Baseball Slang
While every sport has its own lingo, no sport uses acronyms and abbreviations as much as baseball. In order to understand baseball stats and commentators, it's important to know basic baseball slang. The list below includes the full range of abbreviations, acronyms, and slang terms used in baseball, from AB to Yard.
Slang Term | Meaning | Votes |
---|---|---|
BF | Batters faced | 564 |
Clutch | Ability to perform under pressure | 578 |
HR | Home run | 588 |
MLB | Major League Baseball | 589 |
ROY | Rookie of the Year | 591 |
Basebrawl | Baseball brawl | 591 |
DFS | Daily Fantasy Sports | 591 |
RBI | Runs batted in | 592 |
2B | Second base | 592 |
DL | Disabled list | 592 |
Can of corn | An easy catch by a fielder | 592 |
Closer | A relief pitcher that finishes a baseball game | 592 |
Rundown | Baserunner stranded between two bases | 592 |
Set the table | To get on base so other hitters can score the baserunners | 592 |
Bush league | Amateur play | 592 |
avg | Batting average | 593 |
SB | Stolen bases | 593 |
Tater | Home run | 593 |
Chin music | Pitch that nearly hits the batter's head | 593 |
TP | Triple play | 593 |
GF | Games finished | 593 |
Wheels | Fast legs | 595 |
Triple | Hit that results in the batter getting to third base | 595 |
SLG | Slugging percentage | 595 |
Mendoza line | .200 batting average | 595 |
Bases juiced | Baserunners on all three bases | 595 |
NLDS | National League Division Series | 596 |
Cinderella | Underdog sports team | 596 |
On deck | Batting second | 596 |
Trade bait | A good player that entices other teams to trade for him | 596 |
Dinger | Home run | 597 |
Homer | Home run | 597 |
Meatball | Easy pitch to hit | 597 |
Bloop | Weakly hit fly ball | 597 |
Single | Hit that results in the batter getting to first base | 597 |
3B | Third base | 597 |
OPS | On-base Plus Slugging Percentage | 597 |
DP | Double play | 597 |
R | Runs | 597 |
Paint the corner | To pitch the ball over the edge of home plate | 597 |
DER | Defensive Efficiency Rating | 597 |
Annie Oakley | Free pass | 597 |
Millennial baseball | A baseball strategy of swinging for home runs instead of base hits | 597 |
ERA | Earned run average | 598 |
Yard | Home run | 598 |
CS | Caught stealing | 598 |
ALCS | American League Championship Series | 598 |
Ace | Best starting pitcher | 598 |
Mash | To hit a baseball well | 598 |
SP | Starting pitcher | 598 |
RP | Relief pitcher | 598 |
LCS | League Championship Series | 598 |
Ride the pine | Sit on the bench | 598 |
Ruthian | Powerful | 598 |
Baltimore chop | Baseball hit that takes a large hop over an infielder | 598 |
Grounder | Baseball hit on the ground | 598 |
Double | Hit that results in the batter getting to second base | 598 |
1B | First base | 598 |
WAR | Wins Above Replacement | 598 |
RF | Right field | 598 |
E1 | Error made by the pitcher | 598 |
E4 | Error made by the second baseman | 598 |
E5 | Error made by the third baseman | 598 |
E6 | Error made by the shortstop | 598 |
Double play | Two outs on the same play | 598 |
Rubber | Pitcher's plate | 598 |
Shoestring catch | Catch made just above a player's shoes | 598 |
Cellar | Last place | 598 |
XBH | Extra base hits | 598 |
Twin killing | Double play | 598 |
Turn two | To record a double play | 598 |
Leadoff | First batter in the lineup | 598 |
Cleanup | Player batting fourth in the lineup | 598 |
fpct | Fielding percentage | 598 |
TC | Total chances | 598 |
Two bagger | Double | 598 |
Bag | Base | 598 |
GSH | Grand Slams | 598 |
SV | Saves | 598 |
Pea | A ball traveling at a high speed | 598 |
Punchout | Strikeout | 598 |
Yakker | Curve ball | 598 |
Shelled | Beaten badly | 598 |
Round-tripper | Home run | 598 |
Bust | A player who does not perform well | 598 |
Pull | To hit a ball to the same side of the field in which you bat | 598 |
