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Baseball Dictionary (B)

A C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Babe Ruth Baseball Founded in 1951, this nonprofit organization supports summer leagues for youngsters age 9-18. backdoor slide An unconventional slide in which the baserunner's body goes past the bag before he touches the bag, normally resorted to when the runner realizes he is in danger of being tagged out. backdoor slider A slider that starts outside but slices in over the outside corner of the plate. Also used to describe a slider thrown by a RHP to a left-handed batter that crosses the plate moving away from the batter. back end The trailing runner in a double steal. backhand Fielding a ball by reaching the glove across the body. back off A pitcher is said to "back a batter off" when he throws inside in an effort to move the batter away from the plate. backstop (1) A screen behind and extending over the home plate area, designed to protect spectators from foul balls. The backstop must be a minimum of 60 feet away from home plate in the majors. First used: Boston Daily Globe, Mar. 27. 1872. (2) A catcher. back up In fielding, to move into a supporting position where one can retrieve a ball if another fielder can't reach it or muffs it. For instance, a pitcher sometimes backs up the third baseman who is about to receive a throw from the outfield, or the ssecond baseman may move over towards the first base line, behind the first baseman, when the latter is about to receive a throw from the catcher. backup A player who fills in for a regular. A substitute. First used: DeWitt's Base Ball Guide, 1869. backup slider A slider thrown over the middle of the plate when the catcher has set up to one side. backward runner A baserunner who, having advanced one or more bases, is forced to return to a previous base. If such a runner has tagged a new base while advancing, he must retouch that base before returning to the original one; e.g., a runner, leaving first base as a ball is hit to the outfield and thinking it will hit the ground, crosses second base and advances beyond third, then realizes that the ball is caught, must return to first, making sure to retag second base on the way. -- Dickson Baseball Dictionary. bad-ball hitter A hitter who chases pitches outside the strike zone. In most cases the end result is not a good one for the batter, although some players became "good" bad-ball hitters, i.e. Hank Aaron and Roberto Clemente. bad bounce When a batted ball bounces in a direction unanticipated by the fielder. Usually caused by an irregularity in the field. Also, bad hop. bad call A ruling by an umpire that is perceived to be incorrect, such as when a strike is called a ball, or when a baserunner reaches base safely but is called out. bad hands Said of a player who is a poor fielder. bag A square canvas sack filled with sand, sawdust or some other material, which is used to mark first, second and third base. First used: Spirit of the Times, 1857. bagger Term used to express the extent of a hit, as in "two bagger" for a double, or "three bagger" for a triple. bail out When a batter steps away from a pitch. This usually occurs when an inside pitch appears to be coming straight at the batter. balk An illegal act or motion by the pitcher that an umpire decides was intended to deceive a baserunner into making a move. When a balk is called the ball is dead and all runners advance one base. Usually the balk move is called when the pitcher steps on the rubber and appears to be about to deliver to the plate, but doesn't, or when the pitcher fails to come to a stop after the stretch. There are fourteen specific balk situations in the rules. First used: Knickerbocker Rules, 1845. ball A pitch judged to be outside the strike zone by the umpire, and which is not swung at by the batter. First used: Knickerbocker Rules, 1845. ball boy A young man assigned the task of retrieving foul balls. Also, ball girl. ball club (1) A baseball team. (2) An organization which supports a baseball team. ball hawk (1) A very fast, skilled outfielder, such as Ducky Medwick and Willie Mays. (2) A person who collects balls hit out of the park or into the stands as souvenirs. ballpark An enclosed baseball field that includes areas for spectators. A stadium. First used: Baseball Magazine, June, 1908. The first such enclosed playing area was Union Grounds in Brooklyn, NY, which opened on May 15, 1862. The enclosure was invented and designed by William Cammeyer -- Dickson Baseball Dictionary. ballplayer (1) A professional baseball player. (2) Anyone who plays baseball. First used: 1862, correspondence of the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club. balls and strikes The count on a batter. Baltimore chop A batted ball that hits the ground close to home plate and bounces high in the air, giving the batter time to reach first base. First used: 1910, Baseball Magazine, April. Despite the fact that the term did not begin to show up in print for several decades, it got its name, by all accounts, in the 1890s when the tactic was perfected by Wee Willie Keeler of the old Baltimore Orioles. Two other Baltimore batsmen (John McGraw and Wilbert Robertson) also used it as a method to get on base. Evidence suggests that at the Orioles' field, the dirt near home plate was purposely hardened to make the ball bounce higher -- Dickson Baseball Dictionary. banana (1) A good player. (2) A throw in which the baseball curves too much and misses its mark. bandbox A small ballpark where home runs are easy to hit. e.g., Baker Bowl in