Baseball Wikipedia Glossary

AAAA player

"Four-A player" (alternatively, "Quadruple-A player") is a term for a minor-league player who is consistently successful in the high minor leagues (i.e., AAA), but cannot translate that into success at the major-league level. Often poor management is responsible.3

A-Ball or "Single-A"

"Single-A" is the second-lowest grouping of modern affiliated minor league baseball, with sub-categories of "High-A," "Low-A," and "Short-Season A." The California League, Florida State League, and the Carolina League are categorized as "Single-A".

AAA

"Triple-A" is the highest level of minor league baseball. This level includes the Pacific Coast League, the International League, and the Mexican League.

alley

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

0-1 ("oh and one")

(also "1-0", "0-2", "1-1", "2-0", "1-2", "2-1", "3-0", "2-2", "3-1", "3-2") The possible instances of the "count," the number of balls and strikes currently tallied against a batter. Traditionally, the first number in the count corresponds to balls, and the second, strikes; however, Japanese and Korean baseball leagues use the opposite order (strikes followed by balls).

bad hop

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.

bandbox

A ballpark with small dimensions that encourages offense, especially home runs. A crackerbox.

4 wide ones

A base-on-balls. Four pitches that are wide of the strike zone. "Erskine summarized his strategy of pitching to Musial as 'I throw him four wide ones and try to pick him off at first'."1

bag

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

bad-ball hitter

A batter who excels at hitting pitches that are outside the strike zone. Notable bad ball hitters include Yogi Berra and Vladimir Guerrero.

banjo hitter

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

backdoor breaking ball

A breaking pitch, usually a slider, curveball, or cut fastball that, due to its lateral motion, passes through a small part of the strike zone on the outside edge of the plate after appearing it would miss the plate entirely. It may not cross the front of the plate but only the back and thus have come in through the "back door." A slider is the most common version, because a slider has more lateral motion than other breaking pitches.

12-to-6

A curve ball, the motion of which evokes the hands of clock. The ball starts high (at "12-o'clock") and drops sharply as it reaches the strike zone ("6-o'clock"). Also known as "12-to-6 Downers" or a "12-to-6 Drop". Pitchers whose curveballs exhibit this motion include Barry Zito, Nolan Ryan, AJ Burnett, and Ivan Nova.

1-2-3 double play

A double play in which the pitcher (1) throws the ball home to the catcher (2) to retire a runner advancing from third. The catcher then throws back to the first baseman (3) to retire the batter-runner. This play most often occurs with the bases loaded, in which situation a force play exists at both home plate and first base, but it is possible for this double play to be executed with a tag of a runner at home. The scorekeeper uses such shorthand to record the result of every play. In this case, he makes a notation that the runner at third base was retired "1-2", but then makes a notation showing that the batter-runner was retired "1-2-3", to account for every player who handled the ball on the play.

1-6-3 double play

A double play in which the pitcher (1) throws the ball to the shortstop (6), who in turn throws to the first baseman (3). Typically, the shortstop and first baseman each retire a baserunner (often on a force play) after receiving the ball. The scorekeeper uses such shorthand to record the result of every play. In this case, he makes a notation that the runner at first base was retired "1-6", but then makes a notation showing that the batter-runner was retired "1-6-3", to account for every player who handled the ball on the play.

3-6-3 double play

A fairly common double play in which the first baseman fields a batted ball and throws it to the shortstop at second base to retire a runner advancing from first. The shortstop then throws back to the first baseman to retire the batter-runner. The scorekeeper makes a notation that the runner at first base was retired "3-6", and the batter-runner was retired "3-6-3".

3-6-1 double play

A fairly common double play in which the first baseman fields a batted ball and throws it to the shortstop at second base to retire a runner advancing from first. The shortstop then throws back to the pitcher covering first (because the first baseman is out of position due to fielding the ball) to retire the batter-runner. The scorekeeper makes a notation that the runner at first base was retired "3-6", and the batter-runner was retired "3-6-1".

7-2, 8-2, or 9-2 double play

A fairly common double play. After a fly ball is caught by an outfielder, a runner attempting to tag up and score from third base is tagged out by the catcher receiving the throw at home plate.

