eephus

The naming of the pitch is generally credited to Maurice Van Robays in 1942, who said "it's a nothin' pitch, and eephus ain't nothing'". However, it is not clear what the source for the name is; possibly Hebrew אפס (“nothing, zero”).

Sewell was determined to live or die by the eephus.

2003, Michael Seidel, Ted Williams: a baseball life:

He figured that, if it were another eephus, he'd have time to react.

2004, Fred Cicetti, Saltwater Taffy: A Summer at the Jersey Shore:

When, on his first pitch, Sewell served an eephus, Williams almost broke his back trying to get to it.

2005, Randy Roberts, The rock, the curse, and the hub: a random history of Boston sports:

(baseball) An off-speed pitch with unusually low velocity, intended to catch the hitter off guard.


centerfield

(baseball) The central part of the outfield


outcurve

(baseball) A ball, thrown by the pitcher, that curves away from the batter.


misfield

en-verb

misfield (third-person singular simple present misfields, present participle misfielding, simple past and past participle misfielded)

misfields (present singular third-person)
misfielding (participle present)
misfielded (participle past)
misfielded (past)

The verb is derived from mis- (prefix meaning ‘badly; wrongly’) + field (verb). The noun is derived from the verb.

prefix

Coordinate term: mishit

(transitive) To field (“catch or intercept and play”) (a ball) clumsily or ineptly; in cricket this can result in the batsman scoring another run.

(intransitive) To field a ball clumsily or ineptly.

pelata pallo huonosti

(transitive) to field (a ball) clumsily or ineptly; (intransitive) to field a ball clumsily or ineptly


misfield

(baseball, cricket, rugby) A failure to field (“catch or intercept and play”) a ball properly.


junkballer

From the beginning, Clemens was a fireballer, Wells more of a junkballer.

2007 June 14, Lee Jenkins, “At 44, Wells Is the Anti-Clemens”, in New York Times:

(baseball) A pitcher that relies heavily on off-speed pitches.


catcher interference

en-noun

catcher interference (plural catcher interferences)

(baseball) An instance of a hitter being awarded first bases, due to the catcher touching the batter's bat during his or her time at bat.


base on balls

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(baseball) An instance where the batter is allowed to go directly to first base without the possibility of being put out, due to the opposing pitcher delivering four balls.


M and M boys

(baseball) Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, who competed to break Babe Ruth's home-run record while on the same team.


slowball

(baseball) A pitch that is not a fastball or curveball; often a change-up.


slowball

en-verb

slowball (third-person singular simple present slowballs, present participle slowballing, simple past and past participle slowballed)

slowballs (present singular third-person)
slowballing (participle present)
slowballed (participle past)
slowballed (past)


throw-out

(baseball) A put-out caused by a throw to a base of a fielded ground ball.


nothing ball

If he cannot throw a fast ball, he may be able to get by on a nothing ball (a term coined for Wes Ferrell's looping delivery, which, though it doesn't curve, is hard to hit).

1941 Franklin P. Huddle "Baseball Jargon" (April 1943) American Speech Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 103-111

two of the leading pitchers in the major leagues use the "nothing ball", a term used derisively by batters to describe change of pace deliveries.

1951 August, Paul Horowitz, “They've Got Plenty of Nothing”, in Baseball Digest, pages 21–22:

(baseball) a pitch which has neither much speed nor much spin


choke up

choke up (third-person singular simple present chokes up, present participle choking up, simple past and past participle choked up)

chokes up (present singular third-person)
choking up (participle present)
choked up (participle past)
choked up (past)

(baseball, intransitive) To hold the bat higher (farther from the knob) than is normal.


ugly finder

I tried to duck under the ball, but it was definitely an ugly finder.

1989 August 12, Mitch Williams, quotee, “There's never a dull moment with the Cubs' 'Wild Thing'”, in Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

"That ball was an ugly-finder," [Rob] Dibble said. "But I consider that good luck. No broken nose, no stitches and no black eye."

1996 March 1, Barry Rozner, quoting Rob Dibble, “Dibble survives an ugly scare”, in Daily Herald, page 5:

"The unique thing about this team though is that of the eight position players - all are either new or are playing a different position," he [Bill Matthews] said. "With something like that, you just hope the ball doesn't become an ugly-finder."

2003 February 9, Rodney Page, quoting Bill Matthews, “Tritons count on the pitching staff to deliver”, in St. Petersburg Times, page 4:

Everybody was trying to throw the ugly-finder at him, and we still couldn't find him.

2010, Jason Turbow with Michael Duca, quoting Ed Whitson, The Baseball Codes: Beanballs, Sign Stealing, and Bench-Clearing Brawls: the Unwritten Rules of America's Pastime, Random House, Inc., →ISBN, page 134:

(baseball, colloquial) A hard batted or thrown ball which hits or nearly hits someone, especially a line drive foul ball hit into a dugout.


submarine pitch

en-noun

submarine pitch (plural submarine pitches)

(baseball) A pitch thrown with an underarm-to-sidearm motion.


linescore

It did not count against the Rockies on their linescore, but it did on the scoreboard.

2007 October 26, Ben Shpigel, “In One Mundane Moment, the Rockies Make a Game-Changing Mistake”, in New York Times:

(baseball) A two-line chart that reports each team's run totals by inning, and total runs, total hits, and total errors.


flyhawk

Two flyhawks like Hunter and Matthews would be running into each other all the time, probably leaping against the wall simultaneously.

2007 November 27, Murray Chass, “Stockpiling Center Fielders, but at What Cost?”, in New York Times:

(baseball, informal) A skilled outfielder.


dust off a batter

en-verb

dust off a batter (third-person singular simple present dusts off a batter, present participle dusting off a batter, simple past and past participle dusted off a batter)

dusts off a batter (present singular third-person)
dusting off a batter (participle present)
dusted off a batter (participle past)
dusted off a batter (past)

From the concept that a pitch thrown very close to a batter will remove some dust or dirt from the batter's uniform either by brushing against it or causing a breeze very close to it, or alternatively by the batter jumping away from the pitch to avoid being hit.

That pitcher doesn't like the hitters too close to the plate so every once in a while he'll dust off a batter.

He never attempted to dust off a batter; and his control was so great that no hitter was ever afraid to stand right up to the plate and look Matty's fast ball right in the eye.

