So now you know the basics. Let’s get into baseball vocabulary part two and dive into some phrases that will show you’re the real deal baseball fan!
“Hang Up” This is a common phrase when a ball looks like it is headed for a home run but stops short in the outfield. The ball reaches its highest proximity and then starts to quickly come back down, this ball “hangs up” without scoring a home run.
“Ace” An Ace is a starting pitcher often considered the best pitcher amongst the team’s starting pitchers.
“1-2-3 Inning” An inning in which a pitcher faces only three batters, none of which get on base or score a run. Also called a “three up, three down” inning.
“Moon Shot” This is my favorite phrase to say when you see a very high, long home run. Arguably the best sound in baseball is when you hear a Moon Shot as the crack of the ball making contact with the bat is really loud.
“Framing a Pitch” If you’ve ever seen a catcher move his glove quickly after the ball is caught then he is framing the pitch. This occurs when a ball is slightly outside the strike zone, and it may be questionable for the umpire to call a strike. It is hard to see this if you are sitting off to the side, but if you stand behind or in front of the catcher you can see when it happens.
“Green” Usually when a player is called “green” they are new either to the college, minor, or major leagues. In every league there are different rules, especially in pitching, that takes time for a player to acclimate which means being “green” is temporary and isn’t considered negative.
“Throwing Gas” This just means the pitcher is throwing pitches really fast, often fastballs.
- There are four common pitch types in baseball: four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball, change-up, and slider. In the major leagues, four and two-seam fastballs generally hit 90-100+ miles per hour, where changeups and sliders hover mid 80s due to their curvature in the air. Click here to learn more about pitching types.
“Scoring Position” When a batter reaches second or third base, they are considered in “scoring position.” The priority on the field is to move baserunners to second, third, or home base, so while a batter is up to bat they might bunt or create an easy out in order to advance players already on base.
- Baseball is a team sport, so when a run is scored it is due to the efforts of multiple players regardless of who is the one to cross the home plate.
“Bunting the Ball” A bunt is a batting technique in baseball and softball where a batter does not swing the bat but intentionally taps the ball into the infield. The ball is usually caught quickly and thrown to first base for an out, but the runners currently on base advance to the next base or score a run.
I hope this series has helped you get more comfortable using baseball lingo and awareness around the game. Remember, baseball is always more interesting once you peel back a few layers to see the strategy and intricacy behind each movement. Play Ball!