User:Akaibu/Sandbox

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baseball senses not covered in mainspace

A-Ball or "Single-A"

"Single-A" is the lowest grouping of modern affiliated minor league baseball, with sub-categories of "High-A," "Low-A," and "Short-Season A." The Midwest League, California League, Florida State League, and the Carolina League are categorized as "Single-A".

air mail

Slang for a fielder's errant throw that sails high over the player to whom he intended to throw it. For example, if the third baseman were to throw the ball over the first baseman's head and into the stands, he is said to have "air mailed" the throw.

advance a runner

To move a runner ahead safely to another base, often the conscious strategy of a team that plays small ball. Even if a batter makes an out, he may be regarded as having a less negative outcome to his plate appearance if he advances a runner into scoring position or from second to third, thereby increasing the chances of that runner scoring a run later in that inning compared to those chances had that runner not advanced while that out is made. In certain situations, batters deliberately bunt for an out and thereby sacrifice themselves in order to advance a runner to second or third base.

appeal play

A play in which the defense has an opportunity to gain a favorable ruling from an umpire by addressing a mistake by the offense or seeking the input of another umpire. Some notable examples:

1. Since baserunners must touch all bases in order when advancing or in reverse order when retreating (tagging up), the defense may appeal if it appears a runner missed a base and continued on to the next one. This appeal must be done during a live ball; typically, the pitcher will step off the rubber and throw the ball to a teammate, who will then touch the appropriate base. If the umpire saw the runner miss the base, he will rule that runner out. Any errors made during this time will be considered "in play" and runners can advance. The defense making a play or attempting to make a play that is not initiated by the offense will remove the possibility of an appeal. For example: During a play with a runner on 2nd base, the batter hits the ball and the runner from 2nd runs home but misses 3rd. The batter is now on 1st base. If the runner tries to run after play has stopped (but not during a "dead ball") and the defense attempts to get him out, they can still appeal. If, however, the runner on 1st is only a few feet off of first, not attempting to advance and the offence attempts to put him out, this is considered a play and the option for appealing the runner at 3rd will no longer be available.

2. Because runners may not advance on a fly ball until it is caught, an appeal may be made in the same manner as above if a runner leaves his base too early or fails to return to it.

3. If a player bats out of order, the opposing team may bring it to the attention of an umpire. The offending batter is called out.

4. If a batter "checks" (stops) his swing at a pitch which is called a ball by the home plate umpire, the defense may appeal to either the first base umpire (for a right-handed batter) or the third base umpire (for a left-handed batter). If the umpire feels that the bat crossed the plate despite the batter's efforts to stop, the pitch is ruled a strike.

Appeals involve the defense literally making an appeal to an umpire. At no time before the appeal do umpires announce that, for example, a runner failed to touch a base.

around the horn

The infielders' practice of throwing the ball to each other after recording an out (provided that there are no runners on base). The purpose is as much traditional as anything else, but it serves to keep the infielders' throwing arms warm. Typically, if an out is made at first base, the first baseman will throw to the second baseman, who throws to the shortstop, who throws to the third baseman, who returns the ball to the pitcher. Patterns vary from team to team, but the third baseman is usually the last infielder to receive a throw, regardless of the pattern.

An additional application of this term is for a 5-4-3 double play, which mimics the pattern of throwing around the horn.

aspirin tablet

Slang for a fastball that is especially hard to hit due to its velocity and/or movement. See also "pill".

ate him up

Slang expression of the action of a batted ball that is difficult for a fielder to handle.

attack the strike zone (SOP?)

Slang for pitching aggressively by throwing strikes, not by trying to trick hitters into swinging at pitches out of the strike zone or trying to nibble at the corners of the plate. Equivalent phrases are pound the strike zone and challenge the hitters.

backdoor breaking ball (SOP?)

