Interesting Baseball Lingo: Just When you Thought You Knew Everything

ACE A team's best starting pitcher.


ALLEY The section of the outfield between the outfielders. Also called gap.

AROUND THE HORN A double play going from third base to second base to first base.

ASSIST Help from a fielder in putting an offensive player out. A fielder is credited with an assist when he throws a baserunner or hitter out at a base.

AT BAT The offensive team’s turn to bat the ball and score. Each player takes a turn at bat until three outs are made. Each Batter’s opportunity at the plate is scored as an "at bat" for him

BACKDOOR SLIDER A pitch that appears to be out of the strike zone, but then breaks over the plate.

BACKSTOP Fence or wall behind home plate.

BAG A base.

BALK (Call of Umpire) Penalty for an illegal movement by the pitcher. The rule is designed to prevent pitchers from deliberately deceiving the runners. If called, baserunners advance one base.

BALL(Call of Umpire) A pitch outside the strike zone.

BALTIMORE CHOP A ground ball that hits in front of home plate (or off of it) and takes a large hop over the infielder's head.

BASE One of four stations to be reached in turn by the runner.

BASEBALL The baseball’s core is made of rubber and cork. Yarn is wound around the rubber and cork centre. Then 2 strips of white cowhide are sewn around the ball. Official baseballs must weigh 5 to 5 1/4 ounces and be 9 to 9 1/4 inches around.

BASE HIT A play in which the batter hits the ball in fair territory and reaches at least first base before being thrown out.

BASE ON BALLS (Walk) Four balls and the hitter advances to first base.

BASE COACH A coach who stands by first or third base. The base coaches instruct the batter and base runners with a series of hand signals.

BASE LINE The white chalk lines that extend from home plate through first and third base to the outfield and up the foul poles, inside which a batted ball is in fair territory and outside of which it is in foul territory.

BASES EMPTY No runner on the bases.

BASES LOADED Runners at each base.

BAT Instrument used by the hitter while batting. In the ABL bats made of aluminium or wood. The bat must be no longer than 42 inches and no wider then 2 3/4 inches. Players are allowed to cover the first 8 inches of the bat’s handle so they can grip it better.

BATTER An offensive player who takes his position in the batter’s box.

BATTER’S BOX An area marked by white chalk lines on the left and right side of home plate in which a player must stand while batting.

BATTERY Term referring to the pitcher and catcher combination.

BATTING ORDER The offensive line-up of a team that lists the player will bat. The batting order is given to the umpire before each game.

BOX SCORE The progression of the game as written in a series of boxes indicating hits, runs, errors and player substitutions of each inning played.

BREAKING BALL An off-speed pitch that curves.

BRONX CHEER When the crowd boos.

BRUSHBACK A pitch that nearly hits the batter.

BULLPEN Area designated for pitchers to warm-up. Generally consists of two mounds and two home plates.

BUNT Short hit that is executed by letting the ball hit the bat (not swinging). Used to surprise the fielders or to advance a runner.

CALLED GAME A game suspended or ended by the umpire.

CAN OF CORN An easy catch by the fielder.

CAUGHT LOOKING When a batter is called out on strikes.

CATCHER Player positioned behind home plate and responsible for receiving the pitch from the pitcher.

CATCHER’S BOX Area behind home plate in which the catcher must stand until the pitcher delivers the ball.

CELLAR A team in last place.

CHANGE UP A slow-pitch thrown with the exact arm action as a fastball, designed to disrupt the timing of the hitter.

CHECKED SWING A partial swing. If the swing has gone more than halfway around, the umpire can rule it a full swing, or strike.

CHEESE A good fastball.

CHIN MUSIC A pitch that is high and inside.

CHOKE-UP Gripping the bat up on the handle away from the knob of the bat.

CIRCUS CATCH An outstanding catch by a fielder.

CLEAN-UP HITTER Player who hits fourth in the batting order.

CLOSER Relief pitcher who specialises in pitching the last few outs of a game. General used to hold a lead in the late innings of a game.

COMPLETE GAME Statistical credit to a starting pitcher for pitching the entire game.

COUNT The number of called balls and strikes on a hitter.

CURVE Pitch that moves down, across, or down and across, depending upon the rotation of the ball.

CUTTER (CUT FASTBALL) A fastball with a late break on it.

CYCLE Whsn a batter hits a single, double, triple and homerun in the same game.

DESIGNATED HITTER Player who bats in the pitcher’s spot in the line-up. The DH does not have a fielding position.

DIAMOND The infield playing surface.

DINGER A homerun.

DONUT Circular shaped weight that slides over the bat. The weight is used when a player is loosening up in the one deck circle.

DOUBLE A hit that enables a batter to reach second base.

