There are numerous names given to Pitchers or hurler over the years.
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter who attempts to either make contact with it or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the pitcher is assigned the number 1. he term "pitch" (which literally means "to place") comes from the early days when an underhand delivery was required, as with "pitching" horseshoes. The original rules specified that the ball was to be "pitched, not thrown to the bat." Overhand throwing by the pitcher has been legal since 1884, but the term pitcher and its variants remain in the language of the game.
A team's best starting pitcher is usually called the ACE.
Spot starter is a pitcher who starts an occasional game (perhaps only one game) who is not a regular starter in the rotation. This is a pitcher who is already on a team's roster and usually works as a relief pitcher. In contrast to a spot starter, who is already on the roster, an emergency starter is typically a player who is brought up from the minor leagues on very short notice because a regular starter is injured. Sometimes, however, even a player who is already on the roster may be referred to as an emergency starter if his starting role arises because the regularly scheduled starter has been injured.
A team's closer or late-inning relief pitcher is called a fireman.
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A relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher brought in the game as a substitute for (i.e., "to relieve") another pitcher.
A pitcher the manager brings in late in the ball game to finish up the game is called a closer. Normally a really good closing pitcher will not pitch until the last two or the last inning to close out the game.
A relief pitcher who usually enters the game in the 7th or 8th inning is called a setup man.
Southpaw is a Left-hander, especially a pitcher. Most baseball stadiums are built so that home plate is in the west and the outfield is in the east, so that when the sun sets it is not in the batter's eye. Because of this, a left-handed pitcher's arm is always facing south when he faces the plate. Thus he has a "southpaw."
Washed Up is when a pitcher looses his ability to fire that ball with authority and hitters begin to blast whatever he throws, then we claim he is washed up.
Fireballer is a pitcher who throws extremely high-velocity fastballs, in excess of 95 miles per hour. A flamethrower.
A headhunter is a pitcher who has a reputation for throwing beanballs.
A Junkball pitcher who throws predominantly breaking balls and knuckleballs, pitches that are difficult to hit due to movement rather than velocity.
LOOGY is a mildly derogatory nickname for a left-handed specialist. An acronym for "Lefty One Out GuY," a left-handed pitcher who may be brought into the game to pitch against just one or two left-handed batters to take extreme advantage of platoon effects.
ROOGY is a slightly derogatory acronym for a right-handed relief specialist. Stands for "Righty One Out GuY".
A mop-up pitcher is usually the bullpen's least effective reliever who comes in after the outcome of the game is all but certain. Sometimes other position players also come in to mop up in the last inning in order to gain playing experience as well as give the regulars a rest.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
The Heater
The fastball (also called hummer and other names) is the most common type of pitch in baseball. Some "power pitchers," like Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens and Satchel Paige have thrown it at speeds of 95-104 mph (152.9-167.3 km/h) (officially) and up to 107.9 mph (173.6 km/h) (unofficially), relying purely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit. Others throw more slowly but put movement on the ball or throw it on the outside of the plate where the batter cannot easily reach it. The appearance of a faster pitch to the batter can sometimes be achieved by minimizing the batter's vision of the ball before its release. The result is known as an "exploding fastball", a pitch that seems to arrive at the plate quickly despite its low velocity. Fastballs are usually thrown with backspin, so that the Magnus effect creates an upward force on the ball, causing it to fall less rapidly than might be expected. A pitch on which this effect is most marked is often called a "rising fastball", as the ball appears to rise to the batter. Colloquially, use of the fastball is called throwing heat or putting steam on it, among many other variants.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Ground Ball
A ground ball is a ball when hit travels along the ground. There are many nicknames for a grounder. One of the most famous is a chopper, which is a ball that bounces high.
A scratch hit is a weakly hit ground ball that eludes the infielders and leads to a base hit, also known as a bleeder.
A batted ground ball that just eludes capture by an infielder, just out of infielder's range, as if it could "see" where it needed to go is sometimes called a seeing-eye ball. Less commonly used for a ball that takes an unusual lateral bounce to elude an infielder.