1947, Robert Smith, Baseball: a historical narrative of the game, the men who have played it, and its place in American life, page 206:

(idiomatic, baseball) for a pitcher to throw a pitch at or near the batter, typically to frighten the batter or to have him stand farther away from home plate.


busher

He was talking about me all the time that day in Boston, standing with the bat boy, making cracks. That's all right but when he called me a busher in front of the whole Yank team and then challenged me, I had to fight.

(US, baseball, slang) A major league baseball player who has recently come from a small league.


sac bunt

(colloquial, baseball) A sacrifice bunt.


speedballer

The movie was named “Bull Durham,” with Tim Robbins as the speedballer who was all over the place.

2009 July 19, George Vecsey, “A Hall of Fame for a Legendary Fastball Pitcher”, in New York Times:


centerfielder

Mets centerfielder Carlos Beltran has been out since June 22 with a bone bruise on his right knee.

2009 July 30, Joe Lapointe, “A Personal Twin Bill for Mets’ Castillo”, in New York Times:

(baseball) A player in the centerfield position.


bring the lumber

bring the lumber (third-person singular simple present brings the lumber, present participle bringing the lumber, simple past and past participle brought the lumber)

brings the lumber (present singular third-person)
bringing the lumber (participle present)
brought the lumber (participle past)
brought the lumber (past)

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While Dontrelle Willis got limber, the guys facing him brought the lumber — or aluminum, in this case

2005, “Hurricanes Knock Willis Around”, in Lewiston Tribune, Lewiston, ME:


foul pole

(baseball) One of the two poles marking the area inside which a fair ball may be hit. It stands above a foul line.


scuffball

(baseball) An illegal pitch where the baseball has been altered using sandpaper or a similar tool to modify its spin.


switch pitcher

As the result of a childhood injury, Larry Kimbrough became both a switch hitter and a switch pitcher, and he carried those abilities all the way to the only major leagues available to a black ballplayer in the early 1940s: the Negro League

2000, Brent P. Kelley, The Negro leagues revisited: conversations with 66 more baseball heroes, →ISBN, page 142:

(baseball) A pitcher who pitches both right-handed and left-handed.


high and tight

Comparing the terms high and tight for the longer hair on the high part of the scalp and the shortest or tight-to-the-scalp hair on the sides.

(baseball) Being a pitch that is thrown close to the batter, but does not hit him.


junkball

(baseball) An off-speed pitch, such as a changeup, a curveball or a slider.


IBB

(baseball) Initialism of intentional base on balls, an intentional walk.


163rd game

One game beyond the customary length of the Major League Baseball season, 162 games.

Much to the surprise of both the Red Sox and the Yankees, the Yankees lost. The Red Sox, however, did not. ¶ As a result, baseball's two best teams would be facing each other in a 163rd game. The winner would take on the Kansas City Royals in the league championship series, the prelude to the World Series, […]

2008, Richard Bradley, The Greatest Game, Free Press, →ISBN, page x:

The win-loss percentage is simply the number of games won divided by the total number of games played (the total number of games played is 162 at the end of the regular season). If two teams are tied at the end of the regular season, a 163rd game will be scheduled to break the tie.

2016, Dan Formosa, Paul Hamburger, Baseball Field Guide, 3rd edition, New York: The Experiment, →ISBN, page 18:

After the 162-game season, the Rays and the Rangers were both 91–71 and tied for the second wild-card spot in the AL. That meant a 163rd game was needed to decide who would go to the playoffs.

2023, Luke Hanlon, Tampa Bay Rays, Minneapolis: Abdo Publishing, →ISBN, page 29:

(baseball) A one-game playoff between two teams for a playoff spot.


grasscutter

(baseball, cricket) Synonym of worm burner (“a hard-hit ground ball”)


yellow hammer

Watching the ballgame today someone broke off a real good curve and I said, "That was a real yellow hammer."

Williams, getting steady doses of Koufax's "yellow hammer," struck out looking at a curve, Sandy's fifth K.

2004, Michael Coffey, 27 Men Out: Baseball's Perfect Games, updated edition, page 106

“Bastard curveball” is one of several names in baseball for a virtually unhittable curve that breaks so sharply it qualifies as yet another marvel of physics. Yakker. Bowel-locker. Yellow hammer. Take your pick.

2006, John Schuerholz, Larry Guest, Built to Win: Inside Stories And Leadership Strategies from Baseball's Winningest GM:

"[…]I know my baseball, and this kid was a beast. His fastball was okay, a cutter in the low nineties, but it was his dirty deuce that was outright nasty.”
DeBorn frowned. “Dirty deuce?”
“You know—the dirty yellow hammer . . . the yakker. Public enemy number two. A breaking ball, Bert! This kid had a breaking ball that was like hitting a lead shot put[…]"

2010, Steve Alten, Grim Reaper: End of Days, page 125:

(baseball) A curve ball, especially a breaking curve that is particularly difficult to hit.


ground ball with eyes

en-noun

ground ball with eyes (plural ground balls with eyes)

From the metaphor that the ball has eyes, allowing it to avoid the infielders.

(idiomatic, baseball, humorous) A weakly hit ground ball that barely evades the infielders.


rally cap

His cap was turned backwards in the manner of a catcher or a rally-cap, though he had no intention of catching and there certainly wasn't a rally going on.

2001, Melissa M. Dudek, Wildfire Summer: A Season With the Wyoming Wildfire, page 56:

"It's a rally cap! It's a rally cap!” shouted her father teasingly, rubbing her head with every base runner.

2005, Allen St. John, chapter 9, in Clapton's Guitar: Watching Wayne Henderson Build the Perfect Instrument, page 89:

[…]Brian always wore a Detroit Tigers baseball cap. He would turn his cap into a "rally cap" when anyone needed a bit of a rally in their lives.

2007, April 16th: Virginia Tech Remembers, page 207:

(US, baseball) A baseball cap worn inside-out and backwards, or in another unconventional manner, by players or fans, as a talisman in order to will a team into a come-from-behind rally late in the game.


WHIP

walks plus hits per inning pitched
w:walks plus hits per inning pitched

(baseball) Acronym of walks plus hits per inning pitched; a statistic of the number of baserunners a pitcher has allowed per inning pitched.


Twin

(baseball) A player who plays for the Minnesota Twins.


Rangers

(baseball) The team Texas Rangers, located in Arlington, Texas.


Moneyball

After the 2003 book by business journalist Michael Lewis; from money + ball.

Sure, the Florida Marlins and some others have a shot, but the “Moneyball” approach — using spreadsheets and unconventional thinking to fell baseball’s rich Goliaths — seems to have been co-opted by the big guys themselves.