pl8 | Plate | 599 |
BB | Bases on balls | 599 |
Ribby | Run batted in | 599 |
AB | At bat | 599 |
L | Losses | 599 |
K | Strikeouts | 599 |
ALDS | American League Division Series | 599 |
C | Catcher | 599 |
Hot corner | Third base | 599 |
Southpaw | Left-handed pitcher | 599 |
Cycle | Single, double, triple, and home run | 599 |
LF | Left field | 599 |
SS | Shortstop | 599 |
E7 | Error made by the left fielder | 599 |
Bronx cheer | Noise that signals mockery | 599 |
Leather | Defense ability | 599 |
Dish | Home plate | 599 |
In the hole | Batting third | 599 |
Uncle Charlie | Curve ball | 599 |
WS | World Series | 599 |
GIDP | Ground into double play | 599 |
NP | Number of pitches | 599 |
SF | Sacrifice Flies | 599 |
TPA | Total plate appearances | 599 |
GS | Games started | 599 |
Grand Slam | A four-run home run | 599 |
Four bagger | Home run | 599 |
Sweet spot | The part of the bat that provides the best contact | 599 |
Maddux | Complete game shutout with less than 100 pitches | 599 |
IBB | Intentional bases on balls | 599 |
G | Games played | 599 |
PB | Passed balls | 599 |
Three bagger | Triple | 599 |
LIPS | Late inning pressured situations | 599 |
Put out fires | Get out of difficult situations | 599 |
Backdoor slider | A pitch that breaks over the plate | 599 |
MBFA | Make baseball fun again | 599 |
IL | Injured list | 599 |
MLBPA | Major League Baseball Players Association | 599 |
LOOGY | Left-handed One Out Guy | 599 |
Hops | Jumping ability | 599 |
oppo | Opposite field | 599 |
Cannon | An impressive throwing arm | 599 |
Bomb | Home run | 600 |
P | Pitcher | 600 |
OF | Outfield | 600 |
E | Errors | 600 |
Hotbox | Baserunner stranded between two bases | 600 |
Wheelhouse | Hitter's power zone | 600 |
LOB | Left on base | 600 |
inn | Innings played | 600 |
bk | Balks | 600 |
Cheddar | Good fastball | 600 |
Jam | To pitch near a batter's hands | 601 |
RPI | Ratings Percentage Index | 601 |
E9 | Error made by the right fielder | 601 |
Blowing a raspberry | Making a jeering noise | 601 |
Touch em all | Home run | 601 |
Frozen rope | Line drive baseball hit | 601 |
CGL | Complete game losses | 601 |
PA | Plate appearances | 601 |
Bush | Amateur play | 601 |
Rib | Run batted in | 602 |
CG | Complete games | 602 |
HBP | Hit by pitch | 602 |
Cheese | Good fastball | 602 |
GRSL | Grand Slams | 602 |
Table setter | A player who gets on base so other hitters can hit him in | 602 |
Heater | Fastball | 600 |
NLCS | National League Championship Series | 600 |
Tater trot | Home run trot | 600 |
ER | Earned runs | 600 |
Line drive | Hard hit baseball in the air | 600 |
Texas Leaguer | Weak fly ball hit to the outfield | 600 |
OBP | On-base Percentage | 600 |
CF | Center field | 600 |
E2 | Error made by the catcher | 600 |
E8 | Error made by the center fielder | 600 |
Around the horn | Double play from third to second to first base | 600 |
Triple play | Three outs on the same play | 600 |
Brushback | Pitch that almost hits the hitter | 600 |
High and tight | High and inside pitch | 600 |
Pickle | Baserunner stranded between two bases | 600 |
Hill | Pitcher's mound | 600 |
On the button | Hard hit ball | 600 |
Putout | Out | 600 |
PO | Putouts | 600 |
Paint the black | To pitch the ball over the edge of home plate | 600 |
Rope | Line drive baseball hit | 600 |
sac | Sacrifice bunts | 600 |
OFA | Outfield assists | 600 |
RF | Range factor | 600 |
AO | Fly outs | 600 |
GO | Ground outs | 600 |
Bases loaded | Baserunners on all three bases | 600 |
HB | Hit batsmen | 600 |
hld | Hold | 600 |
IP | Innings pitched | 600 |
IRA | Inherited runs allowed | 600 |
RW | Relief wins | 600 |
Fireman | Late-inning relief pitcher | 600 |
Cutter | Cut fastball | 600 |
Whiff | Swinging strikeout | 600 |
UR | Unearned runs | 600 |