List of baseball jargon (R)
Encyclopedia
rabbit ears
- Indicates a participant in the game who hears things perhaps too well for his own good. A player who becomes nervous or chokes when opposing players or fans yell at or razz him is said to have rabbit ears. Also, an umpire who picks up on every complaint hurled at him from the dugoutsDugout (baseball)In baseball, the dugout is a team's bench area and is located in foul territory between home plate and either first or third base. There are two dugouts, one for the home team and one for the visiting team. In general, the dugout is occupied by all players not prescribed to be on the field at that...
is described this way.
rag arm
- A player, typically a pitcher, with a weak arm. "I hope the Cardinals did not give up an actual Major League player for this rag-arm home-run machine."
railroad
- To run into and knock over the catcher when running home from third base, or to run into a first-baseman when running from home to first. In either case, neither the catcher nor the first baseman may be able to duck out of the way because he must play the ball and stay in position in order to make an out.
rain delay
- Rain delay refers to situations when a game starts late due to rain or is temporarily suspended due to rain. A game that is suspended after it has begun may be resumed either the same day or at a later date. A game that never begins, or that is canceled after it begins due to rainy weather is a rainoutRainout (baseball)Rainout, washout, rain delay, and rain stopped play are terms regarding an outdoor event, generally a sporting event, delayed or cancelled due to rain, or the threat of rain. Delays due to other forms of weather are named "snow delay", "lightning delay", "thunderstorm delay", or "fog delay", while...
and in most cases will be rescheduled for a later date – a make-up date. In the event of a non-tie game past the 5th inning with heavy inclement weather, the game may be called (finalized) with the winner being the team that was winning at the end of the last completed inning.
rainbow
- A curveball with a high arc in its path to the plate.
rainout
- A rainout refers to a game that is canceled or stopped in progress due to rain. Generally, Major League Baseball teams will continue play in light to moderate rain but will suspend play if it is raining heavily or if there is standing water on the field. Games can also be delayed or canceled for other forms of inclement weather, or if the field is found to be unfit for play. If a game is rained out before play begins, a make-up game is rescheduled for a later date. If a game is called after play begins but before 4½ innings have been completed (if the home team is ahead) or five innings have been completed (if the visitors are ahead or the game is tied), the game is not an official game. The umpire declares "No Game," the game is played in its entirety at a later date, and statistics compiled during the game are not counted. Games that are stopped after they become official games count in the standings (unless the game is tied, in which case it is replayed from the beginning), and statistics compiled during the game are counted.
rake
- To really hit the ball hard, all over the park. When you're raking, you're hitting very well. "Mike GoslingMike GoslingMichael Frederick Gosling is a retired left-handed Major League Baseball pitcher who was most recently with the Cleveland Indians organization.-Minnesota Twins:...
allowed one run on five hits over 6⅓ innings and Louisville raked Pawtucket pitching for 14 hits as the BatsLouisville BatsThe Louisville Bats, which play in Louisville, Kentucky, are the AAA minor league baseball affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. The team, formerly known as the Louisville RiverBats, plays in the International League...
defeated the Red SoxPawtucket Red SoxThe Pawtucket Red Sox are the minor league baseball Triple-A affiliates of the Boston Red Sox and belong to the International League...
, 7-1, in an International LeagueInternational LeagueThe International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
game Wednesday."
rally cap
- A capBaseball capA baseball cap is a type of soft cap with a rounded stiff brim. The front of the cap typically contains designs or logos of sports teams ,...
worn backwards, sideways, or inside-out by fans or players to bring a rally. Said to have originated by fans of the New York MetsNew York MetsThe New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
during the 1985 baseball season, when the Mets captured several dramatic come-from-behind victories, and spread to the players themselves some time during the 1986 season. It rose to national awareness during the 1986 World Series1986 World SeriesThe 1986 World Series pitted the New York Mets against the Boston Red Sox. It was cited in the legend of the "Curse of the Bambino" to explain the error by Bill Buckner in Game 6 that allowed the Mets to extend the series to a seventh game...
