Baseball slang and definitions that start with the letter A
SportsDo you ever sit down to watch a ball game, and here the announcer says, “That pitcher is all over the place!” Or how about, “He took it to the alley!” Are you the person who says, “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Then this article is just for you. I am going to go over a popular slang used in baseball and I am going to do it step by step with the alphabet. I guess you can say that this will be some kind of baseball slang dictionary, and this particular article starts out like Webster’s Dictionary, with the letter A. Of course, some of these terms are hardly used anymore, but who’s to say? They can ‘It’s back in fashion and, hey, you might even learn some weird facts about the game too!
Ace: 1. An excellent pitcher. The term generally refers to the best starting pitcher on a team, although it can also pertain to the best reliever on a pitching staff, as in BULLPEN ACE or RELIEF ACE. “Ace” is derived from Asa Brainard, the only pitcher on the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings team. Brainard’s record, as well as the team’s, was 56 wins, no losses, and a draw. From then on, any pitcher who won many games was called “Asa”, which was eventually shortened to “ace”. Also STOP. 2. A career. In the 1840s, when men’s recreational clubs formed the first amateur baseball teams, the terms on the cards were often applied to baseball, such as “ace” for a run scored. Today, the first definition is the most widely used.
Action Pitch: A pitch thrown on a three-ball count and two strikes with two outs and a man on first base, men on first and second, or with the bases loaded. In either of these situations, the man or men at the base start running just before the pitch is thrown, so that they can jump in the event of a hit.
Afterpiece: The second game of a doubleheader. Also NIGHTCAP, which is the term most used today.
Agent – A representative hired by a player to handle his business affairs, especially contract negotiations. In 1970, baseball team owners agreed that a player could use a representative in salary negotiations. Three years later, Jerry Kapstein became the first agent of the new system. His first client was outfielder Richie Zisk of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Air Ball – A fly ball, a late 19th century baseball term.
Alibi Ike: A player who has an excuse for each of his failures on the field. The name comes from a 1915 Ring Lardner short story of that title about such a player.
Alley: The area of the field between the left fielder and the center fielder, or between the center fielder and the right fielder. Also GAP and POWER ALLEY.
All Over The Plate: Unable to throw strikes. The phrase refers to a pitcher whose delivery is consistent and varied outside the strike zone, and it can also refer to the pitches themselves. Also WILD.
All-Star Break – The three-day break in the regular season during which the All-Star Game is played.
All-Star Game – An annual exhibition game that pits the best players in the American League against the best in the National League. Also MIDSUMMER CLASSIC. In 1933, Chicago Tribune sports editor Arch Ward conceived the idea for the game, which would be played at Chicago’s Comiskey Park in conjunction with the city’s Century of Progress exhibition. The game took place on July 6, with a two-run homer by Babe Ruth that led the Americans to a 4-2 victory. The selection of the All-Star squads, always a controversial process, was decided by the respective managers (the captains of the league champions from the previous season) throughout the 1946 game, although fans offered their suggestions in informal polls. conducted by baseball officials in 1933 and 1934. From 1947 to 1957, the selection was given to the fans. But after Cincinnati fans were accused of filling the polls in favor of Red 1957, major league players, coaches and managers began to choose All-Star teams, and they did so until 1969. Baseball Bowie Kuhn returned the vote to fans in 1970.
Alternate pitch – A euphemism for an illegal pitch. When a pitcher is having a bad game, he often has no choice but to go for his bag of tricks, the most useful of which is illegally putting some foreign substance, such as hair cream, saliva, or sweat, on the ball, so like to make it break abruptly and unexpectedly as it gets closer to home plate.
American Association: 1. A professional baseball league that lasted from 1882 to 1891. It was the third major league formed, after the National Association (1871-1875) and the National League (1876-). 2. One of the top three minor leagues, or AAA, of the minors, along with the Pacific Coast League and the International League.
