Baseball Glossary

Ace: the No. 1 pitcher on a team.

Across the Seams: how a pitcher holds the ball at a 90-degree angle for throwing a fastball.

Alley: also known as the gap, the outfield area in left-center and right-center fields.

Appeal: the act of seeking to reverse an umpire's call, usually a check swing or a runner tagging up and advancing a base; to be done before the next pitch.

Around the Horn: a double play that begins with the third baseman throwing to the second baseman, who tosses to first base.

Assist: a score keeping term that credits a fielder who helped record an out with a throw to a teammate.

At-Bat: when a batter completes a plate appearance by reaching base on a hit or an error or by making an out. The hitter is not charged with an at-bat if walked, hit by pitch, reaches on catcher's interference, or completes a sacrifice bunt or fly.

Average: the result of dividing a batter's total hits into the number at-bats. For example, a batter who is 20 for 60 is averaging .333.

Balk: an illegal move by a pitcher, either on a pickoff attempt or an illegal throw home, resulting in a one-base advance by the runner(s).

Ball: a pitch taken by the batter that is judged by the umpire to be out of the strike zone.

Base: the destination of a batter after hitting the ball or a runner advancing on a batted ball. At the high school level and above, each of the four bases is 90 feet apart.

Base Coach: the manager or assistant who stands near first or third base to guide runners to the next base.

Baseline: the straight, white-chalked lines that extend from home plate to the left and right foul poles.

Basket Catch: an outfielder who collects a fly with the glove facing up near the body's midsection.

Bat Around: when every hitter in the lineup has batted before the third out in the same inning.

Batter's Box: a rectangle - 60 inches by 40 inches for Major League Baseball - in which the hitter must stand before a pitch is thrown.

Battery: a pitcher and a catcher, a term thought to date to 1860.

Batting Cage: a long, net-enclosed space where batters practice hitting, either off live pitching or a pitching machine.

Batting Tee: a training tool on which the ball is placed and the hitter knocks the ball off.

Beanball: a throw from a pitcher deliberately aimed at the batter.

Bottom: most often, the home team's half of the inning for batting. The visiting team usually hits first.

Box Score: a wrap-up of each player's performance at the plate and in the field, along with each pitcher's summary.

Breaking Ball: a slower pitch that curves or drops; it's the result of a pitcher snapping his wrist.

Bullpen: the area outside the fair portion of a playing field used by relief pitchers for warming up.

Bunt: a soft hit produced by squaring around or dropping the back foot and sliding a hand down the barrel of the bat.

Catch: a fielder's ability to secure a pop fly or line drive in his hand or glove.

Catcher: the player who squats behind home plate and directly in front of the home-plate umpire.

Caught Looking: a batter who fails to swing at a called third strike.

Complete Game: a pitcher who started and finished every inning of a game.

Cycle: a batter who, in one game, collects a single, double, triple, and home run, not necessarily in that order.

Defense: the nine players who take the field.

Designated Hitter: in the American League and most colleges and high schools, the player who doesn't play defense but just bats, most often for the pitcher.

Double: a hit that results in the batter reaching second base safely without an error committed.

Double Header: when two teams play each other twice in one day. Some major league doubleheaders are split between day and night.

Double Play: a continuous play that results in two outs being recorded off one batted ball.

Dugout: the resting place for players, bats, helmets, and gloves.

Error: a mistake by a defensive player that allows a runner to reach base on a batted ball or to advance one or more bases.

Fair Ball: a batted ball the lands either on or inside the foul line or hits the foul pole.

Fair Territory: the area between the two foul lines extending from home plate and including the fences within the foul poles.

Fielder: any of the nine defensive players to include the pitcher and catcher.

Fielder's Choice: a defensive play that allows the batter to reach first base due to a throw to another base, resulting in an out or an error. (Also, if a scorekeeper determines the batter would have been out at first had the throw gone there, it's scored a fielder's choice.)

Fly Ball: a batted ball headed in the air to any fielder.

Force Play: an out recorded that sends an advancing runner back to the dugout.

Forfeit: a ruling by the umpire that the game has ended due to a rule violation or when a team fails to field nine players.

Foul Ball: a batted ball that lands outside the white foul lines or wide of the foul poles.

Fungo Bat: a special bat used for hitting fly balls or grounders during warm-ups.

Ground Ball: a batted ball that hits the dirt or grass before reaching the glove of a fielder.

Ground Rule Double: a ball that bounces from fair territory over the outfield wall or into the seats, resulting in a two-base advancement of the batter and any runners.

Home Plate: a five-sided slab of rubber placed 60 feet, 6 inches from the pitching rubber, it's the spot where hitters stand and is the last of the four bases a runner touches before scoring.

