Player Nicknames / Baseball Lingo
| Henry "Hank" Aaron - "Hammerin' Hank" Steve "Bye-Bye" Balboni Ernie Banks - "Mr. Cub" "Rowdy Dick" Bartell James "Cool Papa" Bell Lawrence "Yogi" Berra Forrest Hamill "Smokey" Burgess Orlando Cepeda - "The Baby Bull" Will Clark - "Will the Thrill" Steve Carlton - "Silent Steve", "Lefty" Roger Clemens - "The Rocket" Ty Cobb - "The Georgia Peach" Jay Hannah "Dizzy" Dean Joe DiMaggio - "Joltin' Joe" Leo "The Lip" Durocher Howard "Doc" Edwards Bob Feller - "Rapid Robert" Edward "Whitey" Ford - "Chairman of the Board" Jimmie Foxx - "Double X", "The Beast" Lou Gehrig - "The Iron Horse" Bob Gibson - "Hoot" Vernon "Lefty" Gomez Dwight "Doc" Gooden Rich "Goose" Gossage Ken Griffey, Jr. - "The Kid", "Junior" Robert Moses "Lefty" Grove Ron Guidry - "Louisiana Lightning" Orlando Hernandez - "El Duque" Rogers Horsby - "The Rajah" Jim "Catfish" Hunter "Shoeless Joe" Jackson Reggie Jackson - "Mr. October" Walter Johnson - "The Big Train" Harmon Killebrew - "Killer" Harry Lee "Peanuts" Lowery Louis Tiant "El Tianti" | Sal "The Barber" Maglie Henry "Pistol" Mason Mickey Mantle - "The Mick" Juan Marical - "The Dominican Dandy" Alfred Manuel "Billy" Martin Don Mattingly - "Donnie Baseball" Willie "Stretch" McCovey Mark McGuire - "Big Mac" Hensley "Bam-Bam" Mullens "Stan the Man" Musial Louis Norman "Bobo" Newsom "Sweet Lou" Pinella Harold Henry "Pee Wee" Reese Lawrence "Dutch" Rennert Allie Reynolds - "The Super Chief" Wesley "Branch" Rickey - "The Mahatma" Eldon John "Rip" Repulski Mickey Rivers - "Mick the Quick" Phil Rizzuto -= "The Scooter" Frank Robinson - "Robbie" Pete Rose - "Charlie Hustle" George Herman "Babe" Ruth - "The Sultan of Swat" Tom Seaver - "Tom Terrific" Ozzie Smith - "The Wizard of Oz" Edwin "Duke" Snider - "The Duke of Flatbush" Daniel Joseph "Rusty" Staub Willie Stargell - "Pops" Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel - "The 'Ol Perfessor" George Robert "Birdie" Tebbetts Frank Thomas - "The Big Hurt" Harry "The Hat" Walker Ted Williams - "The Splendid Splinter" Joe Williams - "Smokey Joe" Carl Yastremski - "Yaz" Don Zimmer - "Popeye", "Zim" |
Baseball Lingo
A fan's guide to baseball terms and phrases
| ace -- A team's best starting pitcher alley -- The section of the outfield between the outfielders. Also the "gap" around the horn -- A double play going from third to second to first backdoor slider -- A pitch that appears to be out of the strike zone, but then breaks back over the plate bag -- A base Baltimore chop -- A ground ball that hits in front of home plate (or off of it) and takes a large hop over the infielder's head bandbox -- A small ballpark that favors hitters bang-bang play -- A play in which the base runner hits the bag a split-second before the ball arrives or vice versa basket catch -- When a fielder catches a ball with his glove near belt level Bronx cheer -- When the crowd boos brushback -- An inside pitch that almost hits a batter bush -- Also "bush league." An amateur play or behavior can of corn -- An easy catch by a fielder caught looking -- When a batter is called out on strikes cellar -- Last place. Also "basement" cheese -- Also "good cheese." Refers to a good fastball chin music -- A pitch that is high and inside circus catch -- An outstanding catch by a fielder closer -- A team's relief pitcher who finishes the game cutter -- A cut fastball (one with a late break to it) cycle -- When a batter hits a single, double, triple and home run in the same game. dinger -- A home run dish -- Home plate fireman -- A team's closer or late-inning relief pitcher fungo -- A ball hit to a fielder during practice. It's usually hit by a coach using a "fungo bat," which is longer and thinner than a normal bat gap -- See "alley." A ball hit here is a "gapper" gopher ball -- A pitch hit for a home run, as in "go for" heat -- A good fastball. Also "heater" high and tight -- Referring to a pitch that's up in the strike zone and inside on a hitter. Also known as "up and in" hill -- Pitcher's mound homer -- A home run. Other terms include: blast, dinger, dong, four-bagger, four-base knock, moon shot, tape-measure blast and tater hot corner -- Third base in the hole -- The batter after the on-deck hitter jam -- When a hitter gets a pitch near his hands, he is "jammed." Also when a pitcher gets himself in trouble, he is in a "jam" leather -- Refers to how good a player plays defensively or handles the glove, as in "He flashed some leather on that play" meatball -- An easy pitch to hit, usually right down the middle of the plate Mendoza line -- A batting average of .200, as in a .190 average being "below the Mendoza line" moon shot -- A very long, high home run nail down -- As in "nail down a victory." Refers to a relief pitcher finishing off the game on the screws -- When a batter hits the ball hard. Also "on the button." painting the black -- When a pitcher throws the ball over the edge of the plate. pea -- A ball traveling at high speed, either batted or thrown. pepper -- Pepper is a common pre-game exercise where one player bunts brisk grounders and line drives to a group of fielders who are standing about 20 feet away. The fielders try to throw it back as quickly as possible. The batter hits the return throw. (Some ballparks ban pepper games because wild pitches could land in the stands and injure spectators) pick -- A good defensive play by an infielder on a ground ball. Also a shortened version of "pick-off" pickle -- A rundown punchout -- A strikeout rhubarb -- A fight or scuffle ribbie -- Another way of saying RBI. Also "ribeye" rope -- A hard line drive hit by a batter. Also "frozen rope" rubber game -- The deciding game of a series run-down -- When a base runner gets caught between bases by the fielders Ruthian -- With great power seeing-eye single -- A soft ground ball that finds its way between infielders for a base hit set-up man -- A relief pitcher who usually enters the game in the 7th or 8th inning before the closer shoestring catch -- A running catch made just above the fielder's shoe tops southpaw -- A left-handed pitcher sweet spot -- The part of the bat just a few inches down from end of the barrel table setter -- Batter whose job is to get on base for other hitters to drive him in. Usually a leadoff or # 2 hitter tape-measure blast -- An extremely long home run tater -- A home run Texas Leaguer -- A bloop hit that drops between an infielder and outfielder tools of ignorance -- Catcher's equipment touch 'em all -- Hitting a home run (touching all the bases) twin killing -- A double play Uncle Charlie -- Curve ball utility player -- A player who fills in at many positions wheelhouse -- A hitter's power zone. Usually a pitch waist-high and over the heart of the plate wheels -- A ballplayer's legs whiff -- Strikeout yakker -- Curve ball |