Glossary of baseball terms
This is an alphabetical list of selected unofficial and specialized terms, phrases, and other jargon used in baseball, along with their definitions, including illustrative examples for many entries.
0–9
1
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.2
Catcher gets a "Two!" call for throws to second, a "two-bagger" is a double, and the number 2 signs for a curveball.3
The first baseman receives throws with shouts of "Three!", nabs runners attempting triples, and the number 3 might signal a slider from the pitcher.45-foot line
5-tool player
12–6 curveball
A
ahead in the [|count]
American League Division Series (ALDS)
aspirin
ate the ball
B
bail
ball in play
base hit
bat around
battery
bean
big as a grapefruit
bleachers
blown save
bottom of the inning
break one off
buck and change
bump
C
cash in
center cut
chatter
Chinese home run
clean inning
clubhouse
contact hitter
corner outfielder
crafty
crush the ball
cut-off
D
dead red
designated for assignment
A process that allows a player to be removed from his team's 40-man roster.dialed up
Referring to a fastball. "He dialed up that [|pitch]."dish
dot
- When a pitcher is throwing strikes on the corners of the strike zone, it is said he is dotting the corners.
double play
'Roll a bump' is a colloquial east coast slang for turning a 1-6-3 double play or a 1-4-3 double play.down the line
drilled
due
E
Eephus
error
- 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 the official 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
everyday player
- A position player, as opposed to a pitcher 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:
- * a platoon 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 as bench players or role players. They may also take on pinch hitting or pinch running assignments.
extra frames
F
fall classic
The World Series—the championship series of Major League Baseball, in which the champion of the American League faces off against the champion of the National League. Typically, this series takes place in October, so playing 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 the Yankees. Another Yankee, Derek Jeter, picked up the nickname "Mr. November" after he hit a walk-off home run in Game4 of the 2001 World Series just after midnight local time on November1. By comparison, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner's dubbing another of his players "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 following 9/11, 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.
fall off the table
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 for change ups and split-fingered fastballs, and occasionally for an overhand curveball.[|fan]
To "fan" a batter is to strike him out, especially a swinging strike three.fan interference
When a fan or any person not associated with one of the teams alters play in progress, it is fan interference. The ball becomes dead, and the umpire will award any bases or charge any outs that, in his judgment, would have occurred without the interference. This is one of several types of interference 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 Game6 of the NLCS in which a Chicago Cubs fan, Steve Bartman, attempted to catch a ball in foul territory thereby possibly preventing Cubs left fielder Moisés Alou from making a circus catch, was not a case of fan interference.
fancy Dan
A fielder who puts an extra flourish on his movements while making a play in hopes of gaining the approval of the spectators. Wilbert Robinson was manager when Al 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 the stuff." Lopez went on to eventually surpass Robinson's record of games behind the plate.farm team
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 a farm system of affiliated farm teams at different minor league baseball levels.fastball
A pitch 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 express, or a hummer.fastball count
A count in which the pitcher would be ordinarily expected to throw a fastball, such as 3–1, 3–2, or 2–1, as fast ball are usually easiest to locate in the strike zone. Occasionally a pitcher will pull the string by throwing an off-speed pitch.fastball happy
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."fat pitch
A pitch 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.feed
To throw the ball carefully to another fielder in a way that allows him to make an out. A first-baseman who has just fielded a [|ground ball] will "feed the ball" to the pitcher who is running over from the mound to make the force 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 a double play.fencebuster
A slugger.field
- A baseball field or baseball diamond upon which the game of baseball is played.
- A ballfield, ballpark, or stadium.
- To field the ball is to capture or make a play on a ground ball or to catch a fly 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."