. The Mets were down three games to two and losing the deciding game to the Red Sox, when in the seventh inning, television cameras showed some of the New York MetsNew York MetsThe New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
players in the dugout wearing their caps inside-out. The team rallied to win the game and the series.
range
- A fielder's ability to move from his position to field a ball in play.
RBI
- An RBI or "run batted in" is a run scored as a result of a hit; a bases-filled walk or hit-by-pitch or awarding of first base due to interference; a sacrifice; or a single-out fielder's choice (not a double play).
- Official credit to a batter for driving in a run.
RBI situation
- Runners in scoring position.
receiver
- Another term for catcherCatcherCatcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
. Also backstop, signal caller.
regular season
- The 162 game schedule that all Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
teams usually complete. However, if a special one-game playoff is required to determine which team goes to the league division championship series (the ALDS or the NLDS), this 163rd game is also counted as part of the regular season. All team and player statistics from this game are also counted as regular season statistics. For example, if a pitcher wins his 20th game in the 163rd game played in the one-game playoff, he would be a "20 game winner" for the season. Similarly, a batter's performance in that extra game might determine whether he wins the title for best batting average or most home runs in the season.
- On occasion, teams do not complete every game of the regular season, specifically when playing a make-up game owing to the previous suspension or cancellation of a game due to weather or some other factor would require scheduling hardships and when the outcome of that game would not affect which teams might make the playoffs.
regulation game
- A standard baseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
game lasts nine innings, although some leagues (such as high school baseball) use seven-inning games. The team with the most runs at the end of the game wins. If the home team is ahead after eight-and-a-half innings have been played, it is declared the winner, and the last half-inning is not played. If the home team is trailing or tied in the last inning and they score to take the lead, the game ends as soon as the winning run touches home plate; however, if the last batter hits a home run to win the game, he and any runners on base are all permitted to score.
- If both teams have scored the same number of runs at the end of a regular-length game, a tie is avoided by the addition of extra innings. As many innings as necessary are played until one team has the lead at the end of an inning. Thus, the home team always has a chance to respond if the visiting team scores in the top half of the inning; this gives the home team a small tactical advantage. In theory, a baseball game could go on forever; in practice, however, they eventually end (although see Longest professional baseball gameLongest professional baseball gameThe Pawtucket Red Sox and Rochester Red Wings, two teams from the Triple-A International League, played the longest game in professional baseball history. It lasted for 33 innings over eight hours and 25 minutes...
). In addition to that rule, a game might theoretically end if both the home and away team were to run out of players to substitute.
relay
- A defensive technique where the ball is thrown by an outfielder to an infielder who then throws to the final target. This is done because accurate throws are more difficult over long distances and the ball loses a considerable amount of speed the farther it must be thrown. Also cut-off. Also the second throw during a double-play. As in "They were only able to get the lead runner because the relay was not in time."
relief pitcher
- A relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher brought in the game as a substitute for (i.e., "to relieve") another pitcher.
reliever
- A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, ejection from the game or fatigue.
rhubarb
- An argument or fight in a baseball game. Hence, Rhubarb, a novel by H. Allen SmithH. Allen SmithFor the congressman see H. Allen SmithHarry Allen Wolfgang Smith was an American journalist and humorist whose books were popular in the 1940s and 1950s, selling millions of copies....
.
rifle
- A very strong arm. A cannon, a bazooka, a gun. Also used as a verb, "He rifled the ball home to catch the runner."
- A batter can also be said to rifle a ball when he hits a hard line driveLine driveIn baseball, a line drive is a type of batted ball, sharply hit, and on a level trajectory. The threshold between a line drive and a fly ball can be subjective....