Annie Oakley

A free ticket to attendance at a ballgame or to first base (a "free pass" or base on balls).7

4-bagger

A home run, so-called because of the four bags (bases) that the hitter touches after hitting a home run, although the fourth "bag" is actually a plate. Also spelled four-bagger.

55-footer

A pejorative term for a pitch that bounces before it reaches the plate. The name derives from the fact that the pitch falls short of the 60' 6" between the pitching rubber and the plate.

at the letters

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

battery mates

A pitcher and catcher from the same team. See "battery".

arm

A pitcher. Headline: "A's Trade Two Young Arms To Kansas City For Outfielder DeJesus".8 "Maybe GM Alex Anthopoulos is just stockpiling arms in an attempt to lure a trade for a nearly ready third baseman".9

5-4-3 double play

A relatively common double play in which the third baseman fields a batted ball and throws to the second baseman, who retires a runner advancing to second base (usually a force play) and throws to the first baseman, who completes the play by retiring the batter-runner (usually a force play). The scorekeeper makes a notation that the runner on first was retired "5-4" and the batter-runner "5-4-3". This is sometimes referred to as the "'round the horn" double play.

3-2-3 double play

A relatively rare double play in which the first baseman fields a batted ball and throws to the catcher to retire a runner advancing from third. The catcher then throws back to the first baseman to retire the batter-runner. This play most often occurs with the bases loaded, in which situation a force play exists at both home plate and first base, but it is possible for this double play to be executed with a tag of a runner at home. The scorekeeper makes a notation that the runner at third base was retired "3-2", and the batter-runner was retired "3-2-3". One notable example of this play occurred in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series, when catcher Brian Harper and first baseman Kent Hrbek of the Minnesota Twins retired the Atlanta Braves' Lonnie Smith at home plate and Sid Bream at first. This play prevented the Braves from scoring any runs in that inning and maintained a scoreless tie.

base knock

A single. Also see knocks.

bazooka

A strong throwing arm. A gun, a cannon, a rifle.

ahead in the count

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

4-6-3 double play

A very common double play in which the second baseman fields a batted ball and throws to the shortstop, who retires a runner advancing to second base (usually a force play). The shortstop then throws to the first baseman, who completes the play by retiring the batter-runner (again, usually a force play). The scorekeeper makes a notation that the runner at first base was retired "4-6", and the batter-runner was retired "4-6-3".

6-4-3 double play

A very common double play in which the shortstop fields a batted ball and throws to the second baseman, who retires a runner advancing to second base (usually a force play) and then throws to the first baseman, who completes the play by retiring the batter-runner (usually a force play). The scorekeeper makes a notation that the runner on first base was retired "6-4" and the batter-runner "6-4-3". 6-4-3 and 4-6-3 are the two most common double plays, with 6-4-3 predominating because right-handed batters, who are more prevalent than left-handed batters, tend to pull the ball toward left field. This is the double play performed by "Tinker to Evers to Chance", the fabled Chicago Cubs' infielders of the early 20th century.

AL or A.L.

Abbreviation for the American League, the newer of the two existing Major Leagues.

1-2-3 inning

An inning in which a pitcher faces only three batters and whereas none of those batters successfully reaches base. Also named "Three up, three down".

ash

An old-fashioned word referring to the baseball bat, which is typically made of wood from an ash tree. "McGraw, probably more than any other manager, changes the line-up of his offensive at critical moments. With one run needed to win in the ninth inning of a game, the shrewd little manager substitutes a fast runner for a slow one, and sends in a pinch hitter when the man he takes out is just as good with the ash as the man he sends in".10

basket catch

Catching a fly to the outfield with open glove near belt level. The signature catch of Willie Mays. It was also used in the movie Major League where Willie Mays Hayes makes a basket catch and as he approaches the dugout his manager says " Nice catch Hayes, don't ever (expletive) do it again!"

back-to-back

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

Baseball Annie

Female "groupie" known to "be easy" for baseball players. Susan Sarandon played such a role as the character Annie Savoy in the 1988 American film "Bull Durham."