2009 August 7, Tom Kuntz, “‘Moneyball’ Is in a Slump”, in NYTimes Idea of the Day Blog:

Sure, statistical analysis has changed baseball's front offices for the better. A little. But most things haven't changed. The Red Sox version of Moneyball, after all, includes lots and lots of money, and there's nothing new there.

2011 September 2, “The ‘Moneyball’ Effect: Are Sabermetrics Good for Sports?”, in The Atlantic:

The moneyball formula in baseball—replacing scouts’ traditional beliefs and biases about players with data-intensive studies of what skills actually contribute most to winning—is just as applicable to the battle against out-of-control health-care costs.

2013 June 20, John Bridgeland, Peter Orszag, “Can Government Play Moneyball?”, in The Atlantic:

(baseball) Baseball management relying on sabermetrics.


check swing

(baseball) A checked (halted, partial) swing of the bat.


tag up

en-verb

tag up (third-person singular simple present tags up, present participle tagging up, simple past and past participle tagged up)

tags up (present singular third-person)
tagging up (participle present)
tagged up (participle past)
tagged up (past)

(baseball) Of a baserunner, when a fly ball is hit, to put one's foot on the base one is currently at until the ball is caught. When the ball is caught, the baserunner may attempt to advance to the next base, at the risk of being tagged out.


PTBNL

If the PTBNL is Ben Ford, or if the DBacks plan on signing Womack long-term, then this is definitely a bad trade. As I see it now, I'd say there's a 90% chance the DBacks get the better end (by a tiny tiny margin) and a 10% chance the Pirates get the better end (possibly by a huge margin).

1999 February 27, ddr...@imap1.asu.edu, “Re: Arizona does it again...”, in rec.sport.baseball (Usenet):

player to be named later
player to be named later#English

(baseball) Initialism of player to be named later (“an unspecified player, either not yet chosen or named publicly, at the time of a trade between teams”).


drive in

drive in (third-person singular simple present drives in, present participle driving in, simple past drove in, past participle driven in)

drives in (present singular third-person)
driving in (participle present)
drove in (past)
driven in (participle past)

(transitive, baseball, of a hitter) To hit the ball or reach base in such a way that a run scores.


LOOGY

(baseball) Lefty one-out guy, or left-handed one-out guy, a left-handed pitcher who specializes in pitching to left-handed batters and rarely faces right-handed batters.


bang-bang

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In a game between Los Angeles and host Cincinnati, the Dodgers second baseman is called out at first base on a bang-bang play.

2006, Dom Forker, Big League Baseball Puzzlers, →ISBN, page 41:

(baseball) Of a play, very close between being an out and being safe.


duck fart

Surhoff blooped a weak duck fart into shallow right field.

(baseball, slang) A ball hit by a batter into the gray area between the infield and outfield, usually tailing away from whoever is trying to catch it.


Buccos

(US, baseball) nickname of the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team.


no-doubter

(baseball slang) a certain home run; a home run about which there is no doubt.


Knickerbockers

(baseball, historical) A short-lived 19th-century baseball team in New York


Knickerbocker

A History of New York
Diedrich Knickerbocker
Knickerbocker
Washington Irving

From Diedrich Knickerbocker, the pseudonym adopted by Washington Irving for his 1809 A History of New York, probably for the Knickerbackers of Schaghticoke, New York, descended from the Dutch immigrant Harmen Jansen van Bommel(l), who went variously by the names van Wy(y)e, van Wyekycback(e), Kinnekerbacker, Knickelbacker, Knickerbacker, Kinckerbacker, Nyckbacker, and Kynckbacker. The surname is of uncertain etymology, being variously explained as a corruption of Wyekycback, Dutch knacker (“cracker”) + German Bäcker, Dutch bakker (“baker”), or Dutch knicker (“marble (toy)”) + German Bäcker, Dutch bakker.

(baseball, historical) A player for the New York Knickerbockers


big bat

(baseball, colloquial) A player who specializes in hitting home runs.


circle changeup

en-noun

circle changeup (plural circle changeups)

(baseball) A pitch thrown with a grip where the pitcher makes a circle with the index finger, holding the thumb at the bottom of the ball parallel to the middle finger and holding the ball far out in the hand.


heavy hitter

This year's heavy hitter is Bobby Bonilla, the Pirates' slugger who's seeking to hit the biggest home run of his life.

1991 November 20, Claire Smith, “On Baseball: Bonilla Barnstorming In Search of Best Deal”, in New York Times, retrieved 2014-08-20:

The congenial heavy hitter is one of the most beloved players in Twins history, as much for his gentle and approachable nature off the field as for the towering home runs he hit during his playing days.

2010 December 30, Associated Press, “MLB Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew has esophageal cancer”, in New York Daily News, retrieved 2014-08-20:

(baseball) A player with a favorable batting average who is especially good at hitting the ball deep into the outfield or farther.


strike out looking

en-verb

strike out looking (third-person singular simple present strikes out looking, present participle striking out looking, simple past and past participle struck out looking)

strikes out looking (present singular third-person)
striking out looking (participle present)
struck out looking (participle past)
struck out looking (past)

(transitive, baseball, softball) To strike out (a batter) without the batter swinging at the called strike.

(intransitive, baseball, softball) To strike out without swinging at the called strike.


Altuve

After José Altuve, Venezuelan-American baseball player who stands five feet, five inches tall.

So, if you want to know the minimum length of a World Cup Soccer field while watching TV, it's 60.9 Altuves.

2014 June 30, Bob Nightengale, “Diminutive dandy: Jose Altuve keeps reaching new heights”, in USA Today:

In 2012 Houston Astros fan Bryan Trostel was watching a game when he heard the announcers joke about how many “altuves” a home run had traveled.

2015, Uncle John's FACTASTIC Bathroom Reader, →ISBN:

Judge is 1.22 Altuves. Is there a drawback to being a big man in baseball?

2017 October 13, Victor Mather, “David vs. Goliath Gets an Update: It's Now Altuve vs. Judge”, in New York Times:

No matter how you slice it, Altuve is one of the best hitters in baseball despite yielding at least 7 inches (that’s about .108 Altuves) to every other elite hitter.

2018 February 20, Kate Preusser, Isabelle Minasian, Tim Cantu, Connor Donovan, “2018 AL West Preview: The Astros’ Lineup”, in Lookout Landing:

Want to know how many Altuves there are from home plate to first base? That would be 16.61436219309581.

