A light-hitting batter who hits a lot of flair hits and seldom makes solid contact.
Bases Loaded (Juiced): When there are runners on first, second, and third base.
Basket Catch: An over the back catch made with the mitt held at mid-body.
Bat Around: When the first batter of an inning makes has another plate appearance in the same inning.
Battery: Term used to describe the pitcher and the catcher.
BB: Abbreviation for a walk or base on balls.
Beanball: A pitch designed to hit the batter.
Behind: A player’s position in the count. A pitcher who has thrown 3 balls and 0 strikes is behind in the count.
Blown Save: When a relief pitcher fails to close the game and allows the opposing team to take the lead.
Break: The All-Star break in mid-season.
Brushback: A high-and-tight pitch designed to get the batter from crowding the plate.
Bullpen: The collective group of relief pitchers.
Bunt: A deliberately lightly hit ball usually intended to move base runners.
Cactus League: Spring training that takes place in Arizona.
Called Up: When a player is promoted to the major leagues from the minor leagues.
Caught Looking: When a batter is struck out without swinging at the third strike.
Caught Napping: An inattentive base runner who is picked off.
Change-Up: A pitch thrown at a deliberately slower speed.
Chase: When a batter attempts to hit a pitch outside the strike zone.
Cheap Run: When a team scores a run without doing much hitting.
Cheese: A fastball.
Chin Music: A pitch that is thrown at a batter’s head who might be too inside on the plate.
Chopper: A ground ball that is hit hard on the dirt and takes a high hop.
Choke Up: When a batter grips the bat higher in an effort to increase his bat control.
Clean Up Hitter: The best power-hitter on the team, who can clean up base runners with his powerful hitting.
Closer: A relief pitcher who closes out games.
Comebacker: A ball hit back to the pitcher.
Contact Hitter: A hitter without much power, but who consistently puts the ball in play.
Count: How many balls and strikes there are, as in “The count is one ball and two strikes.”
Cut Off Man: A fielder who takes incoming throws from an outfielder following a hit.
Cycle: Refers to all the different hits–a single, double, triple, and home run.
Dead Arm: A normally-effective pitcher who has grown weary and whose pitches are less effective.
Deuces Wild: When the number two is prevalent in the game. For example, “The score is 2-2 in the 2nd inning and the count is 2 balls and 2 strikes.
DL: Abbreviation for the disabled list.
Double Play: When a batter hits the ball, resulting in the defense getting 2 outs on the play.
Double Steal: When two players on base both steal a base at the same time.
Down: To be behind, in the score or the count.
Dying Quail: A weakly hit fly that lands in between the infield and the outfield.
Earned Run: When a pitcher is responsible for the opposing team scoring a run.
Earned Run Average: How many earned runs a pitcher allows every 9 innings. For a more complete definition, check out our article on how to calculate ERA.
Extra Bases: A hit that is anything other than a single.
Extra Innings: When the game is tied after 9 innings, the game goes to extra innings.
Fall Classic: Term used to describe the World Series.
Farm Team: Term used to describe a minor league baseball team.
Fielder’s Choice: When a batter gets on base, but only because the fielder decided to throw out a different runner.
Five Tool Player: A baseball player who can do everything well–throw, run, field, and hot for average and power.
Force Play: When a fielder just has to step on the base for the baserunner to be out because a runner is on the previous base.
Forty-Forty Club: Fraternity of a small handful of players who have hit 40 home runs and stolen 40 bases in the same season.
Foul Tip: A ball that the batter hits which goes directly into the catcher’s glove.
Frame: Another word for an inning.
Free Pass: An intentional walk.
Frozen Rope: A solidly-hit line drive.
Gap: The spots between the outfielders.
Gas: Term used for a high-velocity fastball.
Gem: A great performance by a starting pitcher.
Go Deep: Term used for hitting a home run.
Go The Route: A starting pitcher who throws a complete game.
Go Yard: Another way to describe hitting a home run.
Grand Slam: A home run that is hot with the bases loaded resulting in 4 runs.
Grapefruit League: Spring training that takes place in the state of Florida.
Green Light: When a hitter is given the OK to swing at a pitch.
Ground Rule Double: When a hit ball takes one bounce and lands outside the field of play.
Hang: A pitch that does not break as intended, as in a “hanging curveball.”
Hardball: Another word for baseball.
HBP: Abbreviation for Hit by Pitch.
Heat: Fastballs thrown with high velocity.
High Cheese: A highly-thrown fastball.
Hit and Run: A play where the base runners are sent running as the pitch is en route to the hitter who will swing at the pitch.
Hold The Runner: When a pitcher throws the ball to a base to keep a base runner from taking too far of a lead.
Hometown Cooking: When a home player receives favorable scorekeeping, like getting credit for a hit that seemed to be an error.
Hook: When the manager changes pitchers, the pitcher being relieved gets the “hook.”
Human Rain Delay: A player, usually a batter, who takes an inordinate amount of time to get ready.
Inside-the-Park Home Run: When a player hits a home run with the ball that remains in the field of play.
Intentional Walk: When a pitcher deliberately allows a batter to take first base.
Juiced: Could refer to when the bases or loaded or a player who takes or took performance enhancing drugs.
Junk: Pitches that are tricky and have a lot of movement, though are not thrown with much velocity.