ball in play

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

8-hole hitter

In the National League, the batter in the 8th position has the task of batting in front of the pitcher. This batter perhaps carries an added burden as the pitcher is typically not a strong hitter, and so opposing teams may try to "pitch around" the 8-hole hitter in order to face the pitcher batting 9th. Tony La Russa, former manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, occasionally avoids this problem by having the pitcher bat 8th and another fielder bat 9th; however, this puts the #7 hitter in the position that, on most NL teams, the #8 hitter faces.

basement

Last place, bottom of the standings. Also cellar.

30-30 club

Main article: 30-30 club Players who hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in the same season.

40-40 club

Main article: 40-40 club Players who hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in the same season.

ALCS or A.L.C.S.

Main article: American League Championship Series Abbreviation for the American League Championship Series, a best-of-seven playoff series that determines which American League team will advance to the World Series. The ALCS (and the NLCS) came into being for the 1969 series. The team that wins the ALCS wins the American League pennant and the title of American League Champions for that season. The winners of the American League Division Series have met in the ALCS since 1995.

ALDS or A.L.D.S.

Main article: American League Division Series Abbreviation for the American League Division Series, the first round of the league playoffs. The winners of the three divisions and the second-place team with the best record are paired off in two best-of-five series, the winners of which advance to the ALCS.

AFL

Main article: Arizona Fall League Arizona Fall League: a short-season minor league in which high-level prospects from all 30 MLB clubs are organized into six teams, on which they have the opportunity to refine and showcase their skills for evaluation by coaches and executives.

at bat

Main article: At bat A plate appearance in which the batter a) hits safely, b) is retired except on a sacrifice fly or sacrifice bunt, c) reaches on an error other than catcher's interference by a fielder except on a sacrifice fly or bunt, d) reaches base on a fielder's choice, e) is called out due to batter's interference, or f) reaches base after striking out on a passed ball or wild pitch. At-bats (or "times at bat") are used for the calculation of a player's batting average and slugging percentage.

backstop

Main article: Backstop (baseball) ▪ The fence behind homeplate, designed to protect spectators from wild pitches or foul balls. ▪ Catcher, sometimes "backstopper".

Baltimore chop

Main article: Baltimore chop A short downward swing intended to make the ball rebound off home plate or the packed dirt immediately in front of the plate. The goal is to produce a bounce high enough so that, even if the ball can be fielded by an infielder the batter will reach first for a base hit. This was a tactic of the Baltimore Orioles of the National League in the 1890s. John McGraw is supposed to have had the earth in front of home plate compacted for this purpose. When it happens in the modern game, it is more often simply a result of poor contact that just happens to aid the batter-runner.

5 tool player

Main article: Five-tool player The ideal position player (non-pitcher); an athlete who excels at hitting for both high average and power, possesses good footspeed and baserunning skills, has a strong and accurate throwing arm, and plays above-average defense. Major league scouts and instructors observe and evaluate the development of these "tools" in their "prospects" (aspiring Major League ballplayers). Some well-known "five-tool" players are Joe DiMaggio, Willie Mays, Alex Rodriguez, Roberto Clemente, Torii Hunter and Ken Griffey Jr..

appeal play

Main article: appeal play A play in which the defense has an opportunity to gain a favorable ruling from an umpire by addressing a mistake by the offense or seeking the input of another umpire. Some notable examples: 1. Since baserunners must touch all bases in order when advancing or in reverse order when retreating (tagging up), the defense may appeal if it appears a runner missed a base and continued on to the next one. This appeal must be made during a live ball and before the next pitch; typically, the pitcher will step off the rubber and throw the ball to a teammate, who will then touch the appropriate base and verbally notify the umpire of his appeal. If the umpire saw the runner miss the base, he will rule that runner out. Any errors made during this time will be considered "in play" and runners can advance at their own peril. The defense making a play or attempting to make a play on another runner will remove the possibility of an appeal. 2. Because runners may not advance on a fly ball until it is touched, an appeal may be made in the same manner as above if a runner leaves his base too early or fails to return to it. 3. If a player bats out of order, the opposing team may bring it to the attention of an umpire. If the improper batter is still at bat, the proper batter assumes the count and finishes the at bat. If the improper batter reaches base, the proper batter is called out and all action on the play is negated. The batting order resumes after the proper batter thus declared out. 4. If a batter "checks" (stops) his swing at a pitch which is called a ball by the home plate umpire, the defense may appeal to either the first base umpire (for a right-handed batter) or the third base umpire (for a left-handed batter). If the umpire feels that the batter "offered at the pitch," the pitch is ruled a strike. This is called an appeal, but is not an appeal "play." Appeals involve the defense literally making an appeal to an umpire. At no time before the appeal do umpires announce that, for example, a runner failed to touch a base.