Home Run: a ball belted in fair territory over the fence or a hit that allows the batter to reach home safely without an error committed, known as an inside-the-park home run.

Home Team: most often, the team hosting the game. The home team bats in the bottom half of the inning.

Infield: the grass and/or dirt surface that extends from home plate to just beyond first, second, and third base.

Infielder: a defensive player in the infield - the first baseman, the second baseman, the shortstop, and the third baseman. The pitcher and catcher aren't usually included.

Infield Fly: with less than two outs and runners on at least second and third, a pop-up that remains in fair territory and is deemed by the umpire to be a routine catch, in which case the batter is automatically out, and all runners advance at their own risk. The force rule is disengaged when an infield fly is called.

Inning: the completion of six outs, three for each team.

Intentional Walk: a pitcher purposely throws four balls outside the strike zone.

Line Drive: a low-hit ball that is caught before it hits the ground, also known as a frozen rope.

Lineup: a written list of the players and the positions they're playing.

Mendoza Line: when a batter's average is at .200.

No-Hitter: a game in which a pitcher fails to allow a hit by opposing batters.

Out: a signal from the umpire indicating a batter or runner has failed to reach base.

Outfield: the grass area that begins where the infield ends, extending from near first and third base.

Outfielder: one of three players positioned in the outfield, either in left field, center field, or right field.

Pass Ball: the catcher's inability to stop a delivery from the pitcher.

Pepper: the practice of a player with a bat softly hitting tosses from a group of teammates.

Perfect Game: a game in which the pitcher does not allow an opposing player to reach base.

Pitch: a ball sent from the pitcher to the player in the batter's box.

Pitcher: the position player responsible for tossing the ball to a hitter.

Pitching Machine: a training tool that tosses baseballs or softballs to batters or hurls fly balls to outfielders.

Pitchout: an intentionally-thrown pitch far outside the strike zone designed to throw out a possible stealing runner.

Putout: an act of a defensive player either catching a fly or line drive or a fielder taking a throw that results in an out. A catcher gets a putout on a strikeout.

Quick Return Pitch: a pitcher's illegal attempt to deliver a pitch before the batter has readied himself.

Radar Gun: a device that measures the speed of a thrown ball.

Relief Pitcher: a player who enters the game for the previous pitcher.

Rubber: the white plate that the pitcher must be in contact with before delivering a pitch.

Runner: the player on the batting team who is standing on a base or heading toward the base in front of him.

Sacrifice Bunt: the act of a batter who advances a runner by bunting. A sacrifice bunt isn't a charged at-bat.

Sacrifice Fly: the act of a batter hitting a fly ball that advances a runner from third to home only. A sacrifice fly is not a charged at-bat.

Safe: a signal by an umpire indicating a runner successfully reached the next base.

Save: a pitcher on a winning team who goes three complete innings to end a game or keeps the lead in a situation where the tying run is at-bat or on deck.

Scoring Position: a runner who is on either second or third base.

Shutout: a team that fails to score a run in an entire game.

Signs: the act of a coach giving signals to hitters and runners or a catcher signaling a pitch command to the pitcher.

Slider: a pitch that breaks hard just as it reaches the hitter.

Southpaw: a left-handed pitcher.

Stolen Base: a runner who successfully advances a base by beating a throw from the catcher or another fielder.

Strike Zone: an invisible rectangle from just under the batter's armpits to the knees in which a pitch enters to be called a strike.

Suicide Squeeze: a bunt with a runner on third base who is heading home as the pitch is delivered.

Switch Hitter: a batter who can hit either right-handed or left-handed.

Tag: an act by a fielder to touch a runner with the ball in his hand or with the ball in his glove or to touch a base with his foot or hand while holding the ball on a force play.

Tater: slang for home run.

Texas Leaguer: a soft fly ball that falls safely between the infielders and outfielders.

Throw: a toss from one position player to another, including a catcher's attempt to put out a runner stealing the base ahead of him.

Top: referring to innings in a game, the upper half.

Triple: a hit that allows the batter to reach third base safely without a defensive error.

Triple Play: an unusual defensive production of three outs on one swing of the bat, usually coming off a line drive with the runners in motion.

Umpire: known as the man in blue, an official charged with enforcing the rules of the game and making judgment calls on every pitch and hit.

Utility Man: a fielder who is versatile enough to play multiple positions.

Wheel House: a hitting area that provides the batter with the most power.

Whiff: a swing and miss by a batter.

Wild Pitch: a throw by the pitcher that either bounces in front of the catcher or is out of his reach, allowing a runner to advance.