Baseball Jargon Trivia Quiz

Answer: Second base

Second base is the "keystone sack" on a baseball diamond. It is considered "key", or important, because this base is the halfway point of scoring a run. Runners who are on second base have a good chance to score a run on any subsequent hit. Therefore, the defensive team attempts to hold enemy runners at first base, from where it is much more difficult to score.

Answer: In the fourth position

The cleanup hitter bats fourth in the opening lineup. A manager normally chooses a hitter who has tremendous power to bat cleanup because this player can hit a home run which will "clean the bases", scoring all runners who were on base. It is considered a badge of honor for a player to be selected to bat cleanup- the fourth spot in the lineup indicates strength and batting prowess.

Answer: An easy fly ball to catch

A "can of corn" is a batted fly ball (pop up) which is easy for the defensive team to catch. Some people say that this expression originated from grocery clerks who would stack cans of corn on store shelves and then gently lob these cans to customers.

In baseball, a "can of corn" is basically worthless because it does nothing to help the batting team. Batters who have hit a "can of corn" often throw their bat to the ground in disgust,

Answer: When he strikes out four times in a game.

Every batter in Major League baseball dreads the "golden sombrero": it means that he has struck out four times in the same game. A "golden sombrero" is one of the ultimate symbols of batting futility. Some baseball historians claim that this expression originated in the late 1980s with Reds' manager Pete Rose- however, there doesn't seem to be any conclusive evidence as to the origination of the " golden sombrero."

Answer: An overpowering fastball

A baseball pitcher who has "cheese" has an overpowering fastball, with a speed of 95-100 miles per hour. Hurlers who throw "cheese" usually rack up impressive strikeout totals. Sometimes batters challenge a pitcher by saying, "Don't throw me junk. I want to see your best cheese! I bet you can't throw it by me!"

Answer: A double play

Every pitcher loves when his defensive teammates perform a "twin killing"- it means that a double play has occurred. In a "twin killing", the defensive team retires two opposing players on the same play, counting for two outs. Teams which have skillful infielders usually pull off many twin killings during a big league season.

Answer: A long home run

A "tape measure job" is a long home run in baseball. Supposedly, this expression originated with New York Yankee broadcaster Mel Allen in 1953. Star slugger Mickey Mantle belted a home run which soared completely out of Washington's Griffith Stadium; Allen and a colleague actually measured the distance of Mantle's homer to be more than 560 feet. Today's big league announcers often exclaim, "Wow! What a tremendous home run! Get a tape measure for that blast; the baseball is still traveling!"

Answer: rope

A batter in baseball hits a "rope" when he has struck the ball perfectly: a "rope" is a hard-hit line drive. If the batter is lucky, this "rope" will find a gap between the outfielders, allowing him to get a double or a triple. If the batter is unfortunate, this line drive will sail directly into the glove of an opposing fielder.

This expression probably originated from a rope on a clothesline- "you could hang clothes on that rope which player XYZ hit back in the second inning."

Answer: In the seventh inning

Since the 1970s, Major League baseball has become increasingly specialized for pitchers. A "set-up" man is an important link between the starting pitcher and the "closer", or finishing pitcher. The set-up man normally enters a game in the seventh inning after the starting hurler has completed the first six innings.

A set-up pitcher's job is to protect his team's lead until the closer enters the game in the ninth (final) inning. Many set-up pitchers eventually move up the corporate ladder and become closers themselves.

Answer: Ten

In baseball, "hitting for the cycle" means that a batter has notched a single, double, triple and home run in the same game. A single is worth one base, a double counts for two total bases, a triple is worth three bases, and a home run counts as four bases. Thus, a cycle is worth at least ten total bases- a player can add to this total if he manages to collect more hits in the same game.