assist

Main article: assist (baseball) The official scorer awards an assist (A) to every defensive player who fields or touches the ball (after it has been hit by the batter) prior to a putout, even if the contact was unintentional. For example, if a ball strikes a player's leg and bounces off him to another fielder, who tags the baserunner, the first player is credited with an assist. A fielder can receive only one assist per out recorded. A fielder also receives an assist if a putout would have occurred, had not another fielder committed an error.

balk

Main article: balk A ruling made by an umpire against a pitching motion that violates rules intended to prevent the pitcher from unfairly deceiving a baserunner. When a balk is called, each runner can freely advance one base. In professional baseball, a balk does not instantly result in a dead ball. If a pitch is thrown and all runners advance one base due to a hit, play continues and the balk is ignored. This rarely occurs because when the balk is called the pitcher normally stops his delivery and the umpire declares the ball dead and awards the bases. In non-professional baseball (high school and college), a balk instantly results in a dead ball and the runners are awarded their bases. The rules specify which pitching movements are illegal. Commonly called balks are failure for the pitcher to come to a set position (or coming set multiple times) or failure to step in the direction of the base he is throwing toward. The spirit of a balk is that certain movements mean that the pitcher has begun the pitch, so the runner cannot then be picked off. Some balks result from errant or unsuccessful motions, such as when the ball slips out of the pitcher's hand. Far more rare is a catcher's balk, when the catcher moves from behind the area of the plate before the pitcher starts his delivery, which only applies during an intentional walk.

base hit

Main article: base hit See hit.

bat

Main article: baseball bat ▪ A baseball bat is a smooth contoured round wooden or metal rod used to hit the ball thrown by the pitcher. A bat's diameter is larger at one end (the barrel-end) than at the other (the handle). The bottom end of the handle is the knob. A batter generally tries to strike the ball in the sweet spot near the middle of the barrel-end of the bat, sometimes referred to as the fat part of the bat or the meat end of the bat. ▪ The player who uses it to strike the ball — a batter, hitter, or batsman — can be said to bat the ball. ▪ A player known as a good hitter might be said to have a good bat. Headline: "Shortstop mixes golden glove with solid bat".14 A player who is adept at both hitting and fielding might be said to have a good bat and good glove. The headline "Wesleyan shortstop Winn has bat and glove"15 does not mean that the player simply owns a bat and a glove but instead that he is very skilled at both hitting and fielding. ▪ A team with many good hitters might be said to have a lot of "bats" (referring to the players not the instrument). "It's an awesome thing when we all get going like that," Murphy said. "We've got so many bats in our lineup that we're hard to beat if we keep hitting".16

baserunner

Main article: baserunner A baserunner (shortened as "runner") is a player on the offensive team (i.e., the team at bat) who has safely reached base.

bases loaded

Main article: bases loaded Runners on first, second, and third base. Also known as "bases full," "bases packed," "bases jammed," "bases juiced," "bases chucked" or "bases polluted, bases drunk".