A breaking pitch, usually a slider or cut fastball that, due to its lateral motion, passes through a small part of the strike zone away from the hitter after appearing it would miss the plate entirely.

ball in play

In sabermetrics, "ball in play" and "batting average on balls in play" (BABIP) have specific technical definitions that are used to determine pitchers' ability independently of the fielding defense of a team. In this definition, a home run is not a ball in play. See Defense Independent Pitching Statistics. Also see in play.

bang

• A baseball player's term for cancelling a game because of bad weather: "I thought we were gonna get banged but we got in 5 innings."
• To hit the ball hard, especially to hit a homer. "Utley banged the game-tying home run."
• Players who are banged up are injured, though may continue to play. Example: "Banged up Braves ready for playoff rematch with Astros."
• A bang-up game is an exciting or close game. Example from a sports headline: "A Real Bang-Up Finish."
• A bang bang play is one in which the runner is barely thrown out, a very close call, typically at first base. Perhaps reflecting the "bang" of the ball in the first-baseman's glove followed immediately by the "bang" of the baserunner's foot hitting the bag.

base knock

A single. Also see knocks.

bases loaded (SOP?)

Runners on first, second, and third base. Also known as "bases full," "bases packed," or "bases jammed."

basement (covered by sports tag)

Last place, bottom of the standings. Also cellar.

bat (partly covered by sports tag)

• A baseball bat is a smooth contoured round wooden or metal rod used to hit the ball thrown by the pitcher. A bat's diameter is larger at one end (the barrel-end) than at the other (the handle). The bottom end of the handle is the knob. A batter generally tries to strike the ball in the sweet spot near the middle of the barrel-end of the bat, sometimes referred to as the fat part of the bat or the meat end of the bat.
• The player who uses it to strike the ball — a batter, hitter, or batsman — can be said to bat the ball.

batter's eye

A solid-colored, usually dark area beyond the center field wall that is the visual backdrop for the batter looking out at the pitcher. It allows the batter to see the pitched ball against a dark and uncluttered background, as much for the batter's safety as anything. The use of a batter's background has been standard in baseball (as well as cricket) since at least the late 1800s.

One example of a batter's background is the black area in center field of Yankee Stadium. At one time, there were seats where the black area is now, but because of distractions the seats were removed and the area painted black.

batting 1000, batting a thousand

Getting everything in a series of items right. In baseball, someone with a batting average of one thousand (written as 1.000) has had a hit for every at bat in the relevant time period (e.g. in a game). AHDI dates its non-baseball usage to the 1920s. May also be used ironically when someone is getting everything wrong.

"But Boston Scientific also needs to hope that a rare event does not become magnified, he said. 'It has to be pretty much batting a thousand for a time,' he said." =====Reed Abelson,

batting practice

The period, often before a game, when players warm up or practice their hitting technique. Sometimes the term is used to describe a period within a game when one team's hitters have so totally dominated a given pitcher that the game resembles a batting practice session. Referred to colloquially as well as abbreviated as BP.

bazooka

A strong throwing arm. A gun, a cannon, a rifle.

bench (covered by sport tag?)

• "The bench" is where the players sit in the dugout when they are not at bat, in the on-deck circle, or in the field.
• "The bench" may also refer to the players who are not in the line-up but are still eligible to enter the game (i.e., they aren't currently in the lineup or removed from it during this game). "LaRussa's bench is depleted because of all the pinch hitting and pinch running duties it's been called on to perform tonight."

big bender

A curveball.

big inning

The opposite mentality of small ball, if a team is thinking "big inning" they are focusing on scoring runs strictly through base hits and home runs, as opposed to bunts or other sacrifices. More generically, a "big inning" is an inning in which the offense scores a large number of runs, usually four or more.

big leagues (covered by sport tag?)

Used as a noun ("You're in the big leagues now") or an adjective ("big-league lawyer"). Literally, Major League Baseball, first use dating back to 1899. The non-baseball idiomatic usage appears in 1947. Contrast bush league, below.