DOUBLEHEADER Two games played back to back by the same teams.

DOUBLE PLAY Any defensive play that results in two base runners being called out.

DUGOUT Enclosed seating facility reserved for players, substitutes, coaches and other uniformed team members.

EARNED RUN A run scored on a hit, walk or steal, without benefit from a defensive error on the play.

ERROR Defensive mistake that allows a batter to stay at the plate or reach first base, or that advances a base runner.

FAST BALL A straight pitch thrown by the pitcher as hard as possible.

FAIR TERRITORY Part of the playing field within, and including the first base and third base lines, from home base to the bottom of the playing field fence and perpendicular upwards. All foul lines are in the fair territory.

FIELDER’S CHOICE Term used when a fielder can chose among base runners or throw or tag out.

FIREMAN A team's closer.

FLY BALL Batted ball that goes high in the air in flights.

FORCE OUT An out created when a runner is forced to advance because there is another runner behind them, although they will be thrown or tagged out. The defensive player needs only to touch the base being approached by the runner with the ball in hand to record the out.

FORKBALL A pitch thrown by placing the ball between the first two fingers, usually resulting in a sinking ball.

FOUL BALL A ball that lands outside the first or third base foul lines.

FOUL LINE Lines extending from home plate through 1st and 3rd base to the outfield fence and perpendicularly upwards. These lines are considered in play.

FOUL TERRITORY Part of the playing field outside the first and third base lines extended to the fence and perpendicularly upwards.

FUNGO A ball hit to a fielder during practice.

FUNGO BAT Bat used to hit fungo. Usually longer and thinner than a regular back.

GAP The section of the outfield between the outfielders. Also called alley.

GOPHER A ball hit for a homerun.

GRAND SLAM A home run that is hit with a runner on every base. This hit scores 4 runs.

GREEN LIGHT Signal from the coach to hit the next good pitch, or a signal to a base runner that gives the runner the authority to decide when to attempt a steal.

GROUNDER A ground ball.

GROUND BALL A ball hit in the infield by the batter that bounces in the infield.

HEAT (HEATER) A good fastball.

HIT A play in which the batter safely reaches a base after hitting the ball, without aid from a fielding error or fielder’s choice.

HIT AND RUN Play-action situation in which the batter must swing at the pitch while the base runner attempts to steal the base.

HOME PLATE The fourth station to be reached by the runner. The offensive team is credited with one run every time a player safely crosses this base. A pitched ball must cross the plate when thrown by the pitchers to be credited as a strike on the batter.

HOME RUN A ball hit out of the playing field in fair territory. A home run scores the batter and any base runners.

HOT CORNER Third base.

INFIELD Area 90’ square with the corners being the four bases.

INFIELDER Fielder who occupies a position in the infield. Most commonly refers to the first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, and shortstop.

INNING A period of play. There are 9 innings in a regulation game, each team bats in an inning until they record 3 outs. The visiting team always bats in the top half (beginning) of an inning. If the home team has a higher total after their opponents bat in the top half of the last schedule inning, the bottom half of the inning is not played and the score is final. A tie at the end of regulation play forces extra innings. The game continues until an inning is complete and the visitors have a higher score, or until the home team breaks the tie (then) they don’t complete the 3 outs.

INTENTIONAL WALK Four balls thrown on purpose to a batter advancing the hitter to first base. Generally, executed when 1st base is empty to set-up a force play.

KNUCKLE BALL A pitch thrown by gripping one of the seams on a ball with fingernails and/or knuckles of the forefinger and middle finger with the thumb another fingers underneath the ball. The ball is pushed out of the hand by the two fingers to keep the ball from rotating, causing the ball to move in an unpredictable manner.

LEFT ON BASE Runners stranded on base after three outs.

LINE DRIVE A ball hit in the air at a low projectory directly to a fielder or through the infield.

LINE-UP A team’s batting order and fielding positions

MENDOZA LINE A batting average of around .200. Named after Pirate shortstop Mario Mendoza.

MOUND Hill the pitcher stands on while pitching.

NO HITTER A game in which a pitcher does not allow the opposing team to reach a base via a safe hit.

ON DECK A term used to refer to the next batter up in the inning. This person stands in a designated circular area and warms up before batting.

OUT IN ORDER Retiring the first 3 batters in an inning.

OUTFIELD Area between the back edge of the infield and home run fence.

OUTFIELDER A fielder who occupies a position in the outfield, which is the playing field most distance from home base.

PASSED BALL A pitched ball missed by the catcher, allowing a runner to advance.

PERFECT GAME A game in which a pitcher does not allow any batter of the opposing team to reach base.

PICK OFF An attempt by the pitcher to get a base runner out by throwing to the base from the stretch position.