batter's box

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

battery

Main article: battery (baseball) ▪ The pitcher and catcher considered as a single unit. Henry Chadwick coined the term, drawing from the military sense of the term artillery battery. It also suggests a play on words, as its activities center on the batter. "Surprisingly, it was more stressful for the fielders than it was for either member of the battery, Verlander and his catcher, Alex Avila".17

batter

Main article: batting (baseball) The player who is at bat and tries to hit the ball with the bat. Also referred to as the "hitter" or "batsman." batter's eye/// Main article: batter's eye A solid-colored, usually dark area beyond the center field wall that is the visual backdrop for the batter looking out at the pitcher. It allows the batter to see the pitched ball against a dark and uncluttered background, as much for the batter's safety as anything. The use of a batter's background has been standard in baseball (as well as cricket where they are called "sight screens") since at least the late 1800s. One example of a batter's background is the black area in center field of Yankee Stadium. At one time, there were seats where the black area is now, but because of distractions the seats were removed and the area painted black.

batting average

Main article: batting average Batting average (BA) is the average number of hits per at-bat (BA=H/AB). A perfect batting average would be 1.000 (read: "one thousand"). A batting average of .300 ("three hundred") is considered to be excellent, which means that the best hitters fail to get a hit in 70% of their at-bats. Even the level of .400, which is outstanding and rare (last achieved at the major league level, by a batting champion, in 1941), suggests "failure" 60% of the time. This is part of the reason OBP is now regarded by "figger filberts" as a truer measure of a hitter's worth at the plate. In 1887, there was an experiment with including bases-on-balls as hits (and as at-bats) in computing the batting average. It was effectively an early attempt at an OBP, but it was regarded as a "marketing gimmick" and was dropped after the one year. It eventually put Cap Anson in limbo regarding his career hits status; dropping the bases on balls from his 1887 stats, as some encyclopedias do, put his career number of hits below the benchmark 3,000 total.

beanball

Main article: beanball A pitch intentionally thrown to hit the batter if he does not move out of the way, especially when directed at the head (or the "bean" in old-fashioned slang). The word bean can also be used as a verb, as in the following headline: "Piazza says Clemens Purposely Beaned Him."18

bang

▪ A baseball player's term for cancelling a game because of bad weather: "I thought we were gonna get banged but we got in 5 innings." ▪ To hit the ball hard, especially to hit a homer. "Utley banged the game-tying home run." ▪ Players who are banged up are injured, though may continue to play. Example: "Banged up Braves ready for playoff rematch with Astros." ▪ A bang-up game is an exciting or close game. Example from a sports headline: "A Real Bang-Up Finish." ▪ A bang bang play is one in which the runner is barely thrown out, a very close call, typically at first base. Perhaps reflecting the "bang" of the ball in the first-baseman's glove followed immediately by the "bang" of the baserunner's foot hitting the bag. ▪ bang it inside is when a pitcher throws on the inside of the plate, and the batter can't get his arms extended enough to hit the ball, which goes "bang" into the catcher's mitt. "It was an unbelievable feeling and a feeling I'll never forget," Giavotella said. "Scherzer was trying to come in on me all day. He was banging me inside and I couldn't get my hands extended. I guess he missed over the plate that time and I got my hands inside and barreled it up and it flew out of the park"'13

bail

▪ A batter who sees a pitch coming toward his head may "bail out" (hit the deck). ▪ When two fielders are converging on a fly ball, one of them may "bail out" to avoid running into the other. ▪ A relief pitcher may come into the game with men on base and bail the previous pitcher out of a jam. While the first two examples are analogues to bailing out of a plane via parachute, the last one is akin to bailing out a boat that's on the verge of being swamped, or perhaps bailing somebody who is in trouble out of jail.

BB

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

away

▪ Slang for "outs". If there are two out in an inning, players may say there are "two away". ▪ Games played at an opponent's home field are "away games". ▪ The visiting team is sometimes called the "away" team. ▪ A pitch outside the strike zone, on the opposite side of the plate as the batter, is noted as being away. This is the opposite of a pitch thrown between the plate and the batter, which is known as "inside".

ace

The best starting pitcher on the team.