2018 June 1, Melanie Hauser, “Ways to recover from the Rockets' loss”, in Houston Chronicle:

(baseball, slang) A distance of five feet and five inches, used chiefly as a unit to measure distances of home run balls.


complete game

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(baseball) A game during which the starting pitcher pitches for the entirety of the game, without a relief pitcher.


splitfinger

split-finger fastball
split-finger fastball


Chinese home run

en-noun

Chinese home run (plural Chinese home runs)

Either from supposed tendency of early 20th-century Chinese immigrants to the United States to do minimally acceptable work for minimal compensation, or a possible corruption of "Chaney's home run" from such a hit by a batter with that name that ended a game when the ball could not be found.

Chinese home run: 1. A derogatory term for a home run hit over the portion of the outfield fence closest to home plate, often one that lands just inside (or hits) the foul pole in a ballpark with small dimensions.

2011, Paul Dickson, The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, W.W. Norton & Co., pages 182-184:

(derogatory, dated) A home run hit to the minimum distance possible, usually just over the outfield fence closest to home plate.

Hal was too small to play, but he sat far out in foul territory, sucking on his blueberry Popsicle and chasing what the big kids called "Chinese home runs." (Cited at Dickson, above. He further quotes correspondence from King that indicates that his understanding of this term was that it applied to a foul ball over the backstop)

1985, Stephen King, “The Monkey”, in Skeleton Crew, Putnam, page 163:

(New England) A foul ball hit high and far, usually over the back of the plate.


Cooperstown

(baseball, slang) The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, located in the New York town.


Baltimore chop

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(baseball) A ball hit forcefully into the ground near home plate, producing a bounce high above the head of a fielder; technique that was intentionally employed during the dead-ball era of Major League Baseball, but today occurs infrequently and usually unintentionally


platoon system

(baseball) A method of sharing playing time, whereby two players are selected to play a single defensive position.


moundsman

Managed and shortstopped by George Wright and full of league stalwarts—Joe Start, Paul Hines, and Jim O'rourke—they also had 1-year-old phenom Monte Ward as primary moundsman (teams now generally used multiple pitchers).

2017, Brandon Isleib, Playing for a Winner, page 77:


outhomer

en-verb

outhomer (third-person singular simple present outhomers, present participle outhomering, simple past and past participle outhomered)

outhomers (present singular third-person)
outhomering (participle present)
outhomered (participle past)
outhomered (past)

Philadelphia has been outscored, 57-18, during the skid and has been outhomered, 19-2.

2015 June 17, The Associated Press, “Kris Bryant Hits Grand Slam as Cubs Romp, 17-0”, in New York Times:

(baseball) To score more home runs than another player.


toolsy

en-adj

toolsy (comparative toolsier, superlative toolsiest)

toolsier (comparative)
toolsiest (superlative)

From tools + -y, in reference to a five-tool player.

Tabbed the No. 30 prospect in the Giants' system by Baseball America, which calls him "raw and toolsy. His best tool is his arm, and if he doesn't succeed in the field, he could ... move to the mound. He threw in the low 90s in workouts at Texas. ... One of the best defensive infielders in the system already, as his arm plays well at either (shortstop or third base). ... The best defensive third baseman in the organization."

2006 June 7, “Augusta pitcher is on the right track”, in The Augusta Chronicle:

He was considered very toolsy and athletic, but rather raw, best-known as a basketball player in high school.

2008 March 20, “Not a Rookie: Matt Kemp”, in SB Nation:

The Twins are known for their fascination with toolsy and athletic outfielders, but Hicks has the most talent of any Twins draft pick since Joe Mauer in 2002.

2008 June 11, “Breaking down the draft, Part 1”, in The Hardball Times:

Okay, this joke worked better when Jim Bowden was still the GM, with his fetish for toolsy outfielders and troubled second-chancers.

2009 August 2, “Michael Vick In MLB?”, in The Washington Post:

I think he might be a little bit toolsier than Dexter. He probably has a little more power.

2014 August 5, “Grand Junction Rockies broadcaster Adam Spolane on Hamlet Marte, Rockies' depth at lowest minor league levels”, in Purple Ros:

Mitchell was one of the more toolsy and projectable prep outfielders in this draft.

2015 June 8, “Mitch Hansen profile: A closer look at Dodgers' 2nd-round pick”, in SB Nation:

...the toolsy Jones was somewhat of a cult favorite among the prospect-watching set.
Now, three years later, Wilson is back as one of the toolsier college bats in the class. And he certainly looks the part, strong and athletic, with the ability to hit for power and run well.

2015 July 30, “Pirates trade JaCoby Jones for Joakim Soria”, in Bucs Dugout:

(sports) Of a player: having numerous skills and abilities.

(baseball) Able to hit for a high batting average and for power, to run the bases well, to throw well, and to field well.


longball

Wells, in the three hole, extended his streak of at-bats without a home run to 134, the longest longball drought of his career.

2009 June 14, RICHARD GRIFFIN, “Janssen struggles as Marlins take another”, in Toronto Star:


spitballer

(baseball) A pitcher who moistens the ball with saliva before throwing it.


TP

en-noun

TP (countable and uncountable, plural TPs)


pop fly

(baseball, slang) A pop-up; a fly ball to the infield or the shallow outfield.


touch 'em all

en-verb

touch 'em all (third-person singular simple present touches 'em all, present participle touching 'em all, simple past and past participle touched 'em all)

touches 'em all (present singular third-person)
touching 'em all (participle present)
touched 'em all (participle past)
touched 'em all (past)

(baseball, slang) To touch all four bases after hitting a home run, hence to hit a home run.


knee-buckler

(baseball, slang) A curveball (or occasionally a knuckleball) that fools the hitter, causing his or her knees to buckle (i.e. bend).


bad hop

(baseball) A ball that bounces in front of an infielder in an unexpected way, often as a result of imperfections in the field or the spin on the ball.


payoff pitch

(baseball, slang) A pitch thrown on a count of three balls and two strikes.


bonus baby

(baseball) A baseball player who is given a large bonus when joining a professional league for the first time.


hidden-ball trick

en-noun

hidden-ball trick (plural hidden-ball tricks)

(baseball) A fielding play where the fielders deceive the baserunners as to the location of the ball, allowing one of the fielders to attempt to tag a runner out without the runner being aware of it.


turn two

en-verb

turn two (third-person singular simple present turns two, present participle turning two, simple past and past participle turned two)

turns two (present singular third-person)
turning two (participle present)
turned two (participle past)
turned two (past)

(idiomatic, baseball) To complete a double play.


nontender

nontender (third-person singular simple present nontenders, present participle nontendering, simple past and past participle nontendered)

nontenders (present singular third-person)
nontendering (participle present)
nontendered (participle past)
nontendered (past)

In Los Angeles, where Turner signed after being nontendered by the Mets in December 2013, he has evolved past a cliché.

