If you’re new to baseball, it’s easy to feel a little lost with all the technical terms, slang, and phrases. Soccer has “offside”, sure, but nothing compared to the whole new language of baseball: what in the world is a “can of corn”, a “dinger”, or an “RBI”?
In fact, many newcomers to baseball often find themselves just nodding along without really knowing what’s going on – the ball gets hit and people run, right? But, as with many great sports, there’s actually a lot more to the game than the fundamental rules.
If you’re one of the quiet nodders, you’re in the right place. We’re going to break down the basics – from must-know rules and scoring lingo to all the fun, colorful expressions that make baseball so unique.
Let’s get stuck in.
The Basics: Common Baseball Terms
Before we slide into the more colorful slang (the real home run), let’s make sure our foundation is strong.
1. RBI (Run Batted In)
This isn’t just alphabet soup. An RBI is when a batter hits the wall and one (or more) of their teammates scores a run. This is great for the whole team because they get more points for one hit.
2. Grand Slam
This one’s not referring to the breakfast at Denny’s. In baseball, a grand slam is when a batter hits a home run with the bases loaded (meaning there’s a runner on each one). This gives them four runs in one go!
3. Home Run
This is when a ball is literally hit out of the park. Because the other team can’t catch it and return it to a base, the batter gets to trot around all the bases and score – which is always a crowd pleaser.
4. Strikeout (K)
A strikeout is when a batter swings and misses three times or takes three strikes looking (without swinging). You might see a bunch of “K”s on signs in the stands – that’s fans tracking strikeouts.
5. Ball and Strike Count (or The Count)
You’ll hear announcers say “the count is full” when the batter has three balls and two strikes. This is usually a super tense and dramatic moment.
There are also terms for how pitchers hold the ball, you can find those out on this cool poster of ours:
Pro Slang Terms
Now that we’ve got the essentials in the pocket, let’s have some fun. Baseball slang is legendary – and is a large part of what gives the game its flavor!
1. Can of Corn
This doesn’t have anything to do with sweetcorn. This refers to a super easy fly ball (one hit to the outside of the field) that a fielder catches without much effort. Sort of like a lazy pop-up (a ball hit to infield) – it indicates that the batter’s not done a great job with the hit.
2. Dinger
This is a home run, but one with style. You’ll hear something like “he crushed that one – absolute dinger!”
3. Ace
This is the best starting pitcher on the team. Every team’s got one (or wishes they did).
4. Heater
This is a fastball (a ball thrown really fast) – “He brought that heater at 99 mph!”
5. Small Ball
A strategy where teams focus on playing “smart” instead of swinging for the fences. They use techniques like “bunts”, where the batter taps the ball, usually into the shallow infield away from fielders, to get runners moving and score points that way. Small ball playing is gritty, old-school, and super satisfying (for the successful team) when it works.
6. Walk-off
When the home team scores the winning run in the bottom of the ninth (or later) – i.e. right at the end of the game – which ends the game instantly. Usually this comes with a lot of very dramatic celebrations.
7. Frozen Rope
A line drive (batted ball) that is hit so hard and straight that it looks like it was fired from a cannon.
8. Around the Horn
After an out, infielders often toss the ball around to keep their arms warm and keep energy up – plus it looks more interesting than everyone standing aimlessly around for a few minutes.
Game-Day Phrases You’ll Hear in the Stands
Half the fun of going to a baseball game is being completely wrapped up in the fan energy in the stands. This energy usually comes with a whole lot of slang! These phrases might not be official, but they’re still part of the experience.
1. “He’s got wheels”
Means “He’s fast”. Like, get-on-a-base-without-blinking fast.
2. “Painting the corner”
When a pitcher nails a pitch right on the edge of the strike zone. Which is usually a great display of precision (or sometimes luck).
3. “Chin music”
A high and tight pitch meant to make the batter back off. Not cool, and can easily turn into a foul, but definitely spicy.
4. “Put it in the books”
Meaning “it’s a wrap!” or “that one’s for history”. This is often said when a game is officially over, usually after a win.
5. “Caught looking”
When a batter doesn’t swing at strike three – so didn’t even try to stay in. Sometimes, though, this embarrassingly happens when a batter loses count of how many strikes they’re on.
Baseball Positions and Field Terms
Still with us? Here’s a mini crash course on positions and field lingo:
- The Diamond: the core of the infield – named so because first, second, and third base, along with the home plate, form a diamond.
- The Hot Corner: third base, because that’s where a lot of hard-hit balls get smoked (hit fast). This is because most batters are right handed – so hits will tend to go towards their left.
- The Battery: the pitcher and catcher working together as a strategic team.
- Bullpen: where relief pitchers warm up before entering the game – named because they’re usually raring to get onto the field.
- On Deck: this is the next batter due to hit after the current one.
Final Tips for Talking Like a Baseball Pro
These are the essential baseball terms, but they’re by no means all the terms – so it’s ok to leave with your head swimming a little. So here are some final tips for getting the lingo down:
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Fans love talking about the game, and it’s usually quite fun to educate someone on the rules & terminology because you then get another person to talk shop with!
- Watching televised games with subtitles can help learn the phrases – a lot of them tend to come really fast so it’s easy to miss them with just audio.
- Play a baseball video game. It’s surprisingly educational because you pick the rules & strategies up by actually playing the game, so everything makes a lot more sense – and you can do it at your own pace. It’s also a great way to learn about different famous stadiums.
Show Off with Displate Posters
And, finally, decorate your fan cave, dorm room, or apartment with baseball stuff! It’s a really fun way to show off your newfound love of the game subtly.
Our baseball-themed metal posters, for example, come with a huge range of designs to suit any aesthetic taste – and they’re super durable. What’s more, they’re easily mounted to walls using a magnetic plate, meaning that it’s really easy to swap out Displate posters with other ones whenever you feel like having a refresh. Check out our baseball range here.
