![]() The wildcard is the term for the two teams with the best records in the league behind the three division winners. “ Whiffs” is often used as slang for strikeouts. WhiffĪ whiff is a swing and a miss, particularly one that ends an at-bat in a strikeout. A walk-off occurs when a home team is behind or the score is tied in the final inning and a player drives in the run that puts their team ahead, thus ending the game. Walk-OffĪ walk-off hit is one that ends the game. Southpaw is a slang term for a lefthander, particularly a pitcher. A player’s slugging percentage is a metric used to show how many bases per at-bat a player has hit for. Slugging is a term for hitting for power. SingleĪ single is a base hit where the batter ends up on first. The benches in the dugout used to be made of pine wood, so those players that were not starting spent most of the game riding the pine. Riding the pine is a slang term for a player that’s been benched. RakeĪ hitter that is raking is one that is on a particularly hot streak. A player that has pop in their bat is capable of hitting for extra bases at any given time. In a pickle, also called a rundown, the defending team throws the ball back and forth between their players as they attempt to trap the baserunner. PickleĪ pickle occurs when a player gets caught between bases. There used to be a physical pennant for the winners of the AL and the NL, but these days it’s more of a metaphorical title. The pennant is a term used for the team that wins their league championship. There can be player options, team options, and mutual options, depending on the nature of a player’s contract. Minor league options allow a player to be sent back down to the minor leagues, which is also often called getting optioned.Ĭontract options allow a contract to be extended a year. ![]() There are several forms of options in the major leagues. Typically the player waits in the on deck circle where they can take practice swings and watch the pitcher. When a player is on deck they are up to bat next. Batters can reach base via walk, error, or hit batsmen and have it still count as a no-hitter, they just can’t give up any hits on balls in play. In a no-hitter a pitcher (or pitcher) keeps doesn’t allow a hit for the entire game. There are nine innings in a baseball game, with each inning consisting of three outs for each side. InningĪn inning is the basic unit of a baseball game. There is the player up to bat, followed by the player that’s on deck, then the player that’s in the hole. When a player is in the hole they are two batters away from hitting. Double PlayĪ double play occurs when the defending team gets two outs on a single play. This can include releasing them, trading them, placing them on waivers, or sending them to the minor leagues. When a player is designated for assignment ( DFA’s) they are removed from a team’s 40-man roster and the team has a limited period to decide what to do with them. The cycle is a hitting achievement that involves hitting a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. BuntĪ bunt is a strategic play that involves putting the ball into play as weakly as possible in an attempt to get on base or to move the runners up a base. Pitchers also warm up in the bullpen before heading out to the field. The bullpen is the collection of relief pitchers on a baseball team’s staff, as well as the area of the stadium that they wait in during the game. If there are no runners on base, then the batter is awarded an extra ball. If there are runners on base they are rewarded with an extra base. For example, a double may be called a “ two-bagger” or a triple a “ three-bagger.” BalkĪ balk occurs when a pitcher makes an illegal move, most frequently by starting their motion toward the plate without releasing the ball. Baggerīagger is a slang term for a multi-base hit and is usually preceded by the base that a player reached. All Aces are the leader of a pitching staff, but not all pitching staffs have a pure Ace. AceĪn Ace is a term for a true number one pitcher. There’s no shame in looking something up – after all, that’s how you build up your baseball vocabulary. Baseball TermsĮven the savviest of baseball fans occasionally come across a term that they’ve never heard before. You can use our helpful glossary of baseball terms and abbreviations to translate any terminology that you may not understand. Baseball has been around for hundreds of years and in that time it has developed its own unique language.
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