Baseball Lingo And Terminology

There is a lot of lingo used in the sport of baseball. It can be especially confusing when watching a baseball game and hearing announcers and players say phrases you’ve never heard of. What are some common phrases used in baseball, and what do they each mean? Let’s learn about the terminology most commonly used by players, announcers, and baseball fans.

Baseball Glossary A To Z

• Ace: A team’s best starting pitcher.
• Alley: The areas of the outfield between the outfielders.
• Around the Horn: A double play that starts at first base and then goes to second, and then first. Also refers to the way the infielders throw the ball from third to first between at-bats.
• At-bat: A completed plate appearance by a hitter that results in a base hit or non-sacrifice out.
• Backdoor Slider: A pitch that appears to be thrown outside the strike zone, but then “slides” back over the plate at the last second.
• Backstop: The protective fence behind home plate.
• Bad Hop: When a ground ball jumps unexpectedly, making it harder to field.
• Bag: Another term for a base.
• Balk: An illegal pitch delivery or pickoff attempt which results in runners advancing one base.
• Baltimore Chop: A ground ball that hits in front of home plate or off of the plate, which then proceeds to hop over the infielders’ heads.
• Bandbox: A small ballpark that is easier for batters to hit home runs in.
• Bang-Bang Play: An expression used to describe a very close play.
• Bases loaded: When there is a runner at first, second, and third base.
• Basket Catch: When a fielder catches a ball in his glove near the area of his belt.
• Batter’s box: A small rectangle on either side of home plate in which the batter must stand during their at bat.
• Battery: A term used to describe the pitcher and catcher.
• Beanball: A pitch which hits the batter in the head
• Bonus Baby: A young player who gets a huge signing bonus when joining a pro team for the first time.
• Broken-bat: An offensive play that begins with the batter breaking their bat.
• Bronx Cheer: When the fans are booing.
• Brushback: A pitch thrown inside with the intention of scaring the batter into standing farther off the plate.
• Bush League: When a player behaves or plays in a way that is considered amateur.
• Can of Corn: An easily-caught fly ball to the outfield.
• Caught Looking: When a batter fails to swing at a pitch which winds up being the last of their three strikes.
• Caught Napping: When a player gets picked off.
• Cellar: The team currently in last place in the MLB, as the “cellar” is the lowest room of a house.
• Chase: When a batter swings at a pitch that is well outside the strike zone.
• Chin Music: A pitch thrown up and in on a batter that makes them move out of the way.
• Choke Up: When a batter holds their hands up higher on the handle of their bat in hopes of making contact and avoiding striking out.
• Circus Catch: An acrobatic catch on a fly ball, typically involving an unorthodox time or slide.
• Cleanup Hitter: The fourth batter in the lineup.
• Climbing the Ladder: A sequence of pitches, typically high-velocity fastballs, that are each thrown higher than the last with the intention of getting the batter to chase them out of the strike zone.
• Closer: The pitcher who often enters the game in the ninth and final inning to preserve a small lead.
• Comebacker: A ground ball that is hit back to the pitcher.
• Cookie: A pitch that is easy to hit.
• Curtain Call: When a player’s performance causes the audience to become so excited that he returns to the dugout waving or tipping his cap.
• Cutoff Man: A fielder who receives a throw from an outfielder after a hit.
• Cycle: When a player records a single, double, triple, and home run all in the same game, no matter the order.
• Dead Red: When a batter gets the pitch they were looking for and hits it hard.
• Dinger: Another term for a home run.
• Dish: Another term for home plate.
• Double Play: A team’s fielders manage to record two outs at one time by tagging bases with the ball in hand before each runner manages to reach those bases.
• Doubleheader: When two games are played by the same two opposing teams on the same day.
• Ducks on the Pond: Ducks on the pond is a term used to describe scenarios when runners are in scoring position.
• Extra Innings: Additional innings played at the end of a tie game to determine a winner.
• Flame Thrower: A pitcher who is notorious for throwing hard.
• Flashing the Leather: A term used to describe when a player makes a great play.
• Force Play: When a base runner is forced to advance because the batter gets a hit. If a fielder tags the base they are advancing to, the runner is out.
• Four-bagger: Slang for a home run.
• Free Baseball: When a baseball game enters extra innings.
• Frozen Rope: Refers to a hard-hit line drive.
• Gap: Another name for the areas of the outfield between the outfielders.
• Gas: A term used to describe a fast pitch.
• Gem: A term used to describe when a starting pitcher has a spectacular game, often a shutout or no-hitter.
• Ghost Runner: Also known as a Manfred Man, a runner that starts on second base at the beginning of every half-inning of extra innings.
• Golden Sombrero: When a batter strikes out four times in the same game.