PINCH HITTER A hitter who substitutes in the line-up for a starting player. The original batter can’t return to the game, so the pinch hitter or a third person takes over the defensive position as well.

PINCH RUNNER A player entering the game to run for someone already on base.

PITCHOUT When a pitch is thrown wide of the strike zone on purpose. A catcher will signal for a pitchout if they think that a runner is trying to steal.

PITCHING ROTATION The order in which the starting pitchers take turns starting games, usually with three or four days rest between starts.

PULL HITTER A batter that generally hits to the same side of the field that he bats. (eg, righthanded pull hitter hits to the left side of the field).

PUTOUT In scoring, a fielder is credited with a putout if he receives the ball to put out a baserunner or a hitter.

RELIEF PITCHER The pitcher replacing the starting pitcher. The relief pitcher can win, lose, save, or not be involved in the game’s final score.

RUBBER A the pitching plate on the mound. The pitcher must have one foot connected to the plate while pitching to the batter. The rubber is located 60’ 6" (19.5 meters) from home plate.

RUN Score obtained when a base runner safely crosses home plate.

RUN DOWN A played used by fielders to tag out a runner caught between bases.

RUN BATTER IN (RBI) Statistics which shows how often a player has made it possible for his/her team mates to score while at bat. A player who has 30 RBI’s has caused 30 runs to be score. A batter is not credited with an RBI if he hits into a double play or if the run is scored because of an error.

RUNNER An offensive player who is advancing toward, touching, or returning to any base.

SACRIFICE BUNT A bunt designed to advance a runner although the batter will be thrown out.

SACRIFICE FLY Fly ball out that scores a runner from third base.

SAFE Declaration by the umpire that a runner is entitled to the bases for which he was trying.

SAVE A relief pitcher can be credited with a save if they can keep the team’s lead while the opponent’s tying or winning runs are on base, or if they pitch 3 or more innings without allowing the opponents to tie the game.

SCORING POSITION Runner on second or third base.

SHORTSTOP Defensive player positioned between second and third bases.

SHUT OUT A game in which one team doesn’t score any runs.

SIGNS 1. Player signals given from the third base coach to the hitter and runner. 2. Hand signals given by the catcher to the pitcher suggesting the type of pitch to be thrown.

SINKER A fast pitch that breaks downward as it reaches.

SLIDER A pitcher that appears to the batter as a fastball until it reaches the plate, then breaks sharply on a level plane. The ball is held similarly to the curveball, but the wrist is kept straight, like a fastball, and broken downward.

SPIT BALL Illegal pitch which a foreign substance (most commonly spit or grease) is applied to the ball causing it to react in an unpredictable manner.

STARTER The pitcher who beings the game and pitches until he wins the game or is replaced by a relief pitcher.

STEAL Attempting to advance a base between pitches without the batter hitting the ball or getting a base on balls.

STOLEN BASE Successfully advancing a base between pitches without the batter hitting the ball or getting a base on balls.

STRIKE A strike is called if a batter swings at a pitch and misses, or if the pitch simply passes through the strike zone. The first 2 foul balls that are not caught count as first and second strike. A foul ball that is not caught can never be counted as a third strike.

STRIKE OUT Out recorded by recording three strikes on the batter.

STRIKE ZONE The area over home plate between the batter’s armpits and knees when the batter is positioned to swing. Any pitch that is delivered through this area is called a strike.

SUICIDE SQUEEZE PLAY A play in which a runner on third breaks toward home on the pitch and the batter’s responsibility is to bunt the ball allowing the runner to score.

SWITCH-HITTER Player who is able to bat left-handed or right-handed. A switch-hitter will bat from the opposite side in which the pitchers throws.

TAG 1. An action runners must perform before they can advance on a fly ball. Runners must touch the base they occupy after the ball is caught before they can try to advance. Runners can leave their base before a ball it hit, but must return and touch the base if the ball is caught. 2. An action executed when a defensive player touches a runner with the ball in an attempt to get them out.

TATER A homerun.

TEXAS LEAGUER A bloop hit that drops between the infielder and outfielder.

TRIPLE A hit enabling the batter to safely reach third base.

TRIPLE PLAY A defensive play that records 3 outs.

TWO BASE HIT A hit enabling the batter to safely reach second base. Also called a double.

UNCLE CHARLIE A curve ball

UTILITY PLAYER A player who fills in in many positions.

WALK An award given to the batter after the pitcher delivers 4 balls. If a hitter receives 4 balls during an at bat, they automatically advance to first base. Any forced base runners also advance. Also called base on balls.

WHEELHOUSE A hitters power zone.

WHIFF A strike out.

WILD PITCH A pitch so far from the strike zone that the catcher cannot catch or block it, permitting any base runner to advance a base.

YAKKER A curve ball.