2015 October 13, Seth Berkman, “Former Met Justin Turner Provides Offensive Lift for Dodgers”, in New York Times:

(transitive, baseball) To fail to tender a contract to (a player).


HWB

Hawaii Winter Baseball
w:Hawaii Winter Baseball

(baseball, historical) Initialism of Hawaii Winter Baseball.


second-division

(sports, chiefly baseball, of a team or club) Being in the second division (the bottom half of the standings).


first division

Let me pause to explain “second division” to those for whom the term has little or no significance. For the first half of the twentieth century the classic, constant number of baseball teams in a league was eight. Not six, not ten, not twelve, not fourteen. Eight. […] Even if a club failed to win the pennant, it was important to finish second, third or fourth—that is, in the upper half or first division of the league. […] “First division” came to mean something admirable, “second division” was denigrating.

1991, Robert W. Creamer, Baseball and Other Matters in 1941, page 37:

(US, chiefly baseball, dated) The half of the standings containing the teams with the best records.


second division

en-noun

second division (plural second divisions)

(US, chiefly baseball, dated) The half of the standings containing the teams with the worst records.


farm league

The Yankees entered the farm league business in 1929 when they purchased Chambersburg in the Class D Blue Ridge League.

2005, Lance A. Berger, Management Wisdom From the New York Yankees' Dynasty, →ISBN:

Still, the Colonial League experiment was successful enough in its first season for the Federals to become interested in pursuing it as a farm league for its excess players.

2009, Robert Peyton Wiggins, The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs, →ISBN, page 229:

Now, understand, you would probably go in the farm league before going up in the majors.

(baseball) One or more minor league teams owned by a baseball franchise and used as a training and testing ground for rookies, who, if they perform well, move on to play in the main major league team.


dying quail

(baseball, idiomatic) A pop fly which is hit weakly and falls in front of the outfielders.


smallball

There was no heroic ending — Toronto's Joey Votto coming up a triple shy of hitting for the cycle, and some brilliantly executed smallball saw to that — as the visitors claimed victory to avoid being swept in the three-game series.

2009 June 26, Mark Zwolinski, “Blue Jays rally gets wasted”, in Toronto Star:

(baseball) A style of play that scores a large number of runs, one base at a time.


neighborhood play

neighborhood play (plural neighborhood plays)

(baseball) A force play where a fielder does not touch second base while holding the ball.


swing through

en-verb

swing through (third-person singular simple present swings through, present participle swinging through, simple past and past participle swung through)

swings through (present singular third-person)
swinging through (participle present)
swung through (participle past)
swung through (past)

(baseball, idiomatic) To swing and miss at a pitch.


at 'em ball

Because such a ball is hit straight at 'em (at them).

If opposing hitters consistently hit balls at -Fielders, the fortunate pitcher is said, to be possessed of an "at 'em ball."

1996, Mike Whiteford, How to Talk Baseball, →ISBN, page 76:

(baseball, slang) A hard-hit batted ball hit straight at a fielder in the air for an out.


strike out the side

strike out the side (third-person singular simple present strikes out the side, present participle striking out the side, simple past and past participle struck out the side)

strikes out the side (present singular third-person)
striking out the side (participle present)
struck out the side (participle past)
struck out the side (past)

(baseball) To record all three outs in an inning with a strikeout.


soup bone

(slang, baseball) The arm that a player uses to pitch the ball.


junkballing

(baseball, slang, rare, of a pitcher) That relies heavily on junkballs.


run into one

run into one (third-person singular simple present runs into one, present participle running into one, simple past ran into one, past participle run into one)

runs into one (present singular third-person)
running into one (participle present)
ran into one (past)
run into one (participle past)


caught stealing

(baseball) Thrown out (i.e. put out) while attempting to steal a base.


slash bunt

(baseball, softball) A play by the team at-bat where the hitter assumes the position for a bunt and then changes grip and takes a swing at the ball.


safety squeeze

(baseball) A play by the team at-bat where with a runner at third base, the batter puts down a sacrifice bunt with the aim of allowing the runner to score. In contrast to a suicide squeeze, the runner waits to see the trajectory of the ball before deciding whether to attempt to touch home plate.


ghost runner

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-ghost runner.wav

invisible runner
invisible runner#English


invisible runner

en-noun

invisible runner (plural invisible runners)

(baseball) In informal baseball and stickball games, a baserunner who cannot steal a base but can, depending on the rules, advance on a wild pitch, and who usually travels at the rate of the current batter.


power alley

At Oakland Coliseum, it's 388 feet from home plate to the power alley.

(baseball) The areas of deep right-center and deep left-center field where home runs are most likely to be hit.


twi-night

(baseball) Of a doubleheader: occurring between the hours of twilight and night.


throw BBs

en-verb

throw BBs (third-person singular simple present throws BBs, present participle throwing BBs, simple past and past participle threw BBs)

throws BBs (present singular third-person)
throwing BBs (participle present)
threw BBs (participle past)
threw BBs (past)

* Blend of throw + BBs; an allusion to the pitches being thrown so hard that they look like, or are as hard to hit as, a BB pellet.

But when I get up at the plate, he's throwing BBs at me. He strikes me out twice.

2003, Mickey McDermott, Howard Eisenberg, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Cooperstown:

(baseball) To pitch exceedingly well, especially with high velocity pitches.


DPH

en-noun

DPH (countable and uncountable, plural DPHs)

(baseball) Initialism of designated pinch hitter.


dead fish

dead fish (plural dead fish or dead fishes)

(baseball, slang) A hit that travels a limited distance and then falls straight to the ground.


curveballer

(baseball) A player who throws curveballs.


SLG

slugging percentage
slugging percentage#English

(baseball) Abbreviation of slugging percentage.


SLG

en-verb

SLG (third-person singular simple present SLGs, present participle SLGing, simple past and past participle SLGed)

SLGs (present singular third-person)
SLGing (participle present)
SLGed (participle past)
SLGed (past)

(transitive, baseball) To have a certain slugging percentage.


go to bat

go to bat (third-person singular simple present goes to bat, present participle going to bat, simple past went to bat, past participle gone to bat)

goes to bat (present singular third-person)
going to bat (participle present)
went to bat (past)
gone to bat (participle past)

Turner hit to short right and took his first, and then his second by a wild throw of Winslow, but was trapped between second and third and put out by Stearns. Detroit thus retired without recording a tally, and the University again went to bat.

