“What Did He Say?” – A Texas Rangers Fan’s Quick Guide to Baseball Jargon

D

double play

: A defensive play in which two players are put out as a result of continuous action, providing that no error is committed between putouts. Both outs must occur between the time the ball leaves the pitcher’s hand and the point at which it is returned to him on the pitcher’s mound. *There are many combinations of players that make the double play; however, the most common are the shortstop to the second baseman and second baseman to first baseman*

E

E: Common box score and scorecard abbrev. for error. In the ballpark, “E” takes on special meaning as it is flashed on the scoreboard when the official scorer decides that a player has committed an error. Ex. E6 is an error on the shortstop, E4 is an error on the second baseman

F

fielding: 1. The defensive act of catching, stopping, controlling, and throwing batted and thrown balls.

G

go yard: To hit a ball over the fence; e.g., hitting a home run is “going yard.”

goes yard:

ground ball (grounder): A batted ball that hits the ground as it comes off the bat and then rolls or bounces along the ground. (A grounder is a ground ball that is handled easily, like a soft ground ball)