Baseball has its own language, much of it more than a century old. Players, broadcasters and fans use slang for everything from pitches and hits to bad days at the plate. Here are 42 of the most common terms, from ace to yakker, with what each one means.
Baseball Slang A to Z
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ace | A team’s best starting pitcher |
| Around the horn | A double play from third to second to first, or tossing the ball around the infield after an out |
| Backwards K | A called third strike, written as a reversed K on scorecards |
| Bandbox | A small ballpark where home runs come easily |
| Bang bang play | A play at a base so close it happens in an instant |
| Barrel | The ideal combination of exit velocity and launch angle |
| Battery | The pitcher and catcher together |
| Bloop | A weakly hit ball that falls between infielders and outfielders |
| Can of corn | An easy, routine fly ball |
| Cheese | A hard fastball; also heat or gas |
| Chin music | A high, inside pitch meant to back a hitter off the plate |
| Cleanup hitter | The fourth hitter in the lineup, usually a power bat |
| Closer | The relief pitcher who finishes close games |
| Cup of coffee | A brief stint in the major leagues |
| Dinger | A home run; also tater, bomb, jack or moonshot |
| Eephus | A very slow, high arcing pitch |
| Filthy | Pitches with nasty movement |
| Frozen rope | A hard, straight line drive |
| Golden sombrero | Striking out four times in one game |
| Hat trick | Striking out three times in one game |
| Hill | The pitcher’s mound |
| Hot corner | Third base |
| Hook | A curveball, or a manager pulling a pitcher |
| Junk | Slow off speed pitches and breaking balls |
| Maddux | A complete game shutout on fewer than 100 pitches |
| Meatball | A slow, straight pitch right down the middle |
| Mendoza Line | A .200 batting average, named for Mario Mendoza |
| Painting the corners | Pitching precisely to the edges of the strike zone |
| Pickle | A rundown between bases |
| Punchout | A strikeout |
| Rake | To hit very well |
| Rubber game | The deciding game of a series tied at one game each |
| Seeing eye single | A ground ball that finds a hole between fielders |
| Southpaw | A left handed pitcher |
| Texas Leaguer | A bloop hit that drops in front of the outfielders |
| Twin killing | A double play |
| Uncle Charlie | A curveball |
| Utility player | A player who can handle several positions |
| Walk off | A hit that ends the game in the home team’s last at bat |
| Web gem | A spectacular defensive play |
| Wheelhouse | The part of the zone where a hitter crushes pitches |
| Yakker | A big breaking curveball |
Where the Slang Comes From
Much of baseball’s vocabulary came from 19th century players and early newspaper writers, and broadcasters kept it alive on radio. Some terms honor people, like the Mendoza Line and the Maddux, while others come from everyday life, like a can of corn. New terms keep arriving too, from barrels to web gems, as the game changes.
For the code behind the language, see baseball’s unwritten rules.
Related
What is a Maddux · What is a Texas Leaguer · What does can of corn mean · Baseball’s unwritten rules · What is a walk off
Terms cross checked with the MLB.com glossary.