1875 June, University of Michigan, “Various Topics”, in The Chronicle, page 201:

Robinson went to bat for the last time that day in the eighth inning, singling for his fourth straight hit.

1968 December, A.S. Young, “Jackie Opens the Door — Wide!”, in Ebony, page 136:

(baseball) To be the individual or team that is currently batting; play offense.


TPR

en-noun

TPR (countable and uncountable, plural TPRs)

total player rating
total player rating#English

(baseball) Initialism of total player rating.


AVG

(baseball) Abbreviation of batting average.


butcher boy

One of his [Casey Stengel's] more practical creations? The butcher boy, in which a batter would draw the infield in by squaring up to bunt ... only to quickly pull it back and take a short, downward swing at the ball.

2016 June 14, “The origin stories behind 11 uniquely strange baseball terms”, in MLB.com, retrieved 2018-06-26:

(US, baseball) Batting at a pitch with a short swing from a bunt position; a slash bunt, a slug bunt.


double off

en-verb

double off (third-person singular simple present doubles off, present participle doubling off, simple past and past participle doubled off)

doubles off (present singular third-person)
doubling off (participle present)
doubled off (participle past)
doubled off (past)

The fielder doubled the runner off for the second out.

(baseball, transitive) After a fly ball is caught, to tag the base (a runner) was on at the time of the pitch, thereby causing them to be out for failure to tag up.


smack out

smack out (third-person singular simple present smacks out, present participle smacking out, simple past and past participle smacked out)

smacks out (present singular third-person)
smacking out (participle present)
smacked out (participle past)
smacked out (past)

He smacked out a triple.

(transitive, baseball, by extension) To hit a ball very hard.


setup man

(baseball) A (male) relief pitcher who appears in the inning prior to the closer, typically the 8th inning.


Phillie

(baseball) A player that plays for the Philadelphia Phillies


charging the mound

(baseball) The act of a batter running towards the pitcher's mound with the intent of physically assaulting the pitcher for a perceived grievance.


dead-ball era

(baseball) The period between around 1900 and 1919, characterized by low scoring games with few home runs.


live-ball era

(baseball) The period after about 1919, following the dead-ball era.


Murderers' Row

(baseball, historical) The batting lineup of certain New York Yankees teams in the early twentieth century, most notably the 1927 team.


lay one down

lay one down (third-person singular simple present lays one down, present participle laying one down, simple past and past participle laid one down)

lays one down (present singular third-person)
laying one down (participle present)
laid one down (participle past)
laid one down (past)

Martin laid one down to get Buckley over to second.

(intransitive, baseball, slang) To bunt (sense 4)


come to bat

come to bat (third-person singular simple present comes to bat, present participle coming to bat, simple past came to bat, past participle come to bat)

comes to bat (present singular third-person)
coming to bat (participle present)
came to bat (past)
come to bat (participle past)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-come to bat.wav

In that case, the player who was called out for failure to come to bat properly is charged with having been put out, and whatever happened that resulted in the improper batter being put out goes into the scoring box of the batter who failed to bat in proper turn.

2015, Andres Wirkmaa, The Complete Baseball Scorekeeping Handbook, →ISBN:

New Zealand stuck doggedly to a plan that centred on batting patience. Henry Nicholls' 55, and 47 from Tom Latham, held things together in the face of some probing England bowling.
The value of the Black Caps' pragmatism in reaching 241-8 was shown when England came to bat.

2019 July 14, Stephan Shemilt, “England win Cricket World Cup: Ben Stokes stars in dramatic finale against New Zealand”, in BBC Sport, London:

(cricket, baseball) To have one's turn at bat.


deuces wild

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Refers to various card games where deuces are used as wild cards. Probably coined by Los Angeles Dodgers sportscaster Vin Scully.

The deuces are wild, he would announce before a pitch. Two balls, two strikes, two out, two on, and two to two in the bottom of the second. Bosch could hear Scully's voice in his head as he considered that the deuces were now wild in his own game

If there were two balls and two strikes on a batter, with two outs in an inning—what is called “deuces wild” in baseball—the bullpen would work like mad to get its pitcher out of the inning.

2011, Travis Haney, Gamecock Glory: The University of South Carolina Baseball Team's Journey to the 2010 NCAA Championship.:

(baseball) A situation in a ballgame where there are two balls, two strikes, two outs and two men on base.


total bases

(baseball) A statistic that measures a player's hitting. In this statistic, each single counts as one base, each double counts as two bases, each triple as three bases and each home run as four bases.


knothole section

en-noun

knothole section (plural knothole sections)

The regular Knothole section was in the right field pavilion, but sometimes the left field pavilion was open as well. The two sections would compete to see which one could root the loudest. After 1938 the Knotholers sat in the upper deck of the pavilions and stomped their feet on the metal floor until the noise reached a deafening crescendo. The teams played more and more night games after World War II, and as a result, Knothole days became fewer and fewer.

1987, Richard Miller, Gregory L. Rhodes, “The Life and Times of the Old Cincinnati Ballparks”, in Queen City Heritage, volume 45, number 2, Cincinnati Historical Society, pages 25–41:

The next year, I sat in the Knothole section for the Northwestern game. Iowa won that day, too, 28–21. Within a few years, I went from kid-in-the-Knothole-section to photographer’s spotter on the sideline during Evashevski’s outstanding seasons.

2003, Ron Maly, Tales from the Iowa Sidelines, Sports Publishing, →ISBN, page viii:

… mission in the north end zone, affectionately called The Knothole Section (TKS). Elementary and junior and senior high school students by the thousands filled the cheap seats and not only for the game. It was a social happening, because sanctioned gathering spots for kids were scarce.

2006, William Teten, Very Truly, Tudey: An Austin Anthology, Old Austin Press, →ISBN, page 57:

This collector explained how as a young boy he dove for the balls when thrown into the stands at the knothole section.

2017 October 15, Terry Hutchens, Bill Murphy, Indiana Hoosiers Fans' Bucket List, Triumph Books, →ISBN, page 173:

(colloquial, especially baseball) The section of cheap seats in a stadium favored by youth spectators.


brushback pitch

brushback pitch (plural brushback pitches)

(baseball) A pitch that comes very close to the batter, forcing them to move back from the plate.