Knock: Another word for a hit.
Knuckleball: A ball thrown with little or no rotation.
Left on Base (LOB): Base runners who do not score are LOB.
Leg Out: When a batter or base runner runs hard to get on first or advance to a base.
Long Reliever: A relief pitcher who comes in earlier in the game and pitches for a few or several innings.
Long Out: A well-hit ball that looks threatening, but ends up being caught for an out.
Lumber: Another word for bat.
Magic Number: A formula that illustrates how close a particular team is to winning the division and going to the playoffs.
Mendoza Line: Named after former light-hitting MLB player Mario Mendoza. The Mendoza line is an average of .200.
Middle Relief: Relievers who bridge the gap between the starting pitcher and the closer.
Mix Up Pitches: A pitcher who uses an unpredictable variety of different pitches.
Nibble: When a pitcher works the far edges of the strike zone, on the edges of the plate.
No-No: Term used to describe a no-hitter pitching performance.
Official Game: When a game is officially completed, after 5 innings, in the event of bad weather.
Offspeed Pitch: A pitch thrown deliberately slower in order to fool the hitter.
On His Horse: Term used to describe an outfielder who is in full-flight in effort to catch a ball.
On the Ropes: Used to describe a pitcher who is a difficult situation and on the verge of losing the game or getting the hook.
One-Two-Three Inning: When a pitcher faces three hitters and registers three consecutive outs.
Out Pitch: The particular pitch a pitcher depends on to register an out.
Paint: When a pitcher works the edges, he will “paint the corner.”
Payoff Pitch: A pitch thrown with a full-count. The deciding pitch, where only a foul ball will continue the action.
Pennant: A league championship.
Pennant Race: The competition at the end of the season to determine who will eventually be the league representative in the World Series.
Pepper: Quick exercise where one batter hits balls to a group of infielders standing close by.
Phantom Tag: When a baserunner is called out on a tag that actually never touched the runner.
Pine Tar: Substance used to give the batter an enhanced grip on the bat.
Pitcher of Record: The pitcher in a game who will be credited with the win or loss.
Pitchout: A pitch deliberately thrown well outside with the intention of having a clear path to throw out a baserunner.
Platoon: When a position on the team is played by two players who share playing time.
Plunked: Term used to describe when a pitcher hits a batter with a pitch.
Position Player: Anyone on the team who isn’t a pitcher.
Punch and Judy Hitter: A hitter who does not hit the ball solidly. A hitter with no power.
Punch Out: Term used to describe a strikeout.
Quality Start: When a starting pitcher manages to last 6 full innings while allowing 3 or fewer earned runs.
Relay: When an infielder takes a throw from an outfielder in an effort to throw out a base runner.
Rhubarb: Term used to describe a baseball brawl.
Rope: A solidly-hit line drive.
Rubber: White rubber plate that the pitcher pushes off of when pitching.
Sacrifice: When a batter is called out, but manages to move base to the next base.
Scoring Position: Term used to describe a base runner who is either on second or third base.
Sent Down: A major league player who is sent down to the minor leagues.
Short Porch: Term used to describe a field where it’s easier to hit home runs due to a part of the field that is shorter to home plate than what is considered normal.
Side Retired: Term used to describe when a team gets three outs and takes the field.
Slap Hitter: A batter who might hit for a high average, but has very little power.
Slugger: A power hitter.
Solo Home Run: A home run hot with no men on base.
Spray Hitter: A batter who is prone to hit the ball in any direction.
Stanza: Another word for an inning.
Starter: The starting pitcher.
Strand: To leave men on base without them scoring runs.
Strike Out the Side: A pitcher who registers three outs in an inning–all by strikeout.
Stuff: A pitcher’s overall quality to his pitches, as in “he has good stuff.”
Suicide Squeeze: When a batter attempts to bunt the ball so a base runner on third base can score.
Swing Away: When a batter is given the green light to take full swings, as opposed to bunting when men are on base.
Take a Pitch: When a batter decided before a pitch is even thrown to not swing at it.
Take Something Off: When a pitcher deliberately throws a pitch with less velocity.
Take Out Slide: When a base runner slides in an effort to disturb an infielder and aversely affect the fielder’s follow-up action, like turning a double play.
Texas Leaguer: A flair hit that lands in front of outfielders and just outside the reach of infielders.
Thirty-Thirty Club: A fraternity of players who have hit 30 home runs and stolen 30 bases in the same year.
Three-Bagger: Term used to describe a triple.
Top of the Order: The top of the lineup.
Turn Two: To execute a double play.
Two Bagger: Term used to describe a double.
Uecker Seats: Poor-quality seats.
Upper Decker: A home hun hit onto the top level of a stadium.
Utility Player: A player who can play different positions.
Walk-Off: When a hit ends the game.
Warning Track Power: Term used to describe a player whose lack of power only allows him to hit balls to the warning track.
Whiff: A swing and a miss leading to a strikeout.
WHIP: Walks + hits divided by innings pitched. A statistic used to gauge a pitcher’s performance. For a more complete explanation of this term, check out Loot’s article on what is baseball WHIP?.
Work the Count: A batter who is patient, trying to get the pitcher behind in the count to get a good pitch to hit.
Zone: The strike zone.