Daisy cutter is an old-fashioned term for a hard-hit ground ball, close enough to the grass to theoretically be able to lop the tops off any daisies that might be growing on the field.
Worm burner is a hard hit ground ball that "burns" the ground.
A scratch hit is a weakly hit ground ball that eludes the infielders and leads to a base hit, also known as a bleeder.
A batted ground ball that just eludes capture by an infielder, just out of infielder's range, as if it could "see" where it needed to go is sometimes called a seeing-eye ball. Less commonly used for a ball that takes an unusual lateral bounce to elude an infielder.
Daisy cutter is an old-fashioned term for a hard-hit ground ball, close enough to the grass to theoretically be able to lop the tops off any daisies that might be growing on the field.
Worm burner is a hard hit ground ball that "burns" the ground.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Hit by Pitch
In baseball, hit by pitch (HBP), or hit batsman (HB), refers to the batter being hit in some part of the body by a pitch from the pitcher. Per baseball official rule, a batter becomes a baserunner and is awarded first base when he or his equipment (except for his bat):
* is touched by a pitched ball outside of the strike zone,
* and he attempts to avoid it (or had no opportunity to avoid it),
* and he did not swing at the pitch.
If all these conditions are met, the ball is dead, and other baserunners advance if they are forced to vacate their base by the batter taking first. The rule further clarifies that a hit by pitch is also called when a pitch touches a batter's clothing.
In the case where a batter swings and the pitch hits him anyway, the ball is dead and a strike is called. If the batter does not attempt to avoid the pitch, he is not awarded first base, and the pitch is ruled a strike if in the strike zone and a ball if out of the strike zone. In practice, umpires rarely make this call. Perhaps the most famous instance of a non-hit by pitch was on May 31, 1968, when Don Drysdale hit Dick Deitz with a pitch that would have forced in a run and ended Drysdale's scoreless innings streak at 44. Umpire Harry Wendelstedt ruled that Dietz made no effort to avoid the pitch, Dietz proceeded to fly out, and Drysdale's scoreless streak continued to a then-record 58 2/3 innings.
A hit by pitch can also be called on a pitch that has touched the ground. Such a bouncing pitch is like any other, and if a batter is hit by such a pitch, he will be awarded first unless he made no attempt to avoid it.
The rule awarding first base to a batter hit by a pitch was instituted in 1887.
hit the deck is when a batter drops or dives to the ground to avoid being hit by a pitch. "The third kind of pitch is the one that is coming right at your head. This one you don't even have time to think about. Some part of you sees the ball as it leaves the pitcher's hand, and something about the fact that the ball is coming straight toward your eye makes it almost disappear into a blind spot. You hit the deck before you even know you've done it."
"Beanball" is a colloquial sports term for a ball thrown at an opposing player with the intention of striking him such as to cause harm, often connoting a throw at the player's head (or "bean" in old-fashioned slang)
Chin music means a pitch that comes near the batter's face. The pitcher's intent may be to cause the batter to move "back" such that it is more difficult to hit a future outside pitch, to frighten the batter into a poorer batting approach, to intimidate opposing batters, or to actually hit the batter with the pitch. In the late 1800s, at baseball's inception, the phrase "chin music" was used to describe razzing or heckling from the fans. It began being used as a synonym for a brushback pitch around World War II.
In baseball, a brushback pitch is one thrown in such a way that the batter must move back to avoid it. It differs from the beanball in that the intent is not to hit the batter, but to force him to back off the plate, and be wary for the rest of the at bat. It is most commonly thrown as a fastball, although sometimes as a curveball. Play-by-play announcers will sometimes call a high brushback pitch as being "high and tight." Some announcers also call it "chin music"
* is touched by a pitched ball outside of the strike zone,
* and he attempts to avoid it (or had no opportunity to avoid it),
* and he did not swing at the pitch.
If all these conditions are met, the ball is dead, and other baserunners advance if they are forced to vacate their base by the batter taking first. The rule further clarifies that a hit by pitch is also called when a pitch touches a batter's clothing.