Philadelphia in the early 1930s and Ebbets Field in Brooklyn in the 1950s. Today the term is most likely to attach itself to Fenway Park ... in Boston and Wrigley Field in Chicago. Among the newer ballparks, the term has been applied to Oriole Park at Camden Yards, The Ballpark in Arlington, and Coors Field. The term is sometimes used to suggest that a batter's numbers are less impressive because of the dimensions of his home field -- Dickson Baseball Dictionary. First used: Sporting Life, Feb. 10, 1906. bang-bang play An attempted tag when the runner and the ball reach the base simultaneously. banjo hitter A batter who cannot hit the long ball. Some banjo hitters, like Bert Campaneris, were nonetheless very effective in getting on base. baptism Using rubbing mud to remove the sheen from a new baseball before it is put into play. Usually performed by the home plate umpire. barber (1) A talkative player. (2) A pitcher who throws close to a batter's head. (3) A pitcher with such pinpoint control that he can "shave" the edge of the strike zone. barn ball A forerunner of baseball that survived after baseball was created. It was a game of two players, a ball, a bat (usually an ax handle or stick), and the side of a barn or other building. One player threw the ball against the barn for the other to hit with the bat. If the batter missed and the pitcher caught it, the batter was out and the pitcher was up. However, if the batter hit the ball he had a chance to score a run if he could touch the barn and return to his batting position before the pitcher could retrieve the ball and hit the batter with it -- Dickson Baseball Dictionary. Baseball Annie A baseball groupie; an unattached woman who follows ballplayers around. baseball arm A sore arm caused by playing baseball. Also, baseball finger, caused by damage to the tendon at the fingertip caused by the repeated impact of a ball. Also, baseball pitcher's elbow, the fracture of bone or cartilage from the head of the radius at the elbow due to strenuous pitching; also, baseball shoulder, caused by the buildup of calcific deposits and fraying of tendons in a player's shoulder. Baseball Assistance Team An organization that raises money for indigent ballplayers. Baseball Chapel Based in Bloomingdale, NJ, this organization of major and minor league players seeks to spread the Christian gospel to other ballplayers throughout North America. Baseball Player of the Year Originally, an annual award presented by Seagram's Distillers and based on fan voting. Since 1988 it's been given by the Associated Press, and is based on the voting of sportswriters and broadcasters. baseball rule A legal construct that protects teams from lawsuits brought by spectators who have been injured by flying bats, baseballs, etc. Baseball Writers Association of America Founded in 1908 and consisting of writers and beat reporters, the association participates in Hall of Fame elections, is consulted on rule changes, and provides official scorers. base coach. The first base- and third base coach, who direct the batter and base runners and relay signs. base hit A single; a batted ball on which the batter advances to first base. base jockey A baserunner who shouts (often disparaging) comments at the opposing pitcher. baseline One of four lines connecting the bases, i.e., the "first base line" between home plate and first base. The first base- and third base lines are marked with chalk; the lines between first and second as well as second and third are usually not marked. base on balls A "walk"; an advance to first base awarded to a batter who has taken four pitches outside the strike zone. Before 1880 a walk consisted of nine balls; between 1880-82 it was eight balls, seven balls between 1882-84, six balls between 1884-86, seven in 1886, and five from 1887-89. First used: Chadwick Scrapbooks, 1858. base open A base not occupied by a baserunner. basepath The six-foot-wide lane connecting the four bases and in which the baserunner must run. He cannot leave the basepath to avoid a tag. First used: Baseball Magazine, Dec. 1910. baserunner A player on the team at bat who occupies a base. First used: DeWitt's Base Ball Guide, 1875. bases loaded When there are runners at first, second and third base. Syn: bases juiced, bases jammed, sacks full, full house. base stealer A runner who advances to the next base without benefit of a hit, an error, a balk, a passed ball, a wild pitch, a base on balls, or a hit batsman. First used: New York Press, Aug. 7, 1892. base umpire An umpire stationed at first, second, or third base. Basic Agreement The overarching labor contract between the owners (Player Relations Committee) and players (Major League Baseball Players Association) that contains virtually all conditions of employment, including pension benefits, minimum salary for major-league players, salary arbitration, rules that govern free agency, and working conditions such as scheduling, discipline, and travel. It was attained as a result of the 1981 baseball players' strike and is renegotiable every three years -- Dickson Baseball Dictionary. basket catch A catch in which the fielder cups glove and bare hand together, belt high, and against or near his body. Not usually recommended by coaches. bat around When all nine batters in the lineup come to the plate in the same inning. bat boy A young man employed by a team to tend to the personal equipment of the players during a game, who retrieves a player's bat from the vicinity of home plate after the batter's at-bat, and who supplies the home plate umpire with baseballs. First used: Baseball