There must have come a time when you were watching a baseball game and heard some terms that you just didn’t understand. You’ll be surprised to know that people who have been watching baseball for years are also not familiar with some terms of this sport. But you don’t have to worry anymore as we’ve put together of list of commonly used baseball terms and abbreviations, which will help you understand the game better.
A Glossary Of Baseball Terms
Below is a list of some of the most commonly used terms in baseball.
- 1-2-3 Inning: It’s an inning in which the pitcher can face only three batters, with none of them successfully reaching the base. This is also called “three up, three down” inning.
- Ace: Ace is usually the best starting pitcher on the team. He is usually the first one of the pitching rotation.
- Ahead In The Count: This term means whether r the pitcher or batter has the advantage in an at-bat.
- Around The Horn: Around the horn is the act of infielders throwing the ball to each after they have recorded an out. But there’s one condition. There should be no runners on the base.
- Backstop: Backstop is the fence or wall behind the home plate that protects the spectators from foul balls or wild pitches.
- Backwards K: K in Backwards means strikeout. So when a batter strikes out while looking at the strikeout pitch and fails to swing, it is called backwards K.
- Bad Hop: The term bad hop is used when the ball bounces in from a fielder in an unexpected way. It is often a result of spin on the ball or imperfection in the field.
- Balk: The term balk is used when someone performs a pitching motion, which is against the baseball rules. This results in the runners on-field advancing one base.
- Barrel It Up: It’s the action of hitting the pitch hard using the sweet spot of the baseball bat.
- Base Hit: It’s the action when a fair ball is hit in such a way that the batter can advance to a base safely without the help of an error committed by the fielding team.
- Bat Around: A baseball term used when each player in the lineup makes a plate appearance during a single inning.
- Bat Flip: Bat flip is the action a batter does to show off to the spectator after hitting a home run. Batters flip or throw their bat up in the air often in celebration, but sometimes also to taunt the opposing team or pitcher.
- Batter’s Box: Batter’s box is the rectangle on either side of the home plate, in which the batter should stand for fair play to resume.
- Batter’s Eye: Batter’s Eye, as the name suggests, is a dark area beyond the center-field wall of the stadium. It is the visual backdrop which should be directly in sight of the batter while awaiting a pitch or facing the pitcher.
- Beaned: Beaning is when a pitcher throws a pitch to hit or hurt the batter intentionally.
- Blister: This is pretty self-explanatory. Blister means when a ball is hurt pretty hard by the batter, leaving it blistered.
- Blown Save: Blown Save is when a relief pitcher (who enters the game to save the situation) allows the tying run to score.
- Bonus Baseball: Bonus Baseball is used the time when a game goes past 9 innings of the play. It is also called “free baseball”.
- Bottom of the Inning: The means the ‘last half’ or second half of an inning, during which the home team bats. It is derived from its position in the line score.
- Breaking Ball: A pitch which is thrown downward or sideways, usually with movement. Often, there are different variations of breaking balls.
- Brush Back: This baseball term means when the ball pitched comes close to the batter, but he escapes it narrowly from getting hurt.
- Bunt: Bunt is the movement when a batter lightly taps the ball with the bat, instead of taking a full swing. A batter also does this to advance the other base runner.
- Caught Looking: This term is used when the third strike is called on the batter, even when the batter doesn’t make an attempt to swing at the ball.
- Changeup: Changeup is a slow pitch meant to look much faster. Just like breaking ball, even changeup has different variants.
- Checked Swing: A baseball term used to describe when a batter checks a swing by stopping it even before the bat crosses the front of home plate.
- Circus Catch: Circus Catch is basically a tough catch in which the outfielder jumps, dives or skids to catch the ball.
- Closer: Closer is the relief pitcher or a closing pitcher who consistently used to finish or close the game by getting the final outs.
- Curveball: Curveball is used to describe the pitch that breaks or rather curves from a straight flight path towards home plate.
- Double Play: Double play is a defensive baseball play, which results in two outs.
- Double: Double is when the batter hits the ball in the fair play safely and gets to second base.
- Error: Error is a fielding mistake by the defense, which allows the base runner to advance or reach base.
- Extra Innings: Extra innings or additional innings is required to determine the winner if a game is tied even after the regulation number of innings are played.
- Fastball: Fastball, as the name implies, is a pitch that is thrown very fast. There are different variations of fastballs.
- Find A Gap: This baseball term means getting a base shot by hitting the ball right in the gap between the outfielders. It’s also called ‘gap shot’.
- Fly Ball: Fly ball term is used when the baseball is hit high into the air. It’s also known as ‘pop fly’.
- Foul Ball: This baseball term is used when the ball is hit outside the field of fair play.