American League: One of the two major leagues, the other is the National League. Abbreviated AL. The American League was founded in 1901 by Byron Bancroft “Ban” Johnson and was immediately proclaimed an equal competitor to the National League, which had been founded 15 years earlier. The new league was dubbed the “youth circuit,” a name that is still used even though the two leagues have been considered equal since the early years of their rivalry. The founding member teams of the American League were in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. In 1969, each major league was restructured into two six-team divisions known as the East and West Divisions. In 1977, the American League added a team to each of its divisions. In 1994, the league, along with the National League, reorganized into three divisions (East, Central, and West) and added a second round to the playoffs in the form of the League Divisional Series, with the best team in second place. advancing to the playoffs as a wild card team, in addition to the three division champions. Originally, the Milwaukee Brewers were in the Central division, but left to join the National League in 1998, and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays joined the East division, which maintained the league’s membership at 14 teams.
Angel: A cloud, in a practically clear sky, that allows a fielder to see a high ball better. Also known as GUARDIAN ANGEL.
Annie Oakley: A walk or a WALK. Complimentary tickets for theater or sporting events have traditionally been pierced with holes to indicate that the tickets are free. In the late 1800s, these gifts were called “Annie Oakleys” in honor of the famous riflewoman whose exploits included shooting holes in small cards. Baseball observers quickly adapted “Annie Oakley” to refer to a base on balls, which was and still is known as a “free ticket” or “free pass.”
Ant: A fan. The word dates back to the early 1900s and comes from the observation that the fans in the stands often seem as small as ants to the players.
Appeal Play: A special appeal made by the defensive team to an umpire after a base runner has failed to score a fly ball or has neglected to step on a base while advancing or returning to his original base. To put the runner out on appeal, a defensive player with the ball must touch the runner or the base that failed or the base from which he failed to score correctly. The appeal must be made to the referee before the next pitch. The umpire may have seen the wrong play, but will not call the out unless the defense has appealed.
Apple – A baseball, named for its resemblance to an apple.
Arbitration: the process by which an objective party, or referee, resolves a contractual dispute between a player and the management of his team. Such arbitration cases are binding; the decision is totally in favor of the player or the club. Umpiring was first used in major league baseball in 1974.
Arlie Latham: A hard hitting grounder that’s tough to field. Arlie Latham, a Major League Baseball third baseman in the late 1800s, had a reputation for letting hard balls pass rather than risk injury by getting in front of them.
Arm: 1. Excellent throwing ability, as in “That garden has an incredible arm.” 2. A strong throwing arm. Also known as BAZOOKA, CANNON, GUN and RIFLE.
Around The Horn: Refers to a double play in which third baseman fields a grounder and throws to second baseman, who forces a runner to second base and then throws to first base to retire the batter. The term derives from the custom of ships taking the long route around Cape Horn at the tip of South America to get from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, or vice versa, before the construction of the Panama Canal.
Artificial Turf – A carpet-like synthetic surface that has replaced grass pitches in some major league stadiums. Also known as CARPET and CARPET. The first artificial playing surface was installed at the Houston Astrodome in 1965. On April 9 of that year, the New York Yankees defeated the Houston Astros, 2-1, in an exhibition at the Astrodome, the first game played on a synthetic field. surface. Today, the only teams still using artificial turf are the Toronto Blue Jays, the Minnesota Twins and the Tampa Bay Rays. Probably the best editorial comment on artificial turf came from a player, often attributed to Willie Mays or Dick Allen, who said, “If the cows don’t eat it, I won’t play on it.”
Ash: Beat it. Ash has strength and strength, and has long been one of the preferred types of wood for making bats.
Aspirin, aspirin tablet: A baseball thrown or thrown with such speed that it appears as small as an aspirin.
Assist: A credit for a fielder’s direct participation in one out. You get an assist by making a throw that results in an out, or by touching a batted ball on a play that results in an out.
There you go. Baseball slang in the melody of the letter A!