Talkin’ Baseball
I thought that it might be fun (and necessary) to explain some of the rather obscure baseball
slang that is used on some of the game's Strategy Cards. In an effort to make the cards (and the
corresponding events and strategies that they represent) more "colorful", I used baseball's slang
terminology to describe the action. Some of the slang is obvious …. some not so much. So in
order to get the proper gist of some of these card titles, here's a little elaboration to help you
along. – Hermann Luttmann
Ducks on the Pond & No Room at the Inn: These both mean essentially the same thing ... the
bases are jammed with your runners! The "ducks on the pond" phrase is probably a hunting
reference and refers to the hunter (batter) having great target (run scoring) opportunities. The "no
room at the inn" is fairly obvious - there is a "No Vacancy" sign up on the basepaths!
Paint the Corner & On the Black: Home plate is predominantly white, but if you look closer
you'll see a black border around its outer edge. A pitcher who can throw the baseball so it just
touches that edge (which is a strike and very difficult to hit) is said to be able to "paint the
corner" (in other words, brush the painted portion of the plate). This skill is also called pitching
"on the black", as the ball barely touches the white (and meatier) part of home plate.
Pull the String: Batters will admit that probably the most devastating pitch, when thrown well,
is the "changeup". Since a great part of hitting is proper timing, a pitch that can throw off that
timing is particulary dangerous. A changeup does just that - it appears to be a fastball, coming in
at a certain speed, and as the batter begins to swing early enough to catch up to it, the ball is not
there! Why? Because it actually thrown about 10 miles per hour slower than the anticipated
fastball and that subtle difference is enough to destroy a batters timing to the ball. The ball acts
as if the pitcher has a string attached to it and he teasingly pulls the ball away from the batter just
as he swings.
Web Gem: A term made famous on ESPN and describes a fielder's tremendous and
acrobatic defensive play. The "web" part refers to a glove's leathery web into which the ball
lands when caught.
Yellow Hammer: Describes a very sharp-breaking curveball and is named after the
yellowhammer, a bird which utilizes a very steep dive maneuver to catch its prey.
Climb the Ladder: A sequence of pitches delivered in such a manner that each pitch is
tantalizingly slightly higher than the last one. The last pitch (or the last wrung of the ladder) lures
the batter into swinging at a pitch that is in his eyes and thus too high to hit well.
Can of Corn: A high, easy-to-catch fly ball. There are a number of theories as to the origin of
this phrase, but the one that makes the most sense is the "grocery" story. This explanation refers
to the nineteenth-century grocer's method of getting canned goods down from a high shelf. He
utilized a long stick with a hook on the end and could tip a can so that it would fall straight down
into his apron for an easy catch.
Texas Leaguer: A badly hit ball that nevertheless drops in for a hit between the infielders and
outfielders - also referred to as a "flare" or "blooper". The term was first used by a game
announcer in 1896 as a derisive term to describe the major league debut of Ollie Pickering, a
minor league star from the Texas League. When Pickering hit seven straight bloop hits to start
his career, the announcer described the cheap hits as those "Texas Leaguers".
6-4-3 Double Play: A common double play (in which two outs are achieved with one batted
ball) in which the shortstop scoops up the ball, throws it to the second baseman who then throws
the ball to the first baseman. But hey, you say, what's with the three numbers? Well, all nine
fielders have a number assigned to them to make the official scoring easier. Therefore, this play
is described as a "6" (shortstop) to "4" (second baseman) to "3" (first baseman) double play. The
most famous 6-4-3 double play combination is probably the Chicago Cubs' Tinkers to Evers to
Chance.
Lord Charles: Curveball's have many colorful nicknames, but "Uncle Charlie" is one of the
most common. However, a truly awesome, knee-buckling bodacious curveball earns the regal
sobriquet of "Lord Charles".
Chin Music: It behooves a pitcher to prevent a batter from leaning over home plate, reaching for
the outside corner (see “Paint the Corner” above). In order to move a batter “off the plate”, a
pitcher can pitch the ball inside – really inside. To assure that the batter backs up, the ball is
often directed at the general area of the batter’s head. So phrases like “Chin Music”, “High &
Tight” and “Beanball” all refer to this strategy – a strategy which many times leads to a brawl.
Around the Horn: This describes a difficult 5-4-3 double play (see “6-4-3 Double Play” above),
from the third baseman to the second baseman to the first baseman. Because of the long trip the
ball takes (it goes around the infield from one corner to the other) the journey is viewed as being
synonymous with a ship making the difficult voyage around Cape Horn.
Small Ball: When a team needs to scratch out just a run or two and has players with the
necessary skills, it can resort to “small ball”. This is the strategy of doing the “small” things to
win – bunting, sacrificing, drawing walks, taking one base at a time, etc. Another phrase to
describe these tactics is “manufacturing runs”.
Extra Mustard / High Cheese: These are simply terms to describe fastballs that are thrown with
extra effort, determination and/or precision.
Set the Table: The ability of a batter to get on base by whatever means necessary (perhaps using
“Small Ball”, see above) in front of the big boppers. These batters are “setting the table” so the
big guys can have a feast.
In the Wheelhouse: This is batter’s power zone and is usually a spot about waist high and in the
middle of the plate.
In His Kitchen: This is a zone close to the batter, in on his hands, so that he cannot extend his
arms and get a good swing on the ball.