U.S. Sports Terms

U.S. SPORTS TERMS
The terms in this list are words that virtually every American understands.
They are used in normal, everyday conversations.

ace	in baseball, the best pitcher on the team; in tennis, a serve that is not returned. – He is our ace salesman.
airball	in basketball, a very poor shot that does not hit the backboard or the rim (often provoking a mocking chant from the other team’s fans). – I think his idea is a real airball.
all star	voted or selected the best at a position; all-star teams are made up of the top performers in a given sport. – She is a marketing all-star.
assist	an important statistical category that identifies the team member who prepares the way for the player who scores. In basketball, given to the player who passed the ball to the one who scored; in baseball, to the player who threw the ball to the base where an out was recorded. – I’d like to give an assist to my colleagues, who helped me prepare for these negotiations.
at-bats	times at the plate as a batter. If a player batted four times in a game, we say he had four at-bats.
back up	to position yourself behind another player in case that player is unable to catch the ball or make the play. – Don’t worry, I’ll be here to back you up.
backstop	in baseball, the screen behind home plate that stops balls that the catcher misses (very important for young players in a neighborhood park). – George is good to have on the team; he’s a good backstop for ideas that get out of control.
ball	[noun] in baseball, a pitch that is not in the strike zone. If a pitcher throws four balls to a batter (before he throws three strikes or the batter hits the ball), the batter is allowed to walk to first base.
ballpark, to be in the (A ball park is a baseball stadium.)	to be close to the correct answer. – That’s not exactly right, but you’re in the ballpark.
ballpark figure	a rough estimate. – I don’t know exactly how much, but I can give you a ballpark figure.
bare knuckle	the kind of boxing before gloves were introduced. – It was a real bare-knuckle negotiation.
base	in baseball, one of the three white bags at the corners of the "diamond" ("home plate" is the fourth corner) which must be touched by runners.
base hit, a	in baseball, a ball hit successfully, allowing the batter to reach first base safely. also: a single
bat	[noun] in baseball, a wooden stick used to hit the ball. [verb] to stand at home plate with a bat in one’s hands and to try to hit the ball thrown by the pitcher.
batter	in baseball, the player who stands at home plate with a bat in his hands and tries to hit the ball thrown by the pitcher. / to be at bat / to be up at bat / to be up — to be the batter; also to have the opportunity to produce results. – Okay, Sam, you are up (it’s your turn). Let’s hear your presentation. – So, who is up next (whose turn is next)?
batting average	in baseball, the ratio of base hits to official at bats. An excellent batting average in baseball is 30%, expressed as .300 ("three hundred"). Any rate of success expressed in percentages could be expressed as a "batting average". – We have won two races and lost two. Our batting average is .500 (five hundred). – We are batting .500 in this area. to bat a thousand — to have 100% success (1.000). – We are batting a thousand in our predictions so far. If a player had four at-bats and got one hit, we say he was 1 for 4. Likewise, we can talk about a players batting results in terms of "hits for at-bats" for any period of time (one game, five games, an entire season). 0 for 5 is pronounced "oh for five". – We are three for three in our efforts to acquire other companies.
batting order	in baseball, the names of the nine players listed in the order they will take when batting. The strongest hitters are at the top of the order; the weakest are at the bottom of the order. > cleanup position
benchwarmer	a reserve player good enough to make the team but not good enough to play on a regular basis.
big leagues, the	> major leagues
bleachers	in baseball, the cheapest seats, usually beyond the outfield fence and with no roof (hence, the spectators are "bleached" by the sun); any bench-style seats in any arena (outdoors or indoors), especially those farthest from the action.
bleacher bums	beer drinking, shirtless fans in the outfield bleachers.
to blind side s.o.	an illegal play (in football) where someone get hit from behind or from the side without warning. – We were blind-sided by their new technology. (We didn’t see it coming.)
blitz	in football, an aggressive (and risky) defensive tactic in which many players rush toward the quarterback, leaving the backfield somewhat vulnerable to a pass from the quarterback; any strategy that involves a massive attack. – I think we should use a media blitz to get our name out in front of the public.
bomb / to throw a bomb	in football, a long pass intