Baseball Words: Terms Only True Baseball Fans Understand

Want to sound like a pro at your next baseball game? Here are 16 unusual baseball words and slang phrases to help you cover the bases.

Every sport has its own unique jargon and slang. Perhaps no sport has a vocabulary as odd and colorful as baseball. Broadcasters, writers and players pioneered a lot of terminology. And for more than 150 years, fans have delighted — and struggled — to learn the lexicon.

You may already know what a can of corn, a dying quail, or a frozen rope is. Or not. Yes, those are just a few of the baseball words and slang we’ll cover.

Here are 16 such baseball words and phrases that were spawned for America’s favorite pastime and do make sense once you wrap your head around them.

Ace

Washington Nationals starting pitcher and “ace” Max Scherzer won the National League Cy Young Award in 2017. Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP Photo

Forget about World War I flyboys or the best card you can get while playing poker. A baseball ace is the top pitcher on your team.

He’s the No. 1 starter, the guy who will get the ball in the big game or at the beginning of a playoff series.

Like Roger Clemens, Jim Palmer or Sandy Koufax, an ace’s cheese (read on) is the toughest to hit, and you’ll rue the at-bat in which he throws some chin music (read on) at you.

Battery

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Travis Wood and catcher Welington Castillo meet on the mound during the fifth inning against the New York Mets at Wrigley Field in Chicago on May 14, 2015. Andrew A. Nelles / AP Photo

Nope, this baseball word has nothing to do with an AAA-sized Duracell or the Energizer Bunny. The battery is a term that describes a pitcher-catcher combination. They’re also referred to as batterymen or batterymates.

Together, they work to foil the other team’s batters. Historically, the word derived from descriptions of the firepower of artillery batteries.

On the New York Yankees of the 1950s, for example, pitcher Whitey Ford and catcher Yogi Berra won a multitude of World Series games together among their 212 battery gigs.

Bullpen

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani warms up in the bullpen before a game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park in Detroit on May 30, 2018. Carlos Osorio / AP Photo

The origin of the term’s use in baseball is uncertain, but this ain’t a rodeo, and the bullpen is not where bulls wait for their turn to buck a cowboy off their back.

While most reserve players sit in the dugout during a game, the relief pitchers cool their heels in a separate spot known as the bullpen.

If the starting pitcher — or even the ace — gets in trouble and gives up too many runs, the manager will signal to the bullpen for relievers to get up and get their arms warm in anticipation of coming into the game.

Cactus League

Cincinnati Reds mascot Mr. Redlegs, left, Cleveland Indians mascot Slider, and Goodyear Ballpark mascot Zizzy pause along with players from the Reds and the Indians for the national anthem prior to a Cactus League baseball game on March 1, 2016, in Goodyear, Ariz. Ross D. Franklin / AP Photo

Before the beginning of the regular season, baseball teams go through a month of spring training. There are 15 teams that play in western cities in the United States, and those teams all go to facilities in Arizona for spring training.

They all play practice games against each other for the month in what is nicknamed the Cactus League.

Major League Baseball’s Cactus League participants include the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland A’s, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers.

Can of Corn

Kansas City Royals fielder Whit Merrifield makes the out on a pop fly in Boston on April 30, 2018. Michael Dwyer / AP Photo

This is one of the most colorful and oddest bits of word jargon to have found its way onto the baseball diamond. It refers to a fielder making an easy catch of a batted pop fly.

The most accepted origin of the phrase comes from the 1890s, when grocers would make a practice of using a stick to tip a can of vegetables off the top shelf. They’d catch it by hand or in an outstretched apron.

Woe be it to the outfielder — or an old-timey grocer — who drops an easy can of corn.

Cheese

Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Josh Hader, pitching here on April 11, 2018, can throw a 95-mph fastball. Jeff Roberson / AP Photo

Forget your Camembert, Havarti or Mozzarella. If you please, the baseball word ‘cheese’ refers to a pitcher’s fastball, and sometimes may be used in a derogatory manner if the hurler isn’t bringing it at a high velocity.

A fastball thrown up in the strike zone is called high cheese. A low fastball can be labeled cheese at the knees.

In 2018, St. Louis Cardinals right-handed pitcher Jordan Hicks was tossing his very respectable and unhittable cheese at more than 100 miles per hour.

Chin Music

Toronto Blue Jays batter Edwin Encarnacion reacts to Jeurys Familia’s brushback pitch in a game against the New York Mets in New York on June 15, 2015. Kathy Willens / AP Photo

The definition of chin music took a turn from its original meaning, which in the late 1800s was used to describe heckling from fans. After World War II, the term switched to refer to the practice of a pitcher throwing a brushback pitch near a batter’s face.

A brushback is intended to frighten or intimidate a batter, to back him off the plate for the next pitch. An intention by a pitcher to throw chin music may sometimes lead to hitting the batter.

Too much chin music — whether it hits batters or not — may lead to an umpire ejecting the pitcher from the game.

Choke up

Cincinnati Reds hitter Joey Votto chokes up on the bat during a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs on April 22, 2013, in Cincinnati. Al Behrman / AP Photo

Tom Hanks told us in “A League of Their Own” that there’s no crying in baseball. And there’s a minimum of personal feelings displayed, as well.

Choking up has nothing to do with your emotional state. It’s when a batter slides their hands up higher on a bat when they’re up to the plate.

Why? The physics of choking up allows a batter to swing faster, particularly when a pitcher is tossing some unhittable cheese.

Choking up is far less common in the now-muscled major leagues than it was a century ago.

Dinger

Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Manny Machado looks up as he crosses home plate after hitting a three-run home run against the San Diego Padres on Aug. 25, 2018, in Los Angeles. Michael Owen Baker / AP Photo

Plain and simple, a dinger is one of many baseball words and phrases that refer to a home run.

