Image by Paul Brennan from Pixabay

I probably spend too much time referencing baseball in this blog. After all, this is a page devoted to helping you learn and understand the English language. However, American English is filled with words and phrases which come directly from baseball. It has been called the national pastime for a reason. Even if you know absolutely nothing about baseball, you still are going to hear some of these English words and phrases.

Ballparks

Any discussion of baseball’s influence on English has to begin here. You probably know that baseball is played in a ballpark. This piece of real estate is the source of several English expressions.

• Ballpark figure – A cost estimate, not an exact amount
• Keep it in the ballpark – Making a reasonable estimate
• Knock it out of the (ball)park – Better than anyone else, a reference to a homerun
• Out of left field – Balls are thrown into play from the pitcher, the catcher, the umpire, or from the dugout. If a ball appears suddenly from out of left field, it was thrown as if from nowhere. If something is said to have come from left field, it is an unexpected event.

Batting

Hitting, or not hitting, a baseball has its own terminology, and those expressions have become a part of everyday speech.

• Batting a thousand – This is an expression meaning that something is perfect. If you get a hit every time in baseball would give you a batting average of 1.000, or perfection.
• Right off the bat – If something happens right off the bat, it happens immediately. If you hit a baseball in a game there is an instant reaction by the batter, the fielders, and the spectators.
• Big hitter – In baseball, a big hitter hits for power and average. If someone is called a big hitter, they have money and influence.
• Home run – Anyone who hits a homerun has done something good and impressive.
• Grand slam – This is the biggest hit in baseball. A grand slam is a big deal.
• Step up to the plate – You can’t get a hit in baseball if you don’t step up to the (home)plate. To step up to the plate means to at least make an attempt at something.
• On deck – An on-deck hitter is waiting his turn to bat against the pitcher. Anyone waiting to have a chance at something is on deck.

Balls and Strikes

The pitcher in baseball throws the ball in the direction of the batter, who tries to hit the ball with his bat. The pitcher’s job is to get the batter out by either forcing him to miss the ball when he swings at it, or to hit the ball to one of the fielders on the pitcher’s team.

• Thrown a curveball – A curveball spins out of the pitcher’s hand, traveling in an unexpected way. If you’ve been thrown a curve, something surprising and unexpected has happened.
• Two strikes against you – This means that you are perceived to have very little chance of succeeding.
• Strikeout – To be unsuccessful at something.
• Strikeout swinging – To be unsuccessful, but not without putting in some effort,
• Shutout – If a pitcher throws a shutout, no one scored any runs against him. If you are shut out, you had no success.
• Screwball – A screwball moves in the opposite direction of a curveball. In life, a screwball is crazy or eccentric.

Baseball and Life

Many expressions come to us from the life of a baseball player.

• Play ball – To cooperate with someone. If you play ball with me, I’ll play ball with you.
• Raincheck – A ticket given if a game is rained out or called off due to some unforeseen circumstance. To get or give a raincheck is to promise to do something another time.
• A whole new ballgame – If a team suddenly comes back from a deficit to tie or take a lead away from the other team, it’s said to be a whole new ballgame. In life, if there is an unexpected change in any situation, we often say that it a whole new, or a brand new, ballgame.

I’ve only mentioned a few of the most common expressions to come out of baseball. Can you think of any others?