Magazine, July, 1909. bat cleanup To bat in the cleanup position -- fourth in the lineup. bat control The expertise in using a bat to execute a specific task, such as hitting into the gap, making contact in a hit-and-run situation, or fouling off pitches. bat a thousand To be perfect at the plate. An average of 1.000 is a practical impossibility after ten or so at-bats. bat speed The velocity of the bat as the batter swings. The conventional wisdom is that a hitter's success is relative to the bat speed he generates, since greater bat speed equals greater velocity of the batted ball. batter's box One of the rectangular (6' x 4') areas located six inches on either side of home plate. "batter up!" Umpire's call to summon a batter into the batter's box so that play can start (or resume). The call is made at the beginning of the game, at the start of each half inning, and after a long time out. battery The team of pitcher and catcher. First used: 1868 (Chadwick Scrapbooks). The term was, apparently, borrowed from the military, more specifically the artillery, since the pitcher "fires" the ball and the catcher, it might be said, acts as the "spotter." But not everyone accepts this theory of the term's origin. batting Attempting to hit a pitched ball. First used: 1861 (Sunday Mercury, Aug. 10). batting average The statistical measure of a hitter's ability, determined by dividing the number of hits made by the number of official at-bats and expressed in thousandths (though sometimes you will see it carried beyond three decimal places). The standard of excellence is .300, and only eight batters have achieved a .400-or-better average since 1900, the most recent being Ted Williams, who hit .406 in 1941. First used: 1880 (Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Aug. 16.) batting cage A framework enclosed on three sides by wire, and usually portable, which is placed behind home plate during batting practice. Or, a totally enclosed (and usually permanent) rectangular area located near the field and used for the same purpose. batting helmet Protective headgear made of shatterproof plastic, which a batter wears while batting and while running the bases. Wearing a helmet has been mandatory in the major leagues since 1971. The 1941 Brooklyn Dodgers were the first to experiment with a batting helmet for the entire team, and the 1953 Pittsburgh Pirates were the first to adopt them permanently, but such protection dates back to at least 1905, when a "pneumatic headprotector" was patented by A.J. Reach Co. batting order The listing of the order in which batters will come to the plate as created by the manager and submitted to the home plate umpire prior to the start of a game. First used: 1901 (Frank Merriwell's Marvel, Burt L. Standish). batting out of turn Occurs when a batter comes to the plate out of his proper place in the batting order. He can be declared out by the umpire on appeal by the other team. batting practice Otherwise known as "BP," this occurs prior to a game so that hitters can work on their swings and adjust to wind, light, etc. First used: 1908 (Baseball Magazine, June). batting stance The stance taken by a batter in the batting box as he prepares for the pitched ball. Different batters have different stances, and sometimes the same batter will have different stances depending on whether he is attempting to hit the ball in a particular direction, or as determined by the situation at the time. batting title The honor accorded to the hitter in each of the major leagues who ends the regular season with the highest batting average. The batter must have 502 official plates appearances to be eligible. (That's 3.1 PA times 162 games.) bat weight Doughnut-shaped ring, either metal or plastic, that is placed on the barrel of a bat to make it heavier than usual, and used by the batter waiting in the on-deck circle to limber up or strengthen his arm and wrists prior to batting. In the "old days" batters swung two (or more) bats around for this purpose. bazooka A device that shoots fly balls and line drives for fielding practice. beanball A pitch thrown intentionally at the head of a batter, either to move him back off the plate or as retaliation for something the batter -- or his team, or a teammate -- has done. If an umpire determines that the offending pitch was intentionally thrown he can eject the pitcher from the game. On August 16, 1920, Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians was killed by a pitch thrown by Carl Mays of the New York Yankees. First used: 1905 (The Athletics of 1905, Charles Dryden). beat a tag What a baserunner has accomplished when he reaches base before a fielded ball is thrown to the baseman. beef A protest, loud and prolonged, on the field, usually aimed at an umpire by a player or a manager. First used: 1908 (New York Evening Journal, May 27). Beer & Whiskey League A nickname for the American Association, which existed from 1882 to 1891, because the AA tolerated alcohol in the ballparks. Also, a number of its most prominent backers and franchise owners had ties to the beverage industry. behind Said of a team that is losing; or of a pitcher, who is said to be "behind" in the count if he has thrown more balls than strikes to a batter; or of the batter if the pitcher has thrown more strikes than balls to him. Being "ahead in the count" would, of course, mean the opposite. belt To hit a ball hard. First used: 1891 (Chicago Herald, Aug. 25). belt high Said of a called strike located at the level of the batter's belt. bench The seating area of the a dugout. First used: 1891 (Chicago