BASEBALL

VOCABULARY BASEBALL

word	example sentence	meaning
ball	I walked to first base after the pitcher threw four balls.	a pitch thrown outside the strike zone
base	If the ball gets to the baseman before you do, you'll be out.	one of four "safe havens" to be reached in turn by a runner
base hit	He had a good game, getting five base hits altogether.	a play in which the batter hits the ball into fair territory and gets at least to first base
bat	He hit the ball so hard that his bat was broken.	instrument made of aluminium or wood that is used to hit the ball while batting
batter	The batters wait in the dugout until it's time to bat.	player whose job is to hit the ball with a bat
catcher	Our catcher spends a lot of time practising hand signals with our pitchers.	player who squats behind home plate and catches pitches the batter doesn't hit
change up	One of his best pitches is his change up as most batters can't spot it and they have trouble hitting it.	a slow pitch thrown with the same arm action as a fastball, intended to deceive the batter
fair territory	He hit the ball over the fence, but it wasn't over fair territory so it wasn't a home run.	area of the field from home base out to the bottom of the home run fence and between the foul lines
fly ball	He hit a fly ball into the outfield and a fielder caught it, so he was out.	batted ball that goes high in the air
foul ball	The hit went just outside the foul line, so it was called a foul ball.	batted ball that goes outside the foul lines
foul line	If a ball lands on a foul line, it is in fair territory.	lines extending from home plate through 1st and 3rd bases to the outfield fence
foul territory	Umpires decide whether a hit is into fair or foul territory.	all parts of the playing field outside the foul lines
home run	Babe Ruth held nearly all the home run records for many years.	a ball hit out of the playing field in fair territory, scoring a run for the batter and any base runners
inning	In professional baseball, a game usually lasts for nine innings.	a period of play in which each team bats until 3 batters are out
out	I hit the ball a long way, but a fielder caught it and I was out.	to be dismissed, or to have one's turn ended
strike	I was nervous because I'd already had two strikes called and if another one was called I'd be out.	a strike is called if a batter swings at a pitch and misses, or if the pitch passes through the strike zone without being hit
strike zone	Different umpires have different ideas on how big the strike zone should be.	the area over home plate and between the batter's armpits and knees as he stands ready to bat
tag	The fielder got the ball and tagged me out just before I got to the base.	to get a runner out by touching them with the ball or with the glove holding the ball