In the case where a batter swings and the pitch hits him anyway, the ball is dead and a strike is called. If the batter does not attempt to avoid the pitch, he is not awarded first base, and the pitch is ruled a strike if in the strike zone and a ball if out of the strike zone. In practice, umpires rarely make this call. Perhaps the most famous instance of a non-hit by pitch was on May 31, 1968, when Don Drysdale hit Dick Deitz with a pitch that would have forced in a run and ended Drysdale's scoreless innings streak at 44. Umpire Harry Wendelstedt ruled that Dietz made no effort to avoid the pitch, Dietz proceeded to fly out, and Drysdale's scoreless streak continued to a then-record 58 2/3 innings.
A hit by pitch can also be called on a pitch that has touched the ground. Such a bouncing pitch is like any other, and if a batter is hit by such a pitch, he will be awarded first unless he made no attempt to avoid it.
The rule awarding first base to a batter hit by a pitch was instituted in 1887.
hit the deck is when a batter drops or dives to the ground to avoid being hit by a pitch. "The third kind of pitch is the one that is coming right at your head. This one you don't even have time to think about. Some part of you sees the ball as it leaves the pitcher's hand, and something about the fact that the ball is coming straight toward your eye makes it almost disappear into a blind spot. You hit the deck before you even know you've done it."
"Beanball" is a colloquial sports term for a ball thrown at an opposing player with the intention of striking him such as to cause harm, often connoting a throw at the player's head (or "bean" in old-fashioned slang)
Chin music means a pitch that comes near the batter's face. The pitcher's intent may be to cause the batter to move "back" such that it is more difficult to hit a future outside pitch, to frighten the batter into a poorer batting approach, to intimidate opposing batters, or to actually hit the batter with the pitch. In the late 1800s, at baseball's inception, the phrase "chin music" was used to describe razzing or heckling from the fans. It began being used as a synonym for a brushback pitch around World War II.
In baseball, a brushback pitch is one thrown in such a way that the batter must move back to avoid it. It differs from the beanball in that the intent is not to hit the batter, but to force him to back off the plate, and be wary for the rest of the at bat. It is most commonly thrown as a fastball, although sometimes as a curveball. Play-by-play announcers will sometimes call a high brushback pitch as being "high and tight." Some announcers also call it "chin music"
Friday, July 4, 2008
The Home Run
The most prolific hit in baseball today, is the home run. A home run is scored when the ball is hit in a way that the batter is able to circle all the bases, with no errors by the defensive players.
Today most homers are hit out of the playing field within the two foul lines. In the early days of baseball, base balls hit out of the playing field were considered fround rule doubles. Most player in the early days did not try to hit homers because the rules discouraged them. An outfielder was able to score an out by catching a fly ball on its first bounce.
In 1884 the rules were changed so that a ball hit out of the park was considered a home run. Ned Williamson set the major league record of 27 homers in 112 games that stood until Red Sox star Babe Ruth posted 29 homers in 1919, in a 140-game schedule. Prior to 1931, a ball that bounced over an outfield fence during a major league game was considered a home run. The rule was changed to require the ball to clear the fence on the fly, and balls that reached the seats on a bounce became ground rule doubles in most parks. Also, until approximately that time, the ball had to not only go over the fence in fair territory, but to land in the bleachers in fair territory or to still be visibly fair when disappearing behind a wall. The rule stipulated "fair when last seen" by the umpires. In the book "The Year Babe Ruth Hit 104 Home Runs", Bill Jenkinson estimates that Babe Ruth lost at least 50 and as many as 78 in his career due to this rule.