2

The catcher, in scorekeeping shorthand. Also, a shout of "Two!" indicates that the ball should be thrown to second base. The number 2 is also a common catcher's sign for a curveball or other breaking pitch. 2-2-2 (2 balls, 2 strikes, 2 outs). When a batter faces a 2-2 count with 2 outs during any inning, many superstitious players will rub the side of the bill of their hat with 2 fingers until the pitcher releases the pitch. More commonly seen in college and high school baseball. Many variations include removing the cap and extending toward the batter as the pitch approaches the plate, or during a 3-2 count with 1 out (3-2-1), and even a 1-1 count with 1 out (1-1-1).

8

The centerfielder, in scorekeeping shorthand.

3

The first baseman, in scorekeeping shorthand. Also, a shout of "Three!" indicates that the ball should be thrown to third base. The number three is also a common sign for a slider, changeup, or other pitch (generally, the pitcher's third best pitch).

7

The leftfielder, in scorekeeping shorthand.

belt

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

45-foot line

The line between home plate and first base that begins 45 feet down the first base line and extends past first base. The rules state that if the batter-runner is in the path of a throw that originates near home plate and is outside the area created by the base line and the 45-foot line, he shall be called out if the umpire believes he interfered with the play. If he remains within the line, he cannot be called out for interference. This rule is designed to allow catchers and pitchers the ability to field bunts and throw the batter-runner out without having to worry about the batter-runner intentionally or unintentionally interfering with the throw. This line is also used to decide whether a pick off move is legal or a balk. If the pitcher steps with his lead foot towards the base he intends to throw to it is considered legal; the 45-foot line determines whether that step is towards the base or towards homeplate. This only comes into play when the pick off move is to the base the pitcher naturally faces (3rd for a right-handed pitcher 1st for a left-handed pitcher), because otherwise the pitcher must turn around to make the throw negating the necessity to determine where the step was directed.

batting practice

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

9

The rightfielder, in scorekeeping shorthand.

4

The second baseman, in scorekeeping shorthand. Also, a shout of "Four!" indicates that the ball should be thrown to home plate. The number four is a less common pitch sign or, when used in conjunction with waggled fingers, can indicate a change-up or palmball.

6

The shortstop, in scorekeeping shorthand.

5.5 hole

The space between the third baseman and shortstop on the field. San Diego Padres icon Tony Gwynn made hitting balls through the 5.5 hole routine.

5

The third baseman, in scorekeeping shorthand.

bat the ball

To hit the ball with the bat -- whether into fair territory or foul.

advance a runner

To move a runner ahead safely to another base, often the conscious strategy of a team that plays small ball. Even if a batter makes an out, he may be regarded as having a less negative outcome to his plate appearance if he advances a runner into scoring position or from second to third, thereby increasing the chances of that runner scoring a run later in that inning compared to those chances had that runner not advanced while that out is made. In certain situations, batters deliberately bunt for an out and thereby sacrifice themselves in order to advance a runner to second or third base.

automatic strike

When a batter takes a pitch, typically when the count is 3-0, the pitcher may groove a strike with confidence that the batter won't even swing at it - leading to an "automatic strike."

battle

When a hitter works the count, by being patient, perhaps by deliberately fouling off pitches that he can't get good wood on, he's said to be "battling."

90 feet

When a runner advances one base, he "moves up 90 feet" — the distance between successive bases on a professional baseball diamond. "Baseball is still what it always has been and always will be, basically a 90-feet-at-a-time game".2

beat out

When a runner gets to first base before the throw, he beats the throw or beats it out. Akin to leg out. "Greene's throw to first base pulls Gonzalez off the bag and Norris Hopper is fast enough to beat it out before Gonzalez can get his foot back on the bag."19

bat around

When each of the nine players in the lineup makes a plate appearance during a single inning.

AA or A.A.

