Search results
- For a fielder (including the catcher) to put a runner out by a throw or relay to another fielder before the runner reaches base safely; e.g., for an infielder to field a batted ball and throw it to a baseman before the batter reaches that base, or for the catcher to attempt to retire a base stealer by throwing the ball to that base. 1st Use. 1880.
baseball-almanac.com/dictionary-term.php?term=throw out
This is an alphabetical list of selected unofficial and specialized terms, phrases, and other jargon used in baseball, along with their definitions, including illustrative examples for many entries.
The complete definition of throw out, from the Dickson Baseball Dictionary, appears below, along with (where applicable) first usage, synonyms, historical details and more throw out research, courtesy of Baseball Almanac.
In baseball, an out occurs when the umpire rules a batter or baserunner out. When a batter or runner is out, they lose their ability to score a run and must return to the dugout until their next turn at bat. When three outs are recorded in a half-inning, the batting team's turn expires.
The complete definition of throwout, from the Dickson Baseball Dictionary, appears below, along with (where applicable) first usage, synonyms, historical details and more throwout research, courtesy of Baseball Almanac.
- Aspirin Tablet
- Baltimore Chop
- Can of Corn
- Chin Music
- Cookie
- Dying Quail
- Eephus
- Frozen Rope
- Golden Sombrero
- High Cheese
A fastball might be called an aspirin tablet because it moves so quickly that it looks as small as a little white headache pill. It may also go by many other names that are self-explanatory, and not named below: bullet, blazer, dart, gas, heater, hummer, pumper, smoke, or steam.
A hit that causes the ball to immediately bounce high enough off the ground to escape the reach of infielders while the batter safely makes it to first base is a Baltimore chop. The style of hitting was likely pioneered by the Baltimore Orioles in the 1890s. “It requires great skill in placing to work this trick successfully,” according to a contem...
If there's a high fly ball that falls lazily into a fielder's glove, that's a can of corn. Theories abound about its origin, but the most popular one holds that the act was like the grocery clerk’s practice of easily catching a can of corn in their apron after tipping it from the top shelf with a long stick.
Chin music has been used since at least 1822 to refer to idle chatter. In the 1970s, it entered the baseball lexicon as a term for a pitchin which the ball whizzes by the chin of the batter such that they can hear it sing. Much talk about this intimidating play would therefore be a lot of chin music about chin music.
A pitch the batter finds it easy to make contact with is a cookie. There’s no cute etymological tale here: it’s just the perfect name for a gimme pitch.
“Just one more dying quail a week and you’re in Yankee Stadium,” Kevin Costner, Jim Beam in hand, explains to Tim Robbins in Bull Durham (1988). The evocative term dying quail for a fly ball that quickly descends before reaching the outfielder, resulting in a single, may have been coined in the 1940s. Today, baseball announcers and writers use the ...
An eephus describes a slow, high-arcing pitch that more closely resembles a slow pitch than anything from a regular game of fastball. It was invented in 1941 by Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Rip Sewell, though he didn’t name it. Its quirky moniker was supplied by outfielder Maurice Van Robays, who told a reporter it was an “eephus ball.” When...
Frozen ropeis used for a powerful hit that sends a ball hurtling into the outfield (or over the fence) in a straight line with a trajectory that traces barely any arc.
Since the late 1980s, golden sombrero has usually referred to the (fictitious) trophy awarded to a batter who ignominiously strikes out four times in a game. It has its roots in hat trick, which originated with the sport of cricket before eventually becoming synonymous with a hockey player who scores three goals in a game. Hat trick in baseball was...
The use of the word cheese for something great has a history dating back more than two centuries, but the word’s usage to describe a fastball is relatively recent, going back to the '80s. High cheese is designated for a fastball through the upper strike zone—it can also be alto queso.
- Jason Serafino
A groundout occurs when a batter hits a ball on the ground to a fielder, who records an out by throwing to or stepping on first base. It can also occur when the batter reaches first base -- and the defense instead opts to record an out elsewhere via a "fielder's choice." Groundouts typically occur on pitches that are lower in the strike zone.
People also ask
What does throw out mean in baseball?
What is the difference between a throw out and a ground out?
What does thrown out mean?
What happens when a runner is out in baseball?
What is a putout in baseball?
What does struck out mean in baseball?
... except, well, the earliest mentions of the term in baseball refer to position players, not pitchers. According to MLB official historian John Thorn , we actually have a totally different sport to thank: boxing, in which left-handed fighters use a "southpaw stance."