Three-Eye League

(US, baseball, historical, humorous) Synonym of Three-I League


Three-I League

(US, baseball, historical) A Minor League Baseball organization that operated mainly in Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa.


ninth-inning

en-adjective

ninth-inning (comparative more ninth-inning, superlative most ninth-inning)

more ninth-inning (comparative)
most ninth-inning (superlative)

In baseball, the ninth inning is the last period of the game.

(baseball) Happening in the ninth inning of a baseball game.


jewel box

(baseball) A member of the second major generation of professional ballparks, built between 1909 and approximately 1940 and distinguished by a relatively compact layout, the use of steel and reinforced concrete as structural materials rather than wood, and the presence of one or more close-in upper decks of seating supported by pillars extending from the lower deck.


running lane

Shortly after Donaldson received the throw, Andrus slyly observed that the catcher’s left hand was in the running lane.

2021 May 16, Martín Gallegos, “3 key moments from A's wild road-trip finale”, in MLB News, MLB:

(baseball) The portion of the field between the basepath and the foul ball line in which a batter is allowed to run without causing or receiving interference. Also referred to as runner's lane.


OPS+

on-base plus slugging
on-base plus slugging

(baseball) The baseball metric on-base plus slugging adjusted for the park and the league in which the player played, but not for fielding position.

On-base plus slugging#Adjusted OPS (OPS+)


pennantless

(baseball) Not having won a competition.


pitchometer

A batter's best hope for hitting one of these 90 mile-per-hour missiles that reached the plate in just less than a second was his 200 mph swing. Speeds were then measured by electronic “pitchometers”; in 1946 Bob Feller's fastball could be timed at 98.6 mph.

1983, David Quentin Voigt, American Baseball, volume III: From Postwar Expansion to the Electronic Age, University Park, PA: Penn State University Press, published 1992, →ISBN, page 71:

A “pitchometer” was installed on the scoreboard to time the pitchers. According the baseball rules a pitcher had to throw a pitch within 20 seconds after he received the ball from the catcher when there was nobody on base.

2003, John E. Peterson, The Kansas City Athletics: A Baseball History: 1954–1967, Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, →ISBN, page 210:

(baseball) A device used in baseball to measure the speed of a pitch or the time a pitcher spends between pitches thrown.


the other way

(baseball, of a batted ball) To the opposite side of the plate relative to the batter.


call balls and strikes

en-verb

call balls and strikes (third-person singular simple present calls balls and strikes, present participle calling balls and strikes, simple past and past participle called balls and strikes)

calls balls and strikes (present singular third-person)
calling balls and strikes (participle present)
called balls and strikes (participle past)
called balls and strikes (past)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-call balls and strikes.wav

The San Rafael Pacifics and Vallejo Admirals, two independent (not major league-affiliated) minor league teams, recently played two games using a computer system, rather than the home plate umpire, to call balls and strikes.

2015 August 10, Alex Shultz, “Rise of the machines? Baseball weighs use of automated strike zone”, in LA Times:

(baseball) To act as a home plate umpire.


charge the mound

charge the mound (third-person singular simple present charges the mound, present participle charging the mound, simple past and past participle charged the mound)

charges the mound (present singular third-person)
charging the mound (participle present)
charged the mound (participle past)
charged the mound (past)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-charge the mound.wav

(baseball, of a batter) To run towards the pitcher's mound with the intent of physically assaulting the pitcher for a perceived grievance.


go the route

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It was like old times: Grove, Earnshaw, and Walberg went the route seven times in the next 13 games.

2015, Norman L. Macht, The Grand Old Man of Baseball:

(baseball) To pitch for an entire game, without a relief pitcher.


cork up

cork up (third-person singular simple present corks up, present participle corking up, simple past and past participle corked up)

corks up (present singular third-person)
corking up (participle present)
corked up (participle past)
corked up (past)

I'm sure's been corking up.

He must have corked up that bat.

(transitive, intransitive, baseball) To put cork in a baseball bat; to use a baseball bat with cork in it.


sandwich pick

(baseball) A type of draft pick awarded to Major League Baseball teams for the loss of free agents under certain conditions, and taking place in the supplemental round between the first and second rounds of the MLB amateur draft.


scratch hit

(baseball) A weakly hit ground ball that eludes the infielders and leads to a base hit.


boot one

[…] to jeer at him when he booted one or fanned with a crucial run on base.

1998, Eliot Asinof, Man on Spikes, page 68:

[…] he played short with sweet ease, and looked good even when he booted one, […]

2002, Brooke Horvath, Tim Wiles, Line Drives: 100 Contemporary Baseball Poems, page 92:


corked bat

(baseball) A bat that has been tampered with by drilling out part of the head of the bat and filling the resulting cavity with a light, compressible material (typically cork) in an attempt to improve the bat's performance (although performance is in fact degraded by corking the bat), rendering it illegal for use in play.


Little League home run

en-noun

Little League home run (plural Little League home runs)

From such error-filled plays being common at the actual Little League level but rare in professional-level baseball.

(baseball) A plate appearance where the batter is able to reach home due to major fielding errors, on a scale not usually seen at that level of play.


September call-up

September call-up (plural September call-ups)

(baseball) A league of players who are traditionally added to MLB rosters late in the season.


trampoline effect

By analogy with a person jumping on a trampoline.

(baseball) The phenomenon by which the baseball "jumps" off the bat at contact.


clubbie

"When he died, his baseball cap was given to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. He is the only clubbie to be honored with a display there."

1977, Maj. Ed Logan, quotee, Airman, page 38:

(US, baseball, informal) A clubhouse manager.

"[…] But there are some stadiums where the clubhouse guys don't do a very good job, but there are clubbies that do a really outstanding job. […]"

2019 July 10, John Cangelosi, K.P. Wee, John Cangelosi: The Improbable Baseball Journey of the Undersized Kid from Nowhere to World Series Champion, Riverdale Avenue Books LLC, →ISBN:

(US, baseball, informal) A clubhouse attendant.


yannigan

[…] Sammy Strang, a yannigan from the rival New York Giants […]

2010, Bill James, The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, page 74:

Addie was a star ball player and a student of the sport, but as a sports writer he was a yannigan, a rookie.

2014, Addie Joss, Gary Mitchem, Addie Joss on Baseball, page XII:


caught looking

(baseball) out on a third strike after not attempting to hit a pitch


contact hitter

(baseball) A hitter who does not strike out often.


