“What Did He Say?” – A Texas Rangers Fan’s Quick Guide to Baseball Jargon
Apr 6, 2013; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers president
Nolan Ryantalks with fans during the game against the Los Angeles Angels at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The Angels won 8-4. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports
You love baseball. You love watching baseball. You love everything about it, the history, the friendly rivalries, the statistics, and the obscure facts that someone else might not know and you love baseball lingo/jargon. You’re pretty confident in your knowledge of all these things until the dreaded part-time baseball friend of yours comes over and watches a game with you. Why? Because of the commentators and the colorful commentary they use to describe the game and your friend looks at you and says “What did he say?”
Look, we’ve all been there. Heck, I’m there just about every single game due to the fact that my loved ones have never paid attention to a single baseball game until me and now I have to try to explain to them what Steve Busby and Tom Grieve are talking about during Texas Rangers games. I know my baseball terminology, but when I explain one thing, the family comes up with about another dozen questions or so. Then my brain gets all jumbled because I get frustrated that they don’t understand the SIMPLE explanation and not-to-mention I am missing the game!
So, during the last couple of games I jotted down a few of these terms, along with other things happening during a game, that I have been asked about, as well as a few others. Hopefully, you’ll find this list helpful the next time you have some part-time baseball fans over to watch the Texas Rangers and Buzz says
With runners at the corners, the pitcher, behind in the count working from the stretch throws a cutter to Beltre. Adrian Beltre chopped it up the middle for a double. Elvis Andrus scores giving Beltre his third RBI of the game”
you can show this them this handy list of terms and keep watching the game.
*Note: All definitions are from “The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, Third Edition”*
A
alley (up the alley): One of the two areas between the out-fielders in left-center field and in right-center field.
around the horn: adj. Describing a force double play in which a ground ball is fielded by the third baseman who throws to the second baseman who then throws to the first baseman.
B
base hit
: 1. A batted ball on which the batter advances safely to, but no further than, first base; a single. 2. A batted ball that permits the batter to get on any base safely with no error being made and no base-runner being forced out on the play. *See single, double, triple*
Base Hit by Elvis Andrus:
behind the count: 1. Said of a pitcher when there are more balls than strikes on the batter. 2. Said of a batter with more strikes than balls.
broadway: The middle of the plate.
bush: 1. adj. Unprofessional, unsportsmanlike, amateurish, unseasoned. 2. n. Exile; a low rung of the minor leagues as the end of a baseball career.
bush-league: adj. Syn. of bush, EXTENDED USE: Having to do with mediocrity or inferiority. “That was so bush-league.”
C
chop: 1. v. To swing directly down toward the ground as the bat advances forward, a move that often results in a grounder. 2. n. The motion of swinging down on the ball.
chopper: A batted ball hit with a chopped stroke. Also used with High Chopper: A batted ball that bounced high.
corners: First base or third base.
Colby Lewis gets the out stranding runners on the corners:
crooked number: Any number greater than 1 and less than 10, in reference to the lack of straight lines for numerals 2 through 9. A high-scoring game is one with crooked numbers. A 1-0 game is one in which neither team was able to post a crooked number.
curve: 1. v. To pitch a curveball 2. n. The course of a curveball.
curveball: A pitch that is thrown with a forceful, downward spin and snap of the wrist, causing it to drop or break and veer to the side as it nears home plate.
cutter (Cut Fastball): A “tame” variation of the slider, thrown with one’s top two fingers held slightly off to the side and the wrist given a flick (as if one were cutting cheese) instead of a complete turn.
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.”
Alex Riosgoes 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)
H
hopper: 1. A Batted ball that bounces on the ground, often modified as a “high hopper,” “lazy hopper,” “two-hopper,” etc. 2. A fastball that has a hop on it.
K
kitchen: The area of a batter’s torso inside or at the edge of the high and inside portion of the strike zone. A fastball coming into this area – “pitchin’ in the kitchen,” “getting in his kitchen.”
L
long ball
: 1. A home run. 2. A Batted ball that travels a considerable distance, usually deep into the outfield; a ball that will require an extraordinary catch or result in an extra-base hit.
Shin-Soo Choohits a long ball to OF
Grady Sizemorefor extra bases:
loop: 1. v. To bat a ball in a short but fairly high arc. 2. n. A poorly hit pop fly.
looper: A fly ball that carries just beyond the infield for a hit
R
rake: v. To get base hits by hitting the ball well; to get many hits, esp. off a given pitcher.
rally cap
: A baseball cap that has been turned inside out, put on backwards, or otherwise oddly displayed by the players on the bench and/or in the bullpen to invoke a rally. The superstitious notion began with the Texas Rangers in 1977-1979. *I haven’t seen too many players nowadays use the rally cap, I think it is primarily used by fans*
Fans believe in the Rally Cap so much that the Texas Rangers used it in a promo video:
RBI
: Run(s) Batted In
Kevin Kouzmanoffgets an RBI Single:
rubber
: The rectangular slab of whitened rubber, 24 inches long and 6 inches wide, set into and atop the pitcher’s mound so that the distance from the front edge of the rubber to the back point of plate is 60 feet, 6 inches.
This clip has a
BUNCH
of terms I’ve covered: Shin-Soo Choo hits a
grounder
into right field for a
double
, bringing home
Robinson Chirinosfor an
RBI
,
standing
(and somewhere I know Busby says ‘
rubber
‘)
S
single; double; triple: Base hit on which the batter reaches first base safely; second base; third base respectively.
stand-up double: A double in which the batter is able to reach second base without sliding.
stand-up triple: A triple in which the batter is able to reach third base without sliding.
T
two-bagger: Syn. of a double
U
up the middle: Around and over second base. A ball that is hit straight up the center of the infield toward center field is to be “up the middle.”
W
whiff: 1. v. To swing at a pitch without touching the ball. 2. v. For a pitcher to strike out a batter. 3. v. For a batter to strike out
Here is a sample of some batters getting a WHIFF of Yu Darvish‘s pitches enjoy:
windup: n. The preliminary movements of the pitcher’s arm prior to pitching the ball. It involves taking a step back from the rubber, raising one’s hands together over one’s head, and then stepping forward to deliver the ball.
As you can see there are many terms us baseball folks use and these are just SOME of the more common used terms. There are many terms that have more than one meaning and even more that are cross referenced, so it is justifiable that some might not understand what exactly is said during a ballgame. Personally, I love to hear all the different ways one play can be called, even though it can get the loved ones frustrated and ask more questions. However, I keep in mind the fact that the more questions they ask and the more I answer, they are understanding and falling in love with the game. How can I really get mad about that?
How about you? What’s your favorite baseball lingo to use?
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