. "Griffey rifles the ball . . . foul, just outside first base".
right-handed bat
- Although baseball batBaseball batA baseball bat is a smooth wooden or metal club used in the game of baseball to hit the ball after the ball is thrown by the pitcher. It is no more than 2.75 inches in diameter at the thickest part and no more than 42 inches in length. It typically weighs no more than 33 ounces , but it...
s are symmetrical in shape, and thus there is no such thing as a right-handed baseball bat (or a left-handed baseball bat), in colloquial language a hitter who bats right-handed may be referred to as a "right handed bat" or "right-hand bat". Headline: "Can That Right Handed Bat Play Third Base?"
right-handed hitter
- Also "right-hand hitter." A batter who, paradoxically, bats from the left-side of home plate. Typically, an individual who is right-handed in most activities, including throwing a baseball, stands in the left-side batter's box, the one further from first base.
ring him up
- A strikeout. The phrase is probably drawn by analogy to cashiers who ring up the total on the cash register when a customer is ready to pay up. It also comes from the "cha-ching" motion that plate umpires use to signal a strikeout.
rip
- To hit a hard line drive, as in "He ripped a single through the right side."
- A hard swing, usually one that misses the ball: "Reyes took a good rip at that pitch."
RISP
- Acronym for Runners In Scoring Position. See Runner In Scoring Position.
road game
- A game played away from a baseball club's home stadium. When a team plays away from home, it's on a "road trip" and is the "visiting team" at the home stadium of another team.
road trip
- A series of road games or away games occurs on a road trip, a term derived from the days when teams indeed traveled from one town to another by roadway or railroad.
robbed
- When a fielder makes a spectacular play the denies the batter a hit or a home run, the batter may be said to have been "robbed" by the fielder -- as if the fielder had taken away something that belonged to the hitter. Headline: "A-RodAlex RodriguezAlexander Emmanuel "Alex" Rodriguez is an American professional baseball third baseman with the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. Known popularly by his nickname A-Rod, he previously played shortstop for the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers.Rodriguez is considered one of the best...
robbed of HR, JobaJoba ChamberlainJustin Louis "Joba" Chamberlain is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees.-Early life:Chamberlain was born and grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska. Chamberlain's parents, Harlan Chamberlain and Jackie Standley, were never married and split up when Joba was 18 months old...
will join rotation." - When a questionable call is made by an umpire that leads to losing a game, the losing team or its fans may complain that the team was "robbed". "BravesAtlanta BravesThe Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
Robbed of a Win . . . was BeltranCarlos BeltránCarlos Iván Beltrán is a Major League Baseball outfielder.-Early life:In his youth, Beltrán excelled in many sports, with volleyball and baseball being his favorites. At his father's urging, he gave up volleyball to concentrate on baseball when he was seventeen...
Out at 3rd in the 9th?"
ROOGY
- A slightly derogatory acronym for a right-handed relief specialistRelief pitcherA relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
. Stands for "Righty One Out GuY".
rookie
- Conventionally, rookie is a term for athletes in their first year of play in their sport. In Major League Baseball, special rules apply for eligibility for the Rookie of the Year awardMLB Rookie of the Year AwardIn Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is annually given to one player from each league as voted on by the Baseball Writers Association of America . The award was established in 1940 by the Chicago chapter of the BBWAA, which selected an annual winner from 1940 through 1946...
in each league. To be eligible, a player must have accumulated, prior to the current season:
- Fewer than 130 at bats and 50 innings pitched in the major leagues or
- Fewer than 45 days on the active rosters of major league clubs (excluding time on the disabled list or any time after rosters are expanded on September 1).
rooster tail
- A spinning ball rolling on wet grass that kicks up a line or tail of water behind it.
rope
- A hard line driveLine driveIn baseball, a line drive is a type of batted ball, sharply hit, and on a level trajectory. The threshold between a line drive and a fly ball can be subjective....
. Also see "frozen rope". Sometimes used as a verb, "He roped one up the middle."
roster
- The official list of players who are eligible to play in a given game and to be included on the lineup card for that game. Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
limits the regular-season active roster to 25 players during most of the season, but additional players may be on the disabled list, and the roster can be expanded to as many as 40 active players after August 31st by bringing up players on the 40-man roster.
rotation
- A starting pitcher in professional baseball usually rests three or four days after pitching a game before pitching another. Therefore, most professional baseball teams have four or five starting pitchers on their roster. These pitchers, and the sequence in which they pitch, are known as "the rotation." In modern baseball, a five-man rotation is most common.