SABR

w:Society for American Baseball Research

(baseball) Acronym of Society for American Baseball Research.


quality start

(baseball) A start in which a pitcher pitches for at least six full innings and allows three or fewer earned runs.


take a pitch

en-verb

take a pitch (third-person singular simple present takes a pitch, present participle taking a pitch, simple past took a pitch, past participle taken a pitch)

takes a pitch (present singular third-person)
taking a pitch (participle present)
took a pitch (past)
taken a pitch (participle past)

(baseball) To refrain from swinging at a pitch.


BABIP

batting average on balls in play#English

(baseball) Initialism of batting average on balls in play.


batting average on balls in play

en-noun

batting average on balls in play (plural batting averages on balls in play)

batting averages on balls in play (plural)

(baseball) A type of batting average statistic which includes sacrifice flies but not strikeouts or home runs into the calculation.


one-hitter

Coordinate term: no-hitter

The one-hitter Tuesday night marked the first time the Cardinals held the Pirates to one hit or less in a game in Pittsburgh since Hall of Famer Bob Gibson’s no-hitter in 1971 at Three Rivers Stadium.

2021 August 11, John Perrotto, “Wainwright pitches two-hit shutout, Cards top Pirates 4-0”, in The Seattle Times:

(baseball) A game in which one team makes only one hit.


moundwork

moundwork (countable and uncountable, plural moundworks)


rabbit ball

(baseball, derogatory) A lively ball that easily travels far off the bat.


Chinese homer

Chinese home run
Chinese home run#English

(US, baseball, slang) Synonym of Chinese home run


GIDP

(baseball) Initialism of ground into double play: a double play initiated by a batter hitting a ground ball.


umpire-in-chief

(baseball) The umpire in charge of the entire game, in cases where there is more than one umpire.


ice wagon

He can't hit a thing or he can't get it over the base, or he's an ice wagon on the bases, they say.

1914, William T. Ellis, "Billy" Sunday: The Man and His Message, Philadelphia, P.A.: Universal Book and Bible House, page 274:

A veteran first-baseman-catcher, Duke Jantzen, who had played briefly with the Texas Midland in 1896, was engaged as player-manager. Tall and ungainly, Jantzen could wallop a baseball over the outfielders, but he was an "ice wagon"—too slow to get past third.

1987, Bill O'Neal, The Texas League, 1888–1987: A Century of Baseball, Austin, T.X.: Eakin Press, →ISBN, page 290:


palmball

(baseball) A change-up pitch in which the baseball is held tightly in the palm or between the thumb and ring finger, then thrown like a fastball.


HWL

Hawaii Winter League
w:Hawaii Winter Baseball

(baseball, historical) Initialism of Hawaii Winter League.


one-hit

en-verb

one-hit (third-person singular simple present one-hits, present participle one-hitting, simple past and past participle one-hit)

one-hits (present singular third-person)
one-hitting (participle present)
one-hit (participle past)
one-hit (past)

The Dodgers beat Arizona on Thursday afternoon, 6-3, with Chris Heisey hitting a grand slam and five relievers combining to one-hit the Diamondbacks over the final four innings.

2015 September 24, Bill Shaikin, “Dodgers getting excited about possible division title after beating Arizona, 6-3”, in Los Angeles Times:

Wainwright’s gem came a night after Cardinals left-hander J.A. Happ and three relievers combined to one-hit the Pirates, who have lost seven straight games and 17 of their last 22.

(transitive, baseball) To pitch so that the other team only makes a single hit.


O'Malley's Alley

After Walter O'Malley, American sports executive.

(baseball, slang, dated) The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.


Iron Mike

(slang, baseball) A machine for pitching baseballs for practise purposes.


pull hitter

(baseball) a batter who usually hits the ball to the side of the field from which they bat.


times on base

(baseball) The cumulative total number of times a batter has reached base as a result of a hit, base on balls, or hit-by-pitch.


swing away

swing away (third-person singular simple present swings away, present participle swinging away, simple past and past participle swung away)

swings away (present singular third-person)
swinging away (participle present)
swung away (participle past)
swung away (past)

(baseball, of a batter) To swing at a pitch, as opposed to bunting; to take a full swing.


square around

square around (third-person singular simple present squares around, present participle squaring around, simple past and past participle squared around)

squares around (present singular third-person)
squaring around (participle present)
squared around (participle past)
squared around (past)

(baseball, of a batter) To shift to a position to ready to bunt, i.e. by moving to face the pitcher and hold the bat laterally above the home plate.


hit away

hit away (third-person singular simple present hits away, present participle hitting away, simple past and past participle hit away)

hits away (present singular third-person)
hitting away (participle present)
hit away (participle past)
hit away (past)

(baseball, of a batter) Alternative form of swing away


brush back

brush back (third-person singular simple present brushes back, present participle brushing back, simple past and past participle brushed back)

brushes back (present singular third-person)
brushing back (participle present)
brushed back (participle past)
brushed back (past)

(transitive, baseball) To throw a brushback pitch at (a batter).


slug out

slug out (third-person singular simple present slugs out, present participle slugging out, simple past and past participle slugged out)

slugs out (present singular third-person)
slugging out (participle present)
slugged out (participle past)
slugged out (past)

He slugged out a homerun in the second inning.


cork out

cork out (third-person singular simple present corks out, present participle corking out, simple past and past participle corked out)

corks out (present singular third-person)
corking out (participle present)
corked out (participle past)
corked out (past)

He corked out a home run.

(transitive, baseball) To hit the ball, especially powerfully, with a particular result.


field out

field out (third-person singular simple present fields out, present participle fielding out, simple past and past participle fielded out)

fields out (present singular third-person)
fielding out (participle present)
fielded out (participle past)
fielded out (past)

Hernandez fielded out in the third inning.

(intransitive, baseball) To go out as a result of a ball caught by the centerfield, left field or right field player.


back door slider

en-noun

back door slider (plural back door sliders)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-back door slider.wav

(US, baseball) A baseball pitch that begins by entering outside the plate, but then breaks back in towards the plate at the last minute.


pitcher's rubber

pitcher's rubber (plural pitcher's rubbers)

(baseball) Synonym of rubber (“the rectangular pad on the pitcher's mound from which the pitcher must pitch”)


pitcher's plate

pitcher's plate (plural pitcher's plates)


Rocktober

/ɹɒkˈtəʊ.bə/

(baseball, slang, historical) The 2007 Colorado Rockies season, in which that team won the vast majority of its games.


sun ball

sun in his eyes
have the sun in one's eyes

(baseball, cricket) A high ball that is difficult to hit because the batter has the sun in his eyes.


letter-high

(baseball) Synonym of chest-high (of a pitch)