Baseball Terminology

Front

ball

Back

Meaning:
a pitch thrown outside the strike zone

Example Sentence:
I walked to first base after the pitcher threw four balls.

Front

base

Back

Meaning:
one of four "safe havens" to be reached in turn by a runner

Example Sentence:
Stay on the base until the ball is hit.

Front

base hit

Back

Meaning:
a play in which the batter hits the ball into fair territory and gets at least to first base

Example Sentence:
He had a good game, getting five base hits altogether.

Front

bases loaded

Back

Meaning:
situation in which a runner is waiting on each of three bases

Example Sentence:
I was very nervous because our bases were loaded and we'd get 4 runs and win if I hit a home run.

Front

bat

Back

Meaning:
instrument made of aluminium or wood that is used to hit the ball while batting

Example Sentence:
He hit the ball so hard that his bat was broken.

Front

batter

Back

Meaning:
player whose job is to hit the ball with a bat

Example Sentence:
The batters wait in the dugout until it's time to bat.

Front

batter's box

Back

Meaning:
an area around home plate marked by white lines in which a batter must stand

Example Sentence:
The umpire makes sure the batter is standing in the batter's box.

Front

bunt

Back

Meaning:
light hit made by letting the ball hit the bat without swinging it

Example Sentence:
He hit a bunt and the ball rolled slowly along the ground while he ran quickly to first base.

Front

catcher

Back

Meaning:
player who squats behind home plate and catches pitches the batter doesn't hit

Example Sentence:
Our catcher spends a lot of time practicing hand signals with our pitchers.

Front

change up

Back

Meaning:
a slow pitch thrown with the same arm action as a fastball, intended to deceive the batter

Example Sentence:
One of his best pitches is his change up as most batters can't spot it and they have trouble hitting it.