▪ "Double-A" (AA) is the second-highest level of minor league baseball (below AAA), and includes the Eastern League, the Southern League, and the Texas League. ▪ "AA" is also the abbreviation for the American Association, which has been the name of numerous professional baseball leagues: a short-lived major league of the 19th century, a minor league for much of the 20th century, and more recently an independent (i.e., not affiliated with a Major League club) minor league all used this name at various points in baseball history.

around the horn

Not to be confused with Around The Horn. The infielders' practice of throwing the ball to each other after recording an out (provided that there are no runners on base). The purpose is as much traditional as anything else, but it serves to keep the infielders' throwing arms active. Typically, if an out is made at first base, the first baseman will throw to the second baseman, who throws to the shortstop, who throws to the third baseman, who returns the ball to the pitcher. Patterns vary from team to team, but the third baseman is usually the last infielder to receive a throw, regardless of the pattern. Throwing the ball around the horn is also done when there are no baserunners after a strikeout. The catcher will throw the ball to the third baseman, who then throws it to the second baseman, who throws it to the shortstop. The shortstop then throws the ball to the first baseman, who returns the ball to the pitcher. Some catchers, notably Ivan Rodriguez, prefer to throw the ball to the first baseman, who then begins the process in reverse. Some catchers determine whom they will throw to based on the handedness of the batter (to first for a right-handed batter because the line to the first baseman is not "blocked" and vice versa) or whether the team is in an overshift, when the third baseman would be playing close to where the shortstop normally plays and would require a harder throw to be reached. An additional application of this term is when a 5-4-3 or 6-4-3 double play has occurred, which mimics the pattern of throwing the ball around the horn.

beat the rap

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

aboard

On base. When there are runners safely on base, there are runners aboard - as if they had boarded a train or some other vehicle. "For someone who sucks at baseball, the pitcher has remarkable poise with runners aboard."4

behind in the count

Opposite of ahead in the count. For the batter: when the count contains more strikes than balls. For the pitcher: vice versa. If the pitcher is behind in the count, he is in increasing danger of walking the batter. If the batter is behind, he is in increasing danger of striking out. "While he only allowed three hits, he walked five and pitched from behind in the count."20

3-4-3 double play

Played and scored exactly the same as the 3-6-3 below, but the second baseman receives the catch at second base. Considerably more rare since the second baseman is most often moving towards the ball on a ground ball to first base, while the shortstop is moving towards second base in anticipation of the 3-6-3 or 4-6-3.

barehand it

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

1

Scorekeepers assign a number from 1 to 9 to each position on the field in order to record the outcome of each play in a more or less uniform shorthand notation. The number 1 corresponds to the pitcher. Also, a fielder may shout "One!" to a teammate to indicate that he should throw the ball to first base. Finally, in the context of pitching, the number 1 is a common sign (and nickname) for the fastball.

ate the ball

See eat the ball.

ate him up

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

at 'em ball

Slang for a ball batted directly at a defender.

aspirin tablet

Slang for a fastball that is especially hard to hit due to its velocity and/or movement. See also "pill". To batters who are in a slump, a pitched ball may appear to be much smaller than its actual size.1112

airmail

Slang for a fielder's errant throw that sails high over the player to whom he intended to throw it. For example, if the third baseman were to throw the ball over the first baseman's head and into the stands, he is said to have "airmailed" the throw. "But Chandler airmailed her throw to third into the dugout allowing Cupka to score, giving Walsh a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first".6

attack the strike zone

Slang for pitching aggressively by throwing strikes, not by trying to trick hitters into swinging at pitches out of the strike zone or trying to nibble at the corners of the plate. Equivalent phrases are pound the strike zone and challenge the hitters.

aim the ball

Sometimes when a pitcher tries a bit too carefully to control the location of a pitch, he is said to "aim the ball" instead of throwing it. This is a different meaning of "aim" from the situation in which a pitcher aims a pitch at a batter in an effort to hit him. Q: "I am managing a little league team, and in my reading about coaching I have seen twice in the last week the admonition to pitchers, 'Don't aim your pitches.' But in neither case did they explain what that means. They can't possibly mean, 'Don't pay any attention to where you want the ball to go'". A: "I think they are referring to pitchers who try and place the ball as opposed to just letting it go. If you consciously try to aim a pitch it rarely goes where you want it to anyway and you end up taking the speed off the ball. Reaching back and letting it fly will get you the speed you need and you can learn to control the pitch at the same time. Try to aim a pitch and it ends up right in the middle of the strike zone ready to be launched out of the park...".5