blow smoke to throw fastballs; also throw smoke.
bobble commonly used term for a hit ball that is mishandled or dropped.
box score in newspaper sports sections, a statistical rundown of a game.
box seats the best and most expensive seats in a ballpark, located around first base, third base, and home plate.
boys of summer originally a name for the Brooklyn Dodgers of the 1950s but now connoting all baseball players.
bread-and-butter pitch a pitcher's most effective pitch.
breaking said of a curveball as it "breaks" high, low, fast, or slow.
breaking ball any pitch that alters its trajectory by rising, dipping, or curving.
break the wrists the determining factor in whether a batter has taken a full swing at the ball, missed, and produced a strike; to swing the arms and turn the wrists far enough to be considered a strike.
break-up slide an intentional sliding collision with a defensive player to break up a double or triple play.
brushback pitch a ball pitched deliberately close to the batter's body in order to move him back away from the plate. This is a method of regaining some of the strike zone the batter had crowded out.
bug on the rug a ball bouncing elusively on artificial turf.
bullpen located beyond the outfield, one of two practice or warmup areas for relief pitchers.
bullpen ace a team's most effective relief pitcher.
bunt a lightly hit ball that rolls only a few feet from home plate, used as a sacrifice hit to advance a base runner. If executed well, it can also serve as a hit to get the batter to first.
bush slang for unprofessional or unsportsmanlike play, named after lesser minor leagues such as A or AA, otherwise known as the bush leagues.
bush league the A or AA minor leagues or lower leagues.
buzzer a ball pitched so fast that it literally "buzzes."
cannon a powerful throwing arm.
caught leaning of a base runner who has taken too much of a lead from the base, picked off for an out.
caught looking of a batter, called out on strikes.
cellar commonly used term for last place.
chalk the white powder used to mark lines and boxes in the playing field. Lime is also used.
change-up a ball thrown to resemble a fastball but that actually moves slowly, used to throw off a batter's timing. Also, any slow ball thrown after a number of successive fastballs, to damage a batter's timing.
check swing a half swing; a partial swing not counted as a strike because the wrists weren't broken.
cheese slang for a fastball. Also known as cheddar.
choke to perform badly in a critical situation. Also, to choke in the clutch.
choke up on the bat to place the hands high up on the handle of the bat to achieve greater control of the swing.
chop a quick, downward swing that usually results in a grounder.
chopper a hit ball that strikes the ground then bounces high.
circus catch a spectacular or acrobatic catch.
clean the bases to get a hit that drives all men on
base safely home.
cleanup position in a batting lineup, the fourth batter, who is usually the best batter. The fourth batting position is the one most likely to produce runs.
closer the closing relieving pitcher; the pitcher intended to end the game.
clothesline a line drive to the outfield.
clubhouse collective term for a team's locker room, showers, lounge, and manager's office.
clutch a critical situation.
clutch hitter a player who can be counted on for producing a hit in clutches. A player who doesn't choke.
coaches' boxes the 5-foot by 20-foot rectangles where the coaches stand, to the right of first base and to the left of third base.
corked bat a bat whose barrel has been illegally hollowed out and filled with cork or rubber to facilitate hitting the ball further.
curveball a ball pitched with a high degree of spin, causing it to drop or curve suddenly as it nears the plate.
cut ball a ball that has been deeply scratched or nicked, giving it unusual dynamics when pitched.
daisy clipper/daisy cutter a sharply hit ground ball that skims over the grass.
deer slang term for a fast base runner.
designated hitter a 10th player designated to hit in place of the pitcher, but only in the American
League. In the National League, the pitchers hit for themselves.
doctor to alter illegally a baseball with nicks, scratches, abrasions, or moisture or to alter illegally a baseball bat by filling it with cork or rubber.
donut the heavy, doughnutlike weight slipped over a bat to aid a batter in warming up.
doping taking illegal substances, such as steroids, to boost performance.
double play two outs produced by fielders during one play.
down the alley a fastball pitched through the middle of the strike zone.
downtown a home run's destination, particularly an out-of-the-park home run.
draft the drawing of players from high schools, colleges, minor leagues, and free agents.
drag bunt a slow-rolling bunt hit down the first- base line.
dribbler a slow-moving ground ball.
dugout the enclosed bench area of either team.
earned run average the average number of runs a pitcher gives up per nine innings, a statistic of his overall performance.
emery ball a baseball that has been illegally scuffed by an emery board or other abrasive object.
English the spin imparted on some pitched balls.
error a fielding misplay that allows the offensive team to advance to a base.
fan to strike out or to strike someone out.
farm system the network of minor leagues from which the major leagues draw players.
fastball a very fast pitched ball with a straight trajectory.
finesse pitcher a pitcher who utilizes a variety of clever pitches rather than speed to strike out batters.
fingering the proper placement of the fingers on the ball (especially in relation to the seams) to execute such pitches as curveballs, knuckleballs, and sliders.
fireballer a pitcher particularly adept at throwing fastballs.
$5 ride in a Yellow Cab slang phrase for a home run, especially one hit out of the ball park.
flat-footed slang term for caught off-guard or unprepared.
forkball a downward-breaking pitch thrown with the index finger and middle finger spread far apart.
foul ball a ball hit out of play.
four-bagger slang for a home run.
free agent a professional player who is not under contract and is free to negotiate with any team.
fungo bazooka an apparatus that automatically shoots balls into the air for fielding practice.
goat nickname for a player who makes a game-losing mistake.
goat's beard the small, protective flap hanging down from the chin of a catcher's or umpire's mask.