fielder
Any defensive player. Often, defensive players are distinguished as either pitchers or position players. Position players are further divided into infielders and outfielders.field manager
The head coach of a team is called the 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's general 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.fielder's choice
A fielder's choice is the act of a fielder, upon fielding a batted ball, choosing to try to putout a baserunner and allow the batter-runner to advance to first base. Despite reaching first base safely after hitting the ball, the batter is not credited with a hit but would be charged with an at-bat.figger filbert
An old-fashioned and more colorful way of saying "numbers nut" or stathead, for a fan with a near-obsessive interest in the statistics or "figures" of the game. The first "figger filbert" was probably Ernest Lanigan, who was the first historian of the Baseball Hall of Fame and prior to that was one of the first, if not the first, to publish an encyclopedia of baseball stats, in the 1920s. Later statistical analysts were often called sabermetricians.fight off a pitch
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" by fouling 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."filthy
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.find a hole
To get a base hit by hitting the ball between infielders. "The 13th groundball that Zachry allowed found a hole."find his bat
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 the Tigers having found their bats for a night, they reset the series and put themselves in position to all but lock up the AL Central."find his swing
When a batter has experienced a slump, he may take extra practice or instruction to "find his swing". Perhaps he has a hitch in his swing, or his batting stance has changed. Having "lost his swing", now he must "find it". This phrase is also used in golf.find the seats
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.fireballer
A pitcher who throws extremely high-velocity fastballs, in excess of 95 miles per hour. A flamethrower.fireman
A team's top relief pitcher who is often brought in to end an offensive rally and "put out the fire". The term has been attributed to New York Daily News cartoonist Bruce Stark, who in the 1970s first depicted relievers for the New York Mets and Yankees as firemen coming in to save their teams from danger.fireplug
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."first-ball hitter
A hitter who likes to hit the first pitch in an at bat, especially if the hitter often gets a hit on the first pitch.fisted
When a batter swings at a pitch that is inside and the ball hits the bat close to his fists. "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."five and dive
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 high pitch counts, and in which relief pitching has become a critical part of the game, starters achieve fewer and fewer complete games. Headline: "Vasquez Disputes Five-and-Dive Label".five o'clock hitter
A hitter 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.five-tool player
See 5-tool player.FL or F.L.
Abbreviation for Federal League, a major league that existed from 1914 to 1915. This would be the last "third Major League" to come into existence.flag down
To catch or knock down a line drive, as if flagging down a moving vehicle. "Cowens twice went to the warning track in the outfield to flag down drives by Milwaukee hitters."flamethrower
A fireballer.flare
A fly ball hit a short distance into the outfield. "Pudge hit a flare just out of the shortstop's reach."flashing the [|leather]
Making an outstanding or difficult defensive play. A player who regularly makes difficult defensive plays may be described as a "leather flasher". See leather.flip
- 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.
floater
A knuckleball. A pitch that may appear to the batter to float or bob up and down on its way to the plate.fluke hit
A base hit that results from a weakly [|batted ball] or one that takes an odd bounce.flutterball
A knuckleball, a floater.fly ball
A ball hit high in the air. See also pop fly, infield fly, and ground ball.fly ball pitcher
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.fly out
- An out that results from an outfielder catching a fly ball.
- A batter whose fly ball is caught in the outfield is said to "fly out". "Rodriguez flew out to center fielder Suzuki."
folded
Synonymous with "buckled" where a pitcher throws a breaking ball 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.forkball
A type of split-finger fastball 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.foul ball
A batted ball that settles into foul territory.foul lines
Two straight lines drawn on the ground from home plate to the outfield fence to indicate the boundary between fair territory and foul territory. These are called either the left-field foul line and the right-field foul line, or the third-base foul line and first-base foul line, respectively. The foul poles on the outfield walls are vertical extensions of the foul lines.Despite their names, both the foul lines and the [|foul poles] are in fair territory. Any fly ball that strikes the foul line beyond first or third base is a fair ball.
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 : the sideline and the goal line are inbounds, and the ball is out of play when it has wholly crossed the side line or the goal line, whether on the ground or in the air.
foul off
Purposely batting a pitch foul with two strikes in order to keep the at-bat going, in part to tire the pitcher 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 be battling or working the pitcher.foul pole
A pole located on each foul line on the outfield fence or wall. The left-field foul pole and right-field foul pole are used by umpires to determine whether a batted ball is a home run or a foul ball. The foul pole is a vertical extension of the foul line. The term "foul pole" is actually a misnomer, because the "foul pole" is in fair territory and a fly ball that hits the foul pole is considered to be a fair ball.foul tip
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. It is signalled by the umpire putting his right hand flat in the air and brushing his left hand against it and then using his standard strike call. If the out is not the third out then the ball is alive and in play and runners are in jeopardy if they are trying to advance.four-bagger
A home run. Note that the 4th "bag" is actually a plate.four-fingered salute
An intentional 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.four-seam fastball
A standard fastball, which does not necessarily break though a good one will have movement as well as velocity and location that makes it difficult to hit. The batter sees the four parallel seams spin toward him. A four-seamer. See two-seamer.frame
- As a noun, a frame is half an inning. Announcer: "Two hits, and two runs scored so far in this frame." Also a bowling term, as suggested by the resemblance of an inning-by-inning scoreboard to a bowling scoresheet.
