in Toronto. Despite being in Philadelphia, the Blue Jays wore their home white uniforms and batted last. Also, despite Citizens Bank Park being a National League field, the designated hitter was used in the series.

The second (bottom) half of an inning, in which thehome team is at bat.

See alsoplate.

A home run (or homer) is a base hit in which the batter is able to circle all the bases, ending athome plate and scoring a run himself.

A batting competition in which the object is to hit the mosthome runs.^[154] The 1960 television seriesHome Run Derby featured such a competition.^[155] The term can also be used to refer to a game during which many home runs are hit.^[156] The term was first used in the 1920s to refer to the race ("derby") between batters to lead their league in home runs for the season.^[157]

Since 1985,Major League Baseball has hosted an annualHome Run Derby,^[158] and theChinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) has done so since 1992. At least one minor league, theSouthern League, has also held a home run derby.^[159] In 2007, theIsrael Baseball League played seven-inning games, and if the teams were tied at the end of the seventh inning the tie was broken by use of a home run derby.^[160] A number of amusement parks, entertainment centers andbatting cages offer a home run derby type competition.^[154]

• When a batter, realizing the ball he just hit is about become a home run, slows from a run to a celebratory trot. "Well, I've been saying it all year, and it finally happened tonight:David Ortiz became the first player in the 2010 season to take more than 30-seconds to trot around the bases after a home run. With four of the top five slowest home run trots of the year already - all four of which were clocked in at 28.95 seconds or slower - it seemed inevitable that he would be the first to break the half-minute barrier."^[161]
• Sometimes a player mistakenly slows down, however, when the wind or a superb play by an outfielder, turns a home run into a double or single off the outfield wall, or to along out, or to another odd outcome, as the following case illustrates:

Unfortunately for his personal power totals,Milledge was bamboozled into believing his liner in the fourth inning against theChicago Cubs on Thursday night had cleared the left-field fence atPNC Park for his first careergrand slam. Dead certain he hadgone deep, Milledge raised his fist rounding first base, put his head down and went into a trot. Cool. Double-dog certain because the fireworks guy at PNC set off the pyrotechnics that explode every time a Bucs player goes deep. Music also began to blare. What a glorious moment for the Bucs! ... only, the ball had not cleared the fence. It hit the top and stayed in the field of play.AsBucs announcerBob Walk said, "Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, uh oh—we got a problem here." Milledge was not quite midway between second and third base when he realized the Cubs had him in arundown. And, yeah, um, he was tagged out. Score that a two-run double and a big ol' base-running blunder.^[162]

A series ofhome games. See alsoroad trip.

The "home team" is the one in whose stadium the game is played against the "visiting team". The home team has the advantage of batting in the second or bottom half of theinning. In case a game is played at a neutral site, the "home" team is usually determined by coin toss.

• Ahome run.
• A derisive term for a dedicated, almost delusional,fan. Especially used for a broadcaster, inany sport, whose team "can do no wrong"; for example, they might argue a bad strike call, but say nothing about one against the opponent.Johnny Most of theBoston Celtics andHawk Harrelson of theChicago White Sox were notorious "homers." In a somewhat more humorous example,Bert Wilson used to say, "I don't care who wins, as long as it's the Cubs!" A common "homer" saying is, "My two favorite teams are (my team) and whoever's playing (my team's rival)."

• When amanager leaves the dugout with the obvious intention of replacing thepitcher with areliever, he may be said to be carrying a hook. "Here comes Sparky, and he's got the hook." Such a usage may have come from the large hooks that were sometimes used inVaudeville to yank unsuccessful acts off the stage if they were reluctant to leave on their own. When he was manager of theCincinnati Reds,Sparky Anderson's heavy reliance on relief pitching earned him the nickname "Captain Hook", a reference both to the standard usage and to thePeter Pan villain.
• A pitcher is said to be "on the hook" when he leaves the game with his team behind because of runs that he gave up—a hook on which he may behung with the loss.
• Acurveball.

When thebatterpulls theballdown the line, startingfair but ending foul, resulting in afoul ball. See alsoslice foul.

A batted ball that takes several bounces in the infield, or a single"high hop" after it hits the ground just in front of home plate. Also see "short hop".

• The ball (abaseball) used in the game of baseball.
• The leather cover on the baseball (which is now usually made of cowhide, not horsehide). A slugger may be said to "knock the horsehide off the ball". Horsehide was the cover of choice for decades, as it was less prone to stretching than cowhide. This was necessary in part because in the early days, they tried to play the entire game with a single ball, or as few as possible. That became moot in the 1920s, but horsehide continued to be used until the 1980s or so, when horsehide became prohibitively expensive and cowhide was finally adopted as the standard cover for a baseball.

A strong arm, said typically of an outfielder. To "be hosed" is to be thrown out on the bases, typically from the outfield.

