baseball.tools

Search tools

Search across every calculator, chart and reference page.

Baseball Terms & Slang

131 baseball terms, from official rules vocabulary to dugout slang. Jump by letter or search — every term has its own link you can share.

131 terms

A

Ace
A team’s best starting pitcher, typically the one who starts on opening day.
Alley
The gaps in the outfield between the center fielder and the corner outfielders; also called the gap.
At-bat
A plate appearance that ends in a hit, an out, or a reach on error, excluding walks, hit-by-pitches, and sacrifices.

B

Backdoor
A breaking pitch that appears to miss outside but catches the far edge of the plate for a strike.
Bag
A base. "Beat the throw to the bag" means reaching the base before the ball.
Balk
An illegal motion by the pitcher with runners on base that awards each runner one base.
Ballpark
The stadium; also slang for an approximate figure ("in the ballpark").
Baltimore chop
A ball hit down hard in front of the plate that bounces so high the batter reaches first before it comes down.
Bandbox
A small ballpark where fly balls leave the yard easily.
Bang-bang play
A play at a base where the ball and the runner arrive almost simultaneously.
Baserunner
Any offensive player who has reached base and is not yet out or scored.
Bases loaded
Runners on first, second, and third at the same time.
Battery
The pitcher and catcher considered together.
Bean / beanball
A pitch thrown at or near a batter, especially at the head.
Bloop / blooper
A soft fly ball that drops in front of the outfielders for a hit; also a Texas Leaguer.
Bomb
A long home run.
Bottom
The second half of an inning, when the home team bats.
Breaking ball
Any pitch that curves, such as a curveball or slider, as opposed to a fastball.
Brushback
An inside pitch meant to move a crowding hitter off the plate.
Bullpen
The area where relief pitchers warm up; also the relief corps itself.
Bunt
A ball intentionally tapped softly into play by holding the bat still in the strike zone.

C

Can of corn
An easy, routine fly ball that is simple to catch.
Cellar
Last place in the standings.
Change-up
An off-speed pitch thrown with fastball arm action to disrupt a hitter’s timing.
Cheese
A high-quality fastball; "high cheese" is an elevated fastball.
Chin music
A high, inside fastball that buzzes near the batter’s chin.
Clean-up hitter
The fourth batter in the order, usually a power hitter meant to drive in runners.
Closer
The relief pitcher used to protect a lead in the final inning to earn a save.
Count
The number of balls and strikes on the batter, stated balls-first (e.g. 2-1).
Cutter
A cut fastball with late, small movement away from the pitcher’s arm side.
Cycle
A single, double, triple, and home run all by one player in the same game.

D

Dead red
Sitting "dead red" means a hitter is looking specifically for a fastball.
Designated hitter
A player who bats in place of the pitcher without playing the field.
Dinger
A home run.
Dish
Home plate.
Double play
A defensive play that records two outs on one batted ball.
Double switch
A simultaneous change of two players that alters the batting order to delay the new pitcher’s spot.
Dugout
The bench area where the team sits during the game.

E

Error
A misplay by a fielder that lets a batter or runner advance when an out or lesser advance should have resulted.

F

Fastball
The most common pitch, thrown for maximum velocity with relatively little movement.
Fielder’s choice
When a fielder retires another runner instead of the batter, who reaches base as a result.
Fireman
An old term for a relief pitcher brought in to put out a rally.
Foul ball
A batted ball that lands outside the foul lines; it is a strike unless the batter already has two strikes.
Foul pole
The tall poles at the ends of the outfield fence marking fair from foul; a ball off the pole is a home run.
Frame
An inning; catchers also "frame" pitches to make them look like strikes.
Frozen rope
A hard line drive with a flat trajectory.
Full count
Three balls and two strikes.

G

Gap
The alleys in the outfield; a "gapper" splits the outfielders for extra bases.
Gem
An outstanding pitching performance.
Golden sombrero
Striking out four times in a single game.
Grand slam
A home run with the bases loaded, scoring four runs.
Groundout
An out made on a ground ball fielded and thrown to a base.

H

Hanging breaking ball
A breaking pitch that fails to break and stays up in the zone, easy to hit.
Heater
A fastball.
Hit and run
A play where the runner breaks with the pitch and the batter tries to make contact to protect them.
Hit by pitch
When a pitch strikes the batter, awarding first base.
Hitter’s count
A count that favors the batter, like 2-0 or 3-1, when a fastball is likely.
Hold
A stat for a relief pitcher who protects a lead but does not finish the game.
Hot corner
Third base, named for the hard-hit balls that come its way.

I

In the hole
The batter after the on-deck hitter; also the gap between short and third.
Infield fly
A rule that calls the batter out on a catchable pop-up with runners on and fewer than two outs.
Inning
A division of the game with each team getting a turn at bat; a full game is nine innings.