"For a listener who last heard the New Haven Symphony in the mid-60's, in a game but scrappy performance of Britten's 'War Requiem,' its concert on Friday evening was a happy surprise. Under its music director, Michael Palmer, it sounded for the most part like a big-league band, at home in a big-league setting." --James Oestreich,

bleacher seats

Bleacher seats (in short, bleachers) are uncovered seats that are typically tiered benches or other inexpensive seats located in the outfield or in any area past the main grandstand. The term comes from the assumption that the benches are sun-bleached. "Bleachers" is short for the term originally used, "bleaching boards". Fans in the bleacher seats are sometimes called bleacher bums.

blow

• To blow a game is to lose it after having the lead. "We had the game in hand and we blew it."
• To blow a save is to lose a lead or the game after coming into the game in a "save situation." This has a technical meaning in baseball statistics.
• A hit, typically a home run: "Ortiz's Blow Seals Win."
• A blow-out is a game in which one team wins by many runs. Headline: "Penny Shines as Dodgers Blow Out Giants."

blowser

Rhymes with "closer". A closer who seems to get more blown saves than saves.

Blue

A term commonly used by players to address an umpire, referring to the typical dark blue color of the umpire's uniform. A derogatory term in professional baseball. Usually when complaining about a call: "Oh, come on, Blue!"

bomb

A home run.

bonehead play

A bonehead play or "boner" is a mental mistake that changes the course of a game dramatically. See "Merkle's boner".

bonus baseball

Extra innings. Also called "bonus cantos" by Yankees announcer Michael Kay.

box score

The statistical summary of a game. The line score is an abbreviated version of the box score, duplicated from the field scoreboard. Invention of the box score is credited to Henry Chadwick.

BP

• batting practice.
• Devotees of baseball research also sometimes refer to Baseball Prospectus as BP.

BR

Bats right; used in describing a player's statistics, for example: John Doe (TR, BR, 6', 172 lbs.)

bread and butter (etymlogical origin in baseball?)

A player's greatest or most reliable skill. For example: "The curveball is this pitcher's bread and butter pitch." From the more general expression, "bread and butter", denoting any person's most basic source of nourishment and strength.

break

The Break is the "All-Star Break", the 3-day period roughly halfway through the regular season during which the all-stars of the American League play a game against the all-stars of the National League. It's also a common reference point for comparing a player's statistics: before the break vs. after the break; the first half vs. the last half of the season (even though the "last half" is shorter than the "first half" — about 45% of the games remain to be played).

brush-back

A pitch intentionally thrown close to a batter to intimidate him, i.e., to "brush him back" from the plate. Also a purpose pitch or chin music. A batter targeted by such a pitch is sometimes said to get a close shave. 1950s pitcher Sal Maglie was called "the Barber" due to his frequent use of such pitches. A sportswriting wag once stated that its "purpose" was "to separate the head from the shoulders".

Its baseball usage is cited in many dictionaries, but its transition to the vernacular has yet to be cited or dated.

"The Washington Times' George Archibald reports that Gerald A. Reynolds, assistant secretary for civil rights in the Department of Education, has sent a long overdue brush-back letter to college and university officials concerning their odious and oppressive campus speech codes." -- David Limbaugh, 2003

buck and change

A player batting between .100 and .199 is said to be batting "a buck and change" or, more specifically, the equivalent average in dollars (bucks) and cents (change). Example: A batter batting .190 is said to be batting "a buck ninety". See also Mendoza line.

bump

A slang for the mound. 'Roll a bump' is a colloquial slang for turning a 1-6-3 double play or a 1-4-3 double play.

bush league (covered more broadly in sports?)

A slang term used to describe play that is of minor league or unprofessional quality. The "bushes" or the "sticks" are small towns where minor league teams may operate, the latter term also used in the acting profession, famously in the Variety headline of July 17, 1935, "Sticks nix hick pix", meaning small towns reject motion pictures about small towns.

OED cites its first baseball use as 1906, non-baseball in 1914. Contrast big league, above.

"Kinsley, who does come off as the stereotypical Los Angeles-hating East Coast wonk, said recently that because L.A. is the second biggest city in the country, 'it's really bush league to care about where the writers are from.'" --Catherine Seipp,