A batter who is having ahitting streak or a team having awinning streak is said to be "hot". "'Today was pretty impressive',Scioscia said. 'Hitters, they have their times. When they're hot, they're hot. You can't do anything about it.'"^[163]

The area between twofielders during arundown.

The area aroundthird base and thethird baseman, so called becauseright-handed batters tend to hitline drives down thethird base line. The third baseman is sometimes called a "cornerman".

An old fashioned term for a "Winter league" with no games, just speculation, gossip, and story-telling during the months between the end of the World Series and the beginning of Spring training, presumably conducted while sitting around a hot stove. One ofNorman Rockwell's well-known baseball paintings is a literal illustration of this term.

A batter who strikes out looking. The term was made popular by legendaryDetroit Tigers radio broadcasterErnie Harwell, who would often say, "He stood there like the house by the side of the road, and watched the ball go by."^[164] The phrase originates from the title of a poem bySam Walter Foss.

A very strong arm. A cannon. Agun. Usually applied to an outfielder. Named after theHowitzer artillery piece. Headline: "Roberto Clemente: A Howitzer for an Arm, An Ocean for a Heart".^[165]

A humanrain delay is a derisive term for a player who is very deliberate in his play, such as a pitcher who takes a long time between pitches or a batter who constantly steps out of thebatter's box. "TheSeattle Mariners will announce a new manager today—Mike Hargrove. Hargrove bears a great nickname—'The Human Rain Delay'. The name stems from the fact that, as a player, Hargrove would take about 15 minutes for every plate appearance. He would step out of the batter's box, fidget with his gloves, his helmet, his pants. He drove the pitcher nuts, but that was his plan."^[166]

A ball hit deep in the infield on a trajectory between those of fly balls and line drives.

Apitcher.

See:snow cone.

A fielding play, usually where a lofty fly ball is to land equidistant between two fielders. Both are unsure who should catch it, usually resulting in last-second leaps or dives. Often neither does, in which case the one who had the better chance is charged with an error.

A half-inning in which the pitcher strikes out all three batters he faces with exactly nine pitches.

A highfastball, usually at or near the batter's eye level. Above thestrike zone, so aball, and hard tohit, but also hard tolay off.

• Theumpire calls thebatterout when the batter hits afly ball that can be caught withordinary effort by aninfielder infair territory,and (c) there arerunners onfirst andsecond, or on first, second, andthird. The infield fly rule is not in effect for a bunt or a line drive.
• The definition specifies that a ball need not be caught by an infielder, only that an infielder could have caught the ball using "ordinary effort." The ball does not need to remain in the infield for the infield fly rule to be invoked. The definition specifically states that no arbitrary marking, such as the infield cutout, may be used to determine whether a batted ball is an infield fly.
• The catcher and the pitcher are considered infielders for the purpose of the infield fly rule.
• The batter is automatically called out in this situation whether or not an infielder attempts to catch the fly ball, assuming it stays fair. The rule states that the umpire is supposed to announce, "Infield fly, if fair." If the ball will be almost certainly fair, the umpire will likely yell, "Infield fly, batter's out!" or just "Batter's out!"
• This rule is intended to prevent the fielder from intentionally allowing the ball to drop and gettingforce outs on the runners on base. :*The rule is a little mystifying to casual fans of the game, but it has been a fundamental rule since 1895, allegedly to prevent the notoriously trickyBaltimore Orioles from intentionally dropping the ball.
• The simplest way to think about it is this: If there is a potential force out at third with fewer than two outs, the infield fly rule is in effect.

First baseman,second baseman andthird baseman, plus theshortstop, so called because they arepositioned on theinfield dirt. Thepitcher andcatcher are typically not considered infielders, but instead as thebattery. However, for purposes of implementing theInfield Fly Rule, the catcher, pitcher, and any player stationed in the infield when the pitch is delivered are included as infielders.

Inherited runners orinherited baserunners are the runners on base when arelief pitcher enters the game. Since a previouspitcher has allowed these runners to reach base (or was simply pitching when the runners reached base, such as in the case of afielding error), any inherited runners who score when the relief pitcher is pitching are charged to the previous pitcher'sruns allowed and/orearned runs allowed total, depending on how each runner reached base. Modernbox scores list how many runners each relief pitcher inherits (if any), and how many of those inherited runners the relief pitcher allows to score, calledinherited runs allowed (IRA).

In general, a baserunner isin jeopardy at any time the ball islive and the baserunner is not touching a base, except in the cases of overrunning first base on afair ball or advancing to an awarded base, e.g., on abase on balls orhit by pitch. A baserunner who isin jeopardy may beputout by a fielder at any time.^[167]

Major league teams may remove injured players from theiractive roster temporarily by placing them on theinjured list. Another player can then becalled up as a replacement during this time.