The origin stems from the (real or imaginary) act of ringing a bell when a batter hits the ball out of the park. The name of the mascot for the Colorado Rockies also happens to be Dinger, but don’t confuse that purple-hued dude with all the other words baseball players use to describe a home run, including homer, tater, round-tripper, four-bagger, going yard, bomb and blast.

By the way, a dinger that’s hit with the runners on first, second and third base is called a grand slam, or sometimes a grand salami.

Ducks on the Pond

Baltimore Orioles baserunner Trey Mancini stands on second base after hitting a double against the Toronto Blue Jays in Baltimore on Aug. 28, 2018. Patrick Semansky / AP Photo

When your team is at bat, it’s good to have ducks on the pond. The baseball term refers to having players on base.

Typically, ducks on the pond means having more than one runner on base and in scoring position (second or third base). When there are ducks on the pond, you want the batter who’s at the plate to hit the ball and score those ducks, er, runners.

The origin of the phrase traces back to Washington Senators announcer Arch McDonald, who was quacking listeners up back in the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s.

Dying Quail

A pop fly single hit by Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed drops between San Diego Padres second baseman Carlos Asuaje, left, and right fielder Hunter Renfroe, right, during the first inning of a game on July 5, 2018, in Phoenix. Ross D. Franklin / AP Photo

Don’t confuse a duck on the pond with a dying quail. The latter is a batted ball, not hit very hard, that drops in front of an outfielder for a hit. It’s a lucky hit for the batter.

A dying quail is synonymous with a blooper, looper, chinker, bleeder or a gork. According to “Crash Davis” (played by Kevin Costner) in the seminal baseball movie “Bull Durham,” dying quails are the difference between playing in the minor league and getting a shot in The Show (the major leagues).

“Just one more dying quail a week, and you’re in Yankee Stadium,” he opines.

Frozen Rope

New York Mets infielder Jose Reyes drives in a run against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh on July 27, 2018. Gene J. Puskar / AP Photo

The opposite of a dying quail is a frozen rope. As mentioned, a dying quail is a weak effort by the batter. A frozen rope is a legit hit — it’s a ball sharply struck by a hitter that seems to leave the bat in a straight line.

When you really get some muscle behind a frozen rope, it might go all the way out of the ballpark and quickly become a dinger.

And just to keep things confusing, some people refer to a frozen rope as a hard, fast, straight throw made by a fielder in an attempt to gun down a runner attempting to advance from one base to another. In this context, you might note that a fielder who tosses frozen ropes has a “cannon” for an arm.

Plunk

Minnesota Twins batter Brian Dozier gets hit with a pitch from Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole during spring training in Fort Myers, Fla., on March 20, 2015. Brynn Anderson / AP Photo

Remember chin music? Well, if a pitcher is trying to throw a brushback but gets too close and hits the batter, that’s called a plunking. When a batter is plunked, he is automatically awarded first base.

For that reason, it’s not good to hit a batter. However, baseball is notorious for seeking revenge on an opposing team by plunking batters. There’s an unwritten rule: If they plunk us, we’ll plunk them back. And a pitcher who feels intimidated by a batter who hits too many dingers may be urged to plunk him during his next at-bat.

The biggest cause of bench-clearing brawls in baseball is plunking gone amok.

Southpaw

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw throws against the San Francisco Giants on Aug. 13, 2018, in Los Angeles. Mark J. Terrill / AP Photo

Current Major League Baseball southpaws include the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw and the San Francisco Giants’ Madison Bumgarner. Give up? Here’s a hint: Hall of Famer Robert Moses “Lefty” Grove also was a southpaw.

It’s the baseball word given to players who are left-handed.

Lefty boxers were first referred to as southpaws as early as 1860. In baseball, it’s commonly believed that beat writers dubbed left-handed pitchers southpaws because diamonds were primarily built so that batters faced east (to avoid afternoon sun in their eyes). Ergo, a lefty’s arm delivery would come from the south.

That origin is debatable, but the fact that the term has expanded to describe any lefty on the field is not.

Suicide Squeeze

Milwaukee Brewers runner Jeff Bianchi slides home past Chicago Cubs catcher Welington Castillo on a walk-off suicide squeeze bunt by Logan Schafer in the ninth inning of a 4-3 win in Milwaukee on Sept. 17, 2013. Morry Gash / AP Photo

Sounds dangerous, right? Well, it’s a risky play but not exactly deadly in a life-or-death way.

A team that’s up to bat can execute a suicide squeeze when a runner is on third base. When the batter squares up to lay down a bunt, the runner on third takes off for home plate — as soon as the pitcher goes into his windup. If the batter connects and successfully dinks the ball into the infield, there’s no way a fielder will be able to make a play at home.

However, if the batter fails to make contact with the pitched ball, the runner from third will be dead to rights and tagged out by the catcher.

Walk-Off

Tampa Bay Rays players mob Ben Zobrist after his game-winning RBI double during the 14th inning of a 4-3 win, on July 20, 2012, in St. Petersburg, Fla., as Seattle Mariners pitcher Brendan Ryan, left, walks off. Mike Carlson / AP Photo

A walk-off play is the most exciting in baseball. It occurs in the bottom half of the last inning when the home team gets a hit that immediately ends the game. This would occur if the home team is losing (or tied) going into its potentially last at-bat.

A single might score the run that causes a walk-off, which would cause fans to cheer wildly and induce players to jump up and down and rush the field. Even more exciting than a walk-off single is a walk-off dinger.

And even more exciting than that would be a walk-off grand salami (yup, that’s a few too many baseball words).