- Often a manager identifies pitchers by their order in the rotation, "number 1," "number 2," etc. "Discussions over whether Jason SchmidtJason SchmidtJason David Schmidt , is a former American Major League Baseball pitcher.Schmidt was born in Lewiston, Idaho. In his career he has played for the Los Angeles Dodgers , San Francisco Giants , Pittsburgh Pirates and Atlanta Braves , by whom he had been drafted in the eighth round, 206th overall, of...
or Brad PennyBrad PennyBradley Wayne "Brad" Penny is a Major League starting pitcher. Penny has spent portions of his career with the Florida Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers....
is more deserving to occupy the No. 2 spot in the starting rotation behind Derek LoweDerek LoweDerek Christopher Lowe is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Cleveland Indians. He throws and bats right-handed. He is 6'6" and 230 pounds.-Early years:...
can cease, as least temporarily."
roughed up
- An offense has "roughed up" the opposing pitcher when it hits his pitches hard and scores several runs. Akin to beating somebody up. Headline: "Hill Roughed Up in Loss to Pirates."
roundhouse curveball
- A curveballCurveballThe curveball is a type of pitch in baseball thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball causing it to dive in a downward path as it approaches the plate. Its close relatives are the slider and the slurve. The "curve" of the ball varies from pitcher to...
that instead of breaking sharply makes a more gradual loop. "One Boston writer in the late-'40s summed up Joe DobsonJoe DobsonJoseph Gordon Dobson , nicknamed "Burrhead," was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who played with the Cleveland Indians , Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox ....
's roundhouse curveball this way: 'It started out somewhere around the dugout and would end up clipping the outside corner of the plate. There are curveballs, and there are curveballs.'"
round-tripper
- A home runHome runIn baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
. The analogy is to a commuter who buys a round-trip ticket from home plate to second base and back again to home.
rubber
- The rubber, formally termed the pitching plateBaseball fieldA baseball field, also called a ball field or a baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The terms "baseball field" and "ball field" are also often used as synonyms for ballpark.-Specifications:...
, is a white rubber strip the front of which is exactly sixty feet six inches (18.4 m) from the rear point of home plate. A pitcherPitcherIn baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
will push off the rubber with his foot in order to gain velocity toward home plate when pitching.
rubber arm
- A pitcher is said to have a "rubber arm" if he can throw many pitches without tiring. Relief pitchers who have the ability to pitch consecutive days with the same effectiveness tend to be known as "rubber arms."
rubber game
- A term used for the last game of a series or match when the two teams have evenly split the previous games. Originally a card-playing term.
run
- A player who advances around all the bases to score is credited with a run. The team with the most runs wins the game.
- A manager "runs his players" when he calls on them to steal bases and to be generally aggressive in trying to advance extra bases when the ball is in play.
- A player or coach may be "run" by an umpire by being ejected from a game.
rundown
- A play in which a runner is stranded between two bases, and runs back and forth to try to avoid fielders with the ball. The fielders (usually basemen) toss the ball back and forth, to prevent the runner from getting to a base, and typically close in on him and tag him. Also called a hotboxHotbox (baseball)Hotbox is a baseball drill or mini-game that can be played with three or more players and two to four bases. In the drill, one fielder plays near each of the bases and the rest of the players are runners, who begin on any base. The fielders proceed to throw the ball to each other, playing catch. ...
or a pickle. Sometimes used as a baserunning strategy by a trailing runner, to distract the fielders and allow a leading runner to advance.
runners in scoring position
- Runners on 2nd or 3rd base are said to be in scoring position, i.e., a typical base hit should allow them to reach home. Batting Average with Runners in Scoring PositionBatting Average with Runners in Scoring PositionBatting Average with Runners in Scoring Position is a baseball statistic derived by dividing a players hits with runners in scoring positions by his at bats with runners in scoring position...
(RISP) is used as an approximation of clutch hitting. Game announcers are apt to put up and comment on the latter statistic during a broadcast to set the stage for an at bat. A good hitter is expected to have a higher batting average when there are runners in scoring position.
RuthianBabe RuthGeorge Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
blast
- A home run that travels very far. After famous slugger Babe RuthBabe RuthGeorge Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
.