• Gopher Ball: Refers to a pitch that is hit for a home run.
• Grand Slam: A home run scored with runners on each of the bases, worth four runs total.
• Hanging a Snowman: When a team scores eight runs in one inning, as the number eight resembles a snowman.
• Heater: A pitch that is accurate and possesses exceptional speed.
• High and Tight: Refers to a pitch that is thrown high up in the strike zone and close to a batter’s body.
• High Cheese/Cheddar: A pitch thrown high in the zone with major velocity, typically a fastball.
• Hill: Slang for the pitcher’s mound.
• Hitter’s Count: A strike count with more balls than strikes, such as 3-1, which is advantageous to the hitter, allowing them to be more aggressive or selective.
• Hook: Refers to whenever the manager changes pitchers, in reference to the motion of the hand gesturing for a pitcher to leave the field, or the pitcher being dragged off by a hook.
• Hot Corner: Another name for third base, as right-handed hitters tend to hit balls hard to the left side of the field.
• Hot Stove: The offseason as the rumors and speculation about trades and other stats are said to keep the fans “warm” over the winter.
• In-the-Hole: Refers to the batter that is scheduled to bat after the on-deck hitter (hitter that will come to the plate following the current hitter).
• Infield Fly Rule: The umpire calls an easily caught infield pop fly out before it caught, preventing infielders from dropping the ball to create a force play.
• Jam: Different from when a batter is “jammed;” refers to when a pitcher is allowing a lot of baserunners.
• Jammed: When a batter makes weak contact on an inside pitch, often off or near the handle of the bat.
• Junior Circuit: The American League, which was the second of the two baseball leagues in the MLB.
• Junk: Pitches that are thrown at low speed, but have a lot of movement.
• Knock: A hit.
• Launch Angle: The angle at which a ball leaves the bat.
• Leather: A baseball glove.
• Meatball: A pitch that is very easy to hit and is often hit for extra bases, typically down the middle of the strike zone without any movement.
• Moon Shot: A home run that is both high in the air and travels a long distance.
• No-No: Slang for a no-hitter.
• Nubber: A weak ground ball that usually doesn’t leave the shallow infield.
• Offspeed Pitch: Any pitch that is slower than a fastball.
• On the Screws: A term used to describe when a batter hits the ball very hard, typically on the sweet spot.
• Painting the Black: When a pitcher throws the ball over the edge of home plate.
• Painting the Corners: When a pitcher throws a variety of pitches in the corners of the strike zone resulting in strikes for the batter.
• Payoff Pitch: Refers to a pitch that is thrown when there is a full count, as this pitch will be the “payoff” that determines whether the play will be a hit, a walk, or a strikeout.
• Pennant: A league championship.
• Pick-Off: Instead of throwing a pitch, the pitcher quickly pivots and throws the ball to first base in an attempt to catch a runner before he is able to return to the base.
• Pickle/Rundown: When the base runner is stuck between two fielders and must try to run back to a base safely without being tagged.
• Platoon: When two players share playing time at one position.
• Plunked: A term used to describe when a batter is hit by a pitch.
• Punchout: Another term for a strikeout.
• Rainout: A game postponed due to rain. The MLB has rain delay rules to handle rain-shortened, delayed, and postponed games.
• Rhubarb: A fight or brawl on the field.
• Seeing-Eye Single: A weak ground ball that finds its way through the infield for a base hit.
• Senior Circuit: The National League, which was the first of the two baseball leagues in the MLB.
• Shoestring Catch: A catch in which the player grabs the ball just before it hits the ground while still standing upright.
• Small Ball: A style of play in which runners are normally advanced one base at a time, typically through bunts, stolen bases, or sacrifice hits.
• Southpaw: a pitcher who is left-handed.
• Sweet Spot: Describes the thick, center portion of the bat that tends to result in big hits when it contacts the ball.
• Table-Setter: The first batter in a team’s lineup, tasked with getting on base so that the following hitters can score runs.
• Taking the Collar: When a player goes the whole game without getting a hit.
• Tape-Measure Blast: A term used to describe a long home run.
• Tater: Another name for a home run.
• The Show: The Major Leagues.
• Three-Bagger: Slang for a triple.
• Turning Two: A term used to describe a double play.
• Twin Killing: Slang for a double play.
• Twinbill: A double-header.
• Two-Bagger: Slang for a double.
• Uncle Charlie: A curveball.
• Walk-Off: A hit in the bottom of the ninth or extra innings that wins the game for the batting team.
• Web Gem: A spectacular defensive play.
• Wheelhouse: Describes a pitch that is easy for the batter to make contact with, crossing the middle of the plate about waist-high.
• Wheels: A term used to describe a fast player (ex: they have wheels).
• Whiff: A swing and a miss. Also sometimes refers to a strikeout.
• Worm Burner: A ground ball that does not bounce high off the ground.
• Yakker: Another name for a curveball.

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