Inter-Ocean, May 5). Figuratively speaking, the place where those who are not participating in a game languish. To be "benched" is to be removed from a game (or a lineup) by the manager; First used: 1902 (Sporting Life, July 12). bench clearing When the dugout empties abruptly -- usually because a fight has broken out on the field and the rest of the team feels compelled to participate. bench jockey A player who, from the dugout, verbally abuses the players of the opposing team or the umpires. First used: 1939 (Baseball: The Fans' Game, Gordon S. "Mickey" Cochrane). bench player A player who usually is not in the starting lineup, but who may be called upon to play, perhaps as a pinch-hitter, or as a substitution in the field. bench warmer A substitute player who spends most of his time on the bench. First used: 1889 (Cincinnati Times, Feb. 8). bent-leg slide A technique for sliding in which the runner bends both legs as he nears the base. Sliding with straightened legs sometimes results in serious injury when the baserunner's spikes get caught in the dirt. between the white lines On the field of play. Figuratively, this term refers to the action of the game itself, as opposed to off-the-field activity. B game A game organized during spring training so that second-stringers and players called up from the minors can have more playing time and can be better evaluated. Big Bertha (1) The nickname given to the oversized catcher's mitt designed by Baltimore Orioles manager Paul Richards for use by Gus Triandos when catching for knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm. The mitt, made by Wilson, was 45 inches around. (2) The cleanup hitter. (3) A huge hit. big cut A mighty swing of the bat, as by a batter who is trying to hit one "out of the park". big hit A clutch hit, or a home run. First used: 1922 (Spalding's Official Base Ball Guide). big hop A batted ball that bounces high and is usually easy to play, as the fielder has time to judge its downward trajectory. big inning An inning in which a lot of runs are scored by a team (at least three). Some theorize that teams which regularly have big innings are more likely to be winners, and while this may seem logical there are others who disagree. big league A major league. First used: 1884 (Sporting Life, Oct. 15). It is generally believed that the term originated in reference to the National League of old, which had twelve teams in it, which, at the time, was a lot. Shortened to "the Bigs." Big Red Machine Nickname given the Cincinnati Reds in the mid- and late-1970s, a period during which they won back-to-back World Series (1975, 1976). big stick Synonym for a heavy hitter. First used: 1908 (New York Herald, May 5). bite To swing at a bad pitch. First used: 1905 (Sporting Life, Sept. 2). Black Betsy A very large black bat used by Shoeless Joe Jackson (and other sluggers) and a term said to have been originated by manufacturer A.G. Spalding & Co. Johnson's bat was 36 inches long and weighed 40 ounces. Black Sox A nickname given the 1919 Chicago White Sox team, which included eight players who were accused of conspiring with gamblers to lose the World Series. (Those players were Eddie Cicotte, Happy Felsch, Chick Gandil, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Fred McMullin, Swede Risberg, Buck Weaver and Lefty Williams. blank To allow no runs in an inning, or in a game. First used: 1862 (New York Sunday Mercury, June 29). blast (1) A hard-hit ball, usually a home run. bleachers Originally this term was used to identify the unreserved benches at a ballpark which were usually the most inexpensive, and the most far removed from the diamond, as opposed to the fieldbox or grandstand. bleeder A batted ball that, because of its slow progress or erratic progress , is not fielded in time to throw the baserunner out. First used: 1937 (San Francisco Examiner, March 11). block The defensive action performed by the catcher to prevent a baserunner from reaching home (or any fielder to prevent a baserunner from reaching a base). If it isn't done while in possession of the ball, it's illegal. First used: 1902 (Sporting Life, July 12). "Blocking the plate" refers to this action as performed by a catcher. blocked ball A ball in play which is stopped or handled or in some way interfered with by a person who is not participating in the game, or which touches an object which is not part of the game. This results in a dead ball situation (though that was not the case in 19th century baseball). blooper A ball poorly hit which drops between the behind the infielders but in front of the outfielders for a hit. Also known as a "Texas Leaguer." First used: 1937 (New York Times, Oct. 8). blow (1) To fail in some way, as in to lose a game (especially one that you were winning at some point); (2) What an umpire does when he makes a bad call; (3) A hard-hit ball. blown save A statistic charged to a relief pitcher who enters the game with the lead, and leaves having given up that lead. It was introduced in 1988. blue Synonym of umpire, derived from the color of the umpire's uniform. Blue Book The rules governing Major League Baseball, as distinguished from the official rules of the game itself. bobble To mishandle or drop a batted or thrown ball in such a way that an error results. Originally a "westernism," slang for "mistake." bomb (1) To get numerous hits or runs against a team (or pitcher), or to defeat the other team in decisive fashion. First used: 1905 (Sporting Life, Sept. 2). (2) A synonym for "home run." bomber A home run hitter. The Bronx Bombers were a collection of such hitters.