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.