If you are walking by a baseball bullpen or dugout you may hear some different names being called out. The truth is baseball has a ton of different nicknames for different things including pitches. This article will break down the top nicknames for pitches in baseball.
Baseball is a sport with some pretty crazy nicknames for many different things. It is easy to understand why players get different nicknames, but did you know the baseball world even have nicknames for different pitches thrown?
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What is Cheese in Baseball?
Cheese in baseball is when a pitcher is throwing a fastball very hard, typically found in the top of the strike zone where the hitter cannot catch up to it.
If you hear someone saying, “this pitcher throws cheese” it’s typically considered a very big compliment. When someone is throwing cheese, it’s typically cheddar.
What are other nicknames for fastballs?
There are a lot of different names for fastballs. Most of them have to do with fire. Below is a quick list of nicknames for fastballs.
- Flame Thrower – Meant to describe a pitcher who throws fast
- Heater – “Give him the heater”
- Smoke – “This guy throws smoke”
- Gas – “This pitcher throws gas”
When a pitcher is throwing gas, it really sets up all of his off speed pitches. Assuming he’s getting a head in the count and throwing it in the strike zone. As a pitcher gets ahead in the count, he can start using his off speed pitches and get swings and misses. When a pitcher learns to throw his off speed pitches for strikes, hitters chance of connecting on a pitch and hitting the ball hard gets more difficult.
What is uncle charlie in baseball?
Uncle Charlie is a nickname for a curve ball.
When I was playing college ball I had a pretty decent curve ball. It always made me smile to hear the dugout yell ‘UNCLE CHARLIE” after a snapped one in there for strike 3!
You may also hear a great curveball be called uncle chuck, lord charles, the hook or the knee buckler.
What is the difference between a curveball and a slider?
A curveball typically breaks more up and down and a slider will break more across the strike zone.
Both the curveball and slider are very similar in grip. A slider is thrown much harder and looks like a fastball, and where a curveball is throw a bit softer and will have a bigger break.
Some nicknames you may hear when someone throws a slider are: Slide piece, slurve (thrown softer) cut fastball (slider without as much break) or snapper or yacker.
What does 12-6 mean?
12-6 is a term used to describe the kind of curveball a pitcher is throwing. Imagine the numbers ona clock. The curveball would start at the 12 and drop down to the 6.
The best 12-6 curveball in the game would have to be Barry Zito. He had some amazing downward movement and got a ton of swing and misses.
What is a nuke?
The term nuke often refers to a knuckleball. A Knuckleball is when a pitcher throws a pitch with zero spin. When a baseball is thrown with no spin, it will ‘dance’ around the strike zone and move in odd ways, making them very hard to hit.
HOWEVER, its very difficult to throw a knuckleball. Even the slightest spin on the ball will straighten the pitch out and leave the hitter a nice easy batting practice fastball to smash.
What does puss mean?
When a pitcher is throwing puss, it usually means its very easy to hit. If your stuff is being referred to as puss it is not a good thing. Typically your ball is coming in at batting practice speeds with no movement, to a point where hitters can just tee off.
What does pull the string mean?
When you hear someone say pull the string, they are typically referring to a pitcher throwing a changeI’up.
The reason they say pull the string is because it looks like the pitcher is throwing a fastball, but imagine the pitcher had a string attached to the ball and was able to pull it backwards to slow the velocity towards the plate.
What does Brush back mean?
A brush back is when a pitcher throws a high inside fastball meant to push the hitter backwards in the batter’s box.
Oftentimes when a pitcher sees a hitter looking too comfortable in the batters box he will send a message to remind them that it’s ‘his box’ and to back up. Hitters will start crowding the plate when they are getting too comfortable and pitchers hate that!
Some pitchers will give a little chin music to remind them that they own the plate.
What does ducks on the pond mean?
Ducks on the pond refers to runners on base.
Typically you will find this phrase mentioned when there are multiple runners on base and in scoring position. Don’t worry, no animals were harmed in the making of these RBI’s
What does junk mean?
Junk refers to a pitcher who throws a lot of off speed pitches.
You might hear someone say ‘this guy is a junk ball pitcher’ which may sound like he’s not very good. However, quite the opposite. Usually when a pitcher is a junk ball pitcher, he wears that nickname with pride. That means he can throw his off speed pitches for strikes to get outs.
Wrap up
There are many different nicknames for pitches in baseball. Next time you hear some off the wall sayings, its ok to ask what it means. The culture of baseball is full of hilarious sayings and nicknames, and the more you embrace that culture the more fun the game becomes. Baseball is meant to be fun, and players have a lot of time to be creative. This is one of the reasons why baseball is the greatest game on earth, and why baseball players are one of a kind!
Until next time
Coach Scott