An inning consists of two halves. In each half, one team bats until threeouts are made. A full inning consists of six outs, three for each team; and aregulation game consists of nine innings. The first half-inning is called thetop half of the inning; the second half-inning, thebottom half. The break between the top and bottom halves is called themiddle of the inning. The visiting team is on offense during the top half of the inning, the home team is on offense during the bottom half. Sometimes the bottom half is also referred to as thehome half.

A pitcher who may or may not be a starter or a closer but who can be relied on to pitch several innings either to keep his team in contention or sometimes when the game is no longer close, is an "innings eater". Headline: "Appetites never diminish for 'innings-eating' pitchers".

The success of most pitchers is based on statistics such as won-loss record, ERA or saves, but the unsung "innings eater" is judged by how many innings he pitches and the impact his work has on the rest of the staff. "I don't have a whole lot of goals going into the season. I don't shoot for a certain ERA or a certain strikeout number or certain number of wins," saysBlanton, entering his second full season. "I try to go out and get a quality start every time, six innings or more, and not miss any starts. I feel if I can do that, I'll get my 200 innings in a year and everything else falls into place with that."^[168]

Theinside baseball is anoffensive strategy that focuses on teamwork and good execution. It usually centers on tactics that keep the ball in theinfield:walks,base hits,bunts, andstolen bases. This was the primary offensive strategy during thedead-ball era. Inside baseball is also a common metaphor in American politics to describe background machinations. The equivalent modern term issmall ball.

Proper mechanics of a baseball swing, in which the hitter rotates his body while keeping his hands and the bat close to his body, with the bat coming across the plate after the body has almost fully rotated 90 degrees from his initial stance. Sometimes the phrase used is that the hitter "keeps his hands inside the baseball", and sometimes that the hitter himself "keeps inside the ball" – never mind the connotation of a player's literally being inside a baseball. "He's staying inside the ball so good, man",Dunn said. "For big guys like us, that's a hard thing to do. You always want to get the head [of the bat] out. His right hand is staying inside, so good. That's why he's able to hit the ball to left, to center, to right. He's in a good place right now."^[169]

When the batter swings at a pitch with his hands ahead of the end of the bat. For a right-handed hitter, this often leads to balls being hit toward the right side of the diamond. One of the most famous "inside-out" hitters isDerek Jeter: "While Jeter became known over his two decades for rising to the occasion and delighting fans with his heroics, he was above all a technician, slashing at pitches with his trademark inside-out swing."^[170]

A play where a hitter scores ahome run without hitting the ball out of play.

A run scored by a team already in the lead. These surplus runs do not affect the game outcome but serve as "insurance" against the team giving up runs later.

Additional terms for theintentional base on balls.

Interference is an infraction where a person illegally changes the course of play from what is expected. Interference might be committed by players on the offense, players not currently in the game, catchers, umpires, or fans; each type of interference is covered differently by the rules.

Regular-season games between teams in different major leagues, which allow natural rivals andcrosstown rivals to play each other more often, not just in play-offs.

While Major League Baseball calls on theBaseball Writers' Association of America (BBWA) to name the most valuable player, rookie of the year, and Cy Young Award winner each year, since 1997Baseball Prospectus has conducted an on-line poll to make Internet Baseball Awards in those categories as well as manager of the year.^[171]

A batting average below .200. A player with a batting average of .195 is said to be on I-95, a reference to the numbering on theInterstate Highway System. See alsothe Mendoza Line.

The game is over. Long-timeNew York Mets radio broadcasterHowie Rose (first onWFAN, now onWOR) ends every Mets win with the catchphrase, "Put it in the books!" (Rose's memoir is entitledPut It In The Book!)

• The spaces between thefirst baseman andsecond baseman and between theshortstop and thethird baseman, one of the usual places where aground ball must go for ahit. "Ozzie went deep in the hole" but, despite Ozzie's best effort, the ball "found a hole" through the infield and into the outfield. See alsoup the middle anddown the line.
• Dueup to bat after theon-deckbatter. Probably derived from boating, where it was originally "in the hold",^{[citation needed]} the place prior to being "on deck". "In the hole" is a corruption of the original nautical term (a mondegreen or eggcorn) made popular by people who did not understand the original origin. Today, the corruption has become universal.
• An unfavorablecount. Apitcher would be "in the hole"3-0 and abatter would be "in the hole"0-2.

Pitching in on the hitter's hands.

• A game is in play when the umpire declares "play ball" at the beginning of the game or after a time-out.
• Any batted ball is "in play" until either the play ends, theumpire calls the ballfoul, or there is faninterference or some other event that leads to adead ball. A ball hit into foul territory but in the air is in play (a fielder may attempt to catch it for an out and runners may attempt to advance after such a catch), but only before it hits the ground or the fence.
• Insabermetrics, a special definition of "ball in play" is the calculation of "batting average on balls in play" (BABIP), which excludeshome runs even though they are fair balls.
• Also seeplay.

Infield and outfield practice. "Everyone take your positions for a quick IO"