- Full Count: Foul count is the count of 2 strikes and 3 balls. In this case, another ball will result in a walk and another strike will lead to a strikeout.
- Fungo Bat: Fungo bag is a lightweight, skinny and long bat primarily used by the coaches to help players hit ground balls or fly balls.
- Going Yard: In baseball, going yard means hitting home runs.
- Golden Sombrero: Golden sombrero term is used when a player strikes out four times in one game.
- Golfing: As weird as it may sound, but golfing is also a baseball term. It’s used when the player swings the bat at a very low pitch, maybe one in the dirt.
- Ground Ball: Ground ball or grounder means baseball hitting on the ground.
- Hard 90: Hard 90 in baseball means running hard to first base out of the batter’s box, the ideal distance between each base being 90 feet.
- Hit And Run: Hit and run is the play where the base runner has to begin running as soon as the pitch is released. The batter has to hit the baseball into play or just swing the bat to obstruct the vision of the catch, preventing the runner from getting thrown out.
- Homerun: A homerun is scored when the batter hits the ball over the fence, which circles the bases and reaches home safely without any error committed by the defensive team.
- Infield Fly Rule: This baseball rule prevents the defending side or fielding side from dropping an easy catch purposely when the runners are still at the base.
- Infield: This baseball term refers to the area of the field inside the base paths and bases.
- Intentional Walk: This baseball term is used when a batter is forced to advance to the first base, by the bowler intentionally pitching four times.
- Line Drive: Line drive is a hit which drives the ball straight to the fielder.
- Live On The Corner: A pitcher is described as living on the corners when he makes pitches consistently on the inside or outside corners of home plate.
- Mendoza Line: Mendoza line is named after Mario Mendoza, a legendary shortstop. This baseball term indicates batting at an average of over 200.
- No-Hitter: This baseball term refers to a game that does not get any hit, which is a bit rare, especially at a league level match.
- Outfielder: An outfielder is a player who is position either on the center field, left field or right field.
- Passed Ball: A Passed ball is the ball, which moves away from the catcher and gives runners a chance to advance to the next base.
- Perfect Game: A baseball game is considered perfect when the pitcher successfully prevents every batter from moving to the next base.
- Pitch Out: Pitch out refers to the pitch that cannot be hit by the batter. It is usually used to catch a base stealer or walk a batter.
- Pull Hitter: Pull hitter is a baseball term used to define a hitter that drives the ball towards the batting side of the field.
- Rake: Rake is a baseball word which describes a player that hits to all parts of the field, and that too, well!
- Run Batter In: Run Batter In or RBI is type of credit which is scored for helping the teammates score points while they are up for batting.
- Sacrifice Bunt: This term is used to describe a moment when the ball is thrown very carefully by the pitcher to put out the batsman by forcing a base runner to advance.
- Save: Save is credited when three or more innings are played without a tie game or if a team leads when while the opponent is winning or even tying runs on base.
- Set-Up Pitcher: A set-up pitcher is a relief pitcher that is used just before the closer.
- Southpaw: This baseball term is used to describe a left-hand pitcher.
- Strike Out: Strike out is throwing of three strikes in one plate appearance, which normally retires the batter. This counts one as out. But it is possible to strike out and yet reach the base.
- Strike Zone: Strike zone is the area where the strikes are called. They are usually above the home plate, but can also be below the middle of torso or above the batter’s knee.
- Strike: Strike is a baseball term used to describe the moment when the batter swings at a pitch, but unfortunately, fails to hit it.
- Sweet Spot: Sweet spot is the point on the bat’s barrel that is ideal for the batter to hit a ball on. Hitting through the sweet spot produces the best hit possible.
- Tater: Tater also happens to be another word for home run.
- Triple: Triple is a baseball term used to describe the situation when the player hits the ball in fair play and proceeds to the third base.
- Upper Decker: Upper decker is the run that lands on the upper deck of the stadium. It’s also called ‘an upper-deck home run’.
- Utility Player: Utility player is the players who is capable of playing in several different positions. These players are also known as ‘versatile player”.
- Web Gem: Technically, web gem is the webbing of a fielder’s glove, but this baseball term is used when the player plays defensive in an amazing way.
- Wheelhouse: The power zone of a hitter is called their ‘wheelhouse’. It’s the place where the hitter prefers the ball to be thrown when he is on the strike.
- Yak: Yak isn’t just an animal, but also another term for a home run.
- Yips: Yips is used when the player, for some reason, or the other, cannot field or hit as he used to. It typically happens due to overthinking.
After reading this article, we’re sure you will be talking about the sport with the best ones you know. What more? They will even help you become a crossword pro. And if there are some baseball terms that we have not added to the list, let us know by commenting below.