- As a verb, framing 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, 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.
free baseball
Slang for extra innings. The fans get to see extra innings "for free".free foot
The pitcher's foot which is not required to be in contact with the pitcher's plate. This foot will correspond with the pitcher's glove hand.free pass
A base 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 an Annie Oakley.freeze the hitter
To throw a strike that is so unexpected or in such a location that the batter doesn't swing at it. "As Cashman spoke, Pettitte fired a strike on the corner, which froze the hitter." "But the right-hander reached in her bag of tricks and threw a tantalizing changeup that froze the hitter for the final out."friendly confines
A nickname for Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs.frozen rope
A hard-hit line drive. Also a strong throw from the outfield.full count
A count of 3 balls and 2 strikes; another strike will result in a strikeout, while another ball will result in a walk. At that point, only a foul ball will extend the [|at-bat].full house
- Three of a kind, and two of a kind : a full count. From the term used in poker. Sometimes called full 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.
fungo
A fly 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.fungo bat
A lightweight bat with a long, skinny barrel used to hit fungoes. 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.G
general manager
GIDP
go the route
good hit, no field
good piece of hitting
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.got to him early
When a team's batters gets several hits and runs off of the opposing starting pitcher in early innings the batters are said to "get to him early".got under the ball
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".green monster
gun
H
happy
heat
high hard one
hit behind the runner
hit the ball on the screws
hitter
a person who hits a ball with a bat in baseball.hole in his glove
home plate
home run trot
Unfortunately for his personal power totals, Milledge was bamboozled into believing his liner in the fourth inning against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday night had cleared the left-field fence at PNC Park for his first career grand slam. Dead certain he had gone 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.
As Bucs announcer Bob 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 a rundown. And, yeah, um, he was tagged out. Score that a two-run double and a big ol' base-running blunder.
hose
humpback liner
I
in jeopardy
innings eater
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," says Blanton, 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."
interference
J
Judy
K
knee-buckler
L
launch
leaning
lift
Live-ball era
long ball
Lord Charles
M
make-up game
meatball
middle of the order hitter
mix up pitches
motor
mustard
N
nickel curve
no-hitter
O
off the hook
one-game wonder
on the interstate
ordinary effort
P
paste
pearl
percentage points
pick me up
pinch runner
pitch to contact
pitcher's plate
place hitter
play by the book
plus pitch
post-season
power stroke
protested game
R
[|rally]
regulation game
retire the batter
ring him up
ROOGY
roughed up
run rule
S
salami
screwball
seeing-eye ball
set the table
shake off
- A player, typically a pitcher, who has a bad game or series, may be said to be trying to shake off the experience and regain his usual performance level. Detroit News headline: "Miner Tries to Shake Off Poor Start".
- A pitcher who disagrees with the catcher's call for the next pitch may shake off the sign by shaking his head "no", thereby telling the catcher to call for a different pitch. If the pitcher shakes off several signs in a row, the catcher may call time out and walk to the mound to talk to the pitcher.
short rest
shuts the door
skids
slider
snow cone
spank
spoil a pitch
squibber
stand-up double or triple (or ''standing''/''standing up'')
An extra-base hit in which the runner reaches base easily without needing to slide, i.e. remains standing up as he touches the bag. Also referred to simply as "standing" i.e. "the runner from 3rd base scores standing."stance
- When a hitter steps into the batter's box, he typically stands a few inches from home plate with one shoulder facing the pitcher's mound. His particular manner of bending his knees or holding his bat is referred to as the batter's stance or hitting stance.
- A catcher typically crouches or squats behind home plate, holding his glove up as a target for the pitcher. This is referred to as a catcher's stance.
- A pitcher's stance or pitching position involves how and where he stands on the mound, how his back foot toes the rubber, his windup, and his delivery.