In the world of baseball, an interesting language of slang and distinct terms can often be heard in the dugouts and on the fields. Pat Murphy, the manager of the Milwaukee Brewers, shared this fact with Tyler Arnold, the son of the team’s general manager, advising him that the language goes hand in hand with wearing a baseball glove. However, the language of baseball isn’t always family-friendly, as Seth Lugo, a pitcher for the Kansas City Royals, pointed out. Explaining to his son baseball terms in acceptable language, such as replacing RBI, ‘runs batted in’, with ‘steak dinner’, offers a way for him to understand the game’s lingo in a more kid-friendly way.
Exclusively belonging to baseball, this peculiar vocabulary often puzzles those outside of the sport. For example, when a pitcher strikes out a batter, fans may hear shouts of “doors!” – essentially conveying that the pitcher’s fastball was so fast it ‘blew the doors off’ the batter. Some terms remain applicable to broader life situations, often used humorously. The grading system, 20 to 80, used to evaluate talent within the sport, has found its way into everyday life, described by Arnold as rating everything from sandwiches to restaurants in unseen jestful ways. Though many outsiders might find certain terms confusing, baseball insiders see them as endearingly unique facets of their passion for the sport.
Indeed, the question “how fast was that pitch?” might confuse a baseball insider. Instead, they’d phrase it as “how hard is he throwing?” or “what was the velo on that pitch?” expressing the difference between those inside baseball circles and those outside. Tying in with this idea, Derek Falvey, the president of baseball operations for the Minnesota Twins, humorously remarks that asking about the ‘velo’ of one’s drive home would be nonsensical and says how asking about the speed of a pitch instantly identifies someone as not being ‘around baseball much.’
Helpfully, the article offered a primer guide for 20 baseball slang terms, helping readers understand their meanings and context. They varied from commonly heard words such as ‘Bang’, meaning to postpone a game, to more intricate terms like ‘show-and-go’, denoting a manager’s decision to give players a later reporting time. ‘Spin’, for example, refers to the kind of revolution that causes a ball to break during a pitch. The term ‘show’ refers to the stylish extravagance befitting someone who is part of ‘The Show’, a name for the major leagues.
The unique language of baseball extends beyond the games and clubhouses, intertwining with players’ and fans’ everyday lives. It seems to be a form of cultural bonding among those who live and breathe baseball, and it certainly adds a certain flavor to the sport. Whether it is learning baseball’s grade system or refreshing their vocabulary with a list of baseball slang, anyone desiring to join the insider circles of baseball can start by learning the sport’s unique language. As the difficulty level of this language demonstrates, individuals deeply embedded in the baseball ecosystem can indeed sound like ‘big leaguers’ in everyday life by using these terms.