J

Jam
A tough situation for a pitcher (runners on base); also a pitch in on the hitter’s hands.
Junk
Off-speed and breaking pitches thrown by a finesse pitcher rather than velocity.

K

Keystone
Second base; the "keystone combination" is the second baseman and shortstop.
Knuckleball
A pitch thrown with almost no spin so it flutters unpredictably.

L

Leadoff
The first batter in the lineup or the first batter of an inning.
Leverage
How much a given situation can swing the outcome of a game.
Line drive
A hard-hit ball on a flat, level trajectory.
Lineup
The batting order of nine hitters.
Long ball
A home run.

M

Meatball
An easy pitch to hit, right down the middle.
Mendoza line
A batting average around .200, the informal threshold of offensive futility.
Moonshot
A towering home run with a very high arc.
Mound
The raised dirt circle from which the pitcher throws.

N

No-hitter
A game in which a team gets no hits.

O

Off-speed
Any pitch slower than the fastball, meant to disrupt timing.
On-deck
The next batter due up, warming up in the on-deck circle.

P

Painting the corners
Consistently throwing pitches at the edges of the strike zone.
Passed ball
A catchable pitch the catcher misses, allowing runners to advance.
Payoff pitch
The pitch thrown on a full count.
Pepper
A pregame warm-up game of quick soft tosses and short swings.
Pickle
A rundown, when a runner is trapped between two bases.
Pickoff
A throw from the pitcher or catcher to catch a runner off the base.
Pinch hitter
A substitute batter who replaces another in the lineup.
Pinch runner
A substitute runner who replaces a player on base.
Pitchout
A ball thrown deliberately wide so the catcher can defend a steal.
Pop-up
A high, short fly ball, usually an easy out.
Pull hitter
A batter who tends to hit to their own side of the field.

Q

Quality start
A start of at least six innings with three or fewer earned runs.

R

Rake
To hit exceptionally well; a hitter who "can rake" is a strong hitter.
RBI
A run batted in, credited to the batter whose action scores a run.
Reliever
A pitcher who enters after the starter.
Rhubarb
An old-time term for an on-field argument or scuffle.
Rope
A hard line drive; see frozen rope.
Rubber
The pitching rubber on the mound that the pitcher must contact while throwing.
Rundown
A play where fielders trap a runner between bases; see pickle.

S

Sacrifice
An out that intentionally advances or scores a runner, by bunt or fly ball.
Save
A stat for a relief pitcher who finishes a close game with the lead intact under set conditions.
Seeing-eye single
A softly hit ground ball that sneaks through the infield for a hit.
Setup man
A reliever who pitches the inning before the closer.
Shift
A defensive alignment that repositions fielders based on where a hitter tends to hit.
Shutout
A game in which a team allows no runs.
Sinker
A fastball with downward movement that induces ground balls.
Slider
A breaking pitch with sharp, late horizontal break, faster than a curveball.
Slugger
A power hitter.
Small ball
A strategy built on bunts, steals, and situational contact rather than power.
Southpaw
A left-handed pitcher.
Splitter
A split-finger fastball that drops sharply as it reaches the plate.
Squeeze play
A bunt with a runner on third breaking home on the pitch.
Stolen base
Advancing a base on a pitch without the aid of a hit, walk, or error.
Strike zone
The area over the plate between the batter’s knees and midpoint of the torso.
Suicide squeeze
A squeeze play where the runner on third breaks for home before the bunt is down.
Sweep
Winning every game of a series; also a big-breaking "sweeper" slider.
Switch hitter
A batter who can hit from both the left and right sides of the plate.

T

Tablesetter
A top-of-the-order hitter who gets on base for the big bats behind them.
Tag up
A runner returning to touch their base after a caught fly before advancing.
Texas Leaguer
A bloop hit that falls between the infielders and outfielders.
Three-bagger
A triple.
Twin killing
A double play.

U

Umpire
An on-field official who rules on plays, balls, and strikes.
Utility player
A versatile player who can competently fill several positions.

W

Walk
Reaching first base after four balls; a base on balls.
Walk-off
A game-ending play by the home team in their final at-bat.
Warning track
The dirt strip in front of the outfield fence that warns fielders of the wall.
Wheelhouse
The part of the strike zone where a hitter has the most power.
Whiff
A swing and miss.
Wild pitch
A pitch too errant for the catcher to handle, allowing runners to advance.
Worm burner
A hard ground ball that skips quickly along the dirt.

Y

Yakker
Slang for a sharp curveball.
Yard
The ballpark; to "go yard" is to hit a home run.

Sources

Last reviewed March 1, 2025. Rules and manufacturer charts change — verify against current official sources each season.