Slang terms for home runs include, big fly, blast, bomb, circuit clout, dinger, ding-dong, dong, four-bagger, four-base knock, goner, gopher ball, homer, jack, long ball, moonshot, quadruple, round-tripper, shot, slam, swat, tape-measure shot, tater, and wallop. The act of hitting a home run can be called going deep or going yard or going home; additionally, with men on base, it can be called clearing the table. A comparatively long home run can be described as Ruthian, named after Babe Ruth's legendary drives. The act of attempting to hit a home run, whether successful or not, can also be termed swinging for the fences. A game with many home runs in it can be referred to as a slugfest or home run derby. A player who hits a home run is said to have "dialed 8", from the practice of having to dial 8 from a hotel room telephone to dial long distance. A grand slam is often referred to as a grand salami or simply, a salami.
Today most homers are hit out of the playing field within the two foul lines. In the early days of baseball, base balls hit out of the playing field were considered fround rule doubles. Most player in the early days did not try to hit homers because the rules discouraged them. An outfielder was able to score an out by catching a fly ball on its first bounce.
In 1884 the rules were changed so that a ball hit out of the park was considered a home run. Ned Williamson set the major league record of 27 homers in 112 games that stood until Red Sox star Babe Ruth posted 29 homers in 1919, in a 140-game schedule. Prior to 1931, a ball that bounced over an outfield fence during a major league game was considered a home run. The rule was changed to require the ball to clear the fence on the fly, and balls that reached the seats on a bounce became ground rule doubles in most parks. Also, until approximately that time, the ball had to not only go over the fence in fair territory, but to land in the bleachers in fair territory or to still be visibly fair when disappearing behind a wall. The rule stipulated "fair when last seen" by the umpires. In the book "The Year Babe Ruth Hit 104 Home Runs", Bill Jenkinson estimates that Babe Ruth lost at least 50 and as many as 78 in his career due to this rule.
Slang terms for home runs include, big fly, blast, bomb, circuit clout, dinger, ding-dong, dong, four-bagger, four-base knock, goner, gopher ball, homer, jack, long ball, moonshot, quadruple, round-tripper, shot, slam, swat, tape-measure shot, tater, and wallop. The act of hitting a home run can be called going deep or going yard or going home; additionally, with men on base, it can be called clearing the table. A comparatively long home run can be described as Ruthian, named after Babe Ruth's legendary drives. The act of attempting to hit a home run, whether successful or not, can also be termed swinging for the fences. A game with many home runs in it can be referred to as a slugfest or home run derby. A player who hits a home run is said to have "dialed 8", from the practice of having to dial 8 from a hotel room telephone to dial long distance. A grand slam is often referred to as a grand salami or simply, a salami.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Baseball Battery
In Baseball, the term battery is not something which goes in a car to make it start.
In baseball, the term battery refers collectively to the pitcher and the catcher, comprising two of the nine fielding positions, and distinct from the three outfielders and the four infielders.
The use of the word 'battery' in baseball was first coined by Henry Chadwick in the 1860s in reference to the firepower of a team's pitching staff and inspired by the artillery batteries then in use in the American Civil War. Later, the term evolved to indicate the combined effectiveness of pitcher and catcher.
In baseball, the term battery refers collectively to the pitcher and the catcher, comprising two of the nine fielding positions, and distinct from the three outfielders and the four infielders.
The use of the word 'battery' in baseball was first coined by Henry Chadwick in the 1860s in reference to the firepower of a team's pitching staff and inspired by the artillery batteries then in use in the American Civil War. Later, the term evolved to indicate the combined effectiveness of pitcher and catcher.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Annie Oakley
Annie Oakley is base on balls or a WALK.
Complimentary tickets to the theater or to sporting events have traditionally been punched with holes to designate that the tickets are free. During the late 1800s, these freebies were called "Annie Oakley's" in honor of the famous rifle woman whose feats included shooting holes in small cards. Baseball observers quickly adapted "Annie Oakley" to mean a base on balls, which was and still is also known as a "free ticket" or "free pass" to first base.
Complimentary tickets to the theater or to sporting events have traditionally been punched with holes to designate that the tickets are free. During the late 1800s, these freebies were called "Annie Oakley's" in honor of the famous rifle woman whose feats included shooting holes in small cards. Baseball observers quickly adapted "Annie Oakley" to mean a base on balls, which was and still is also known as a "free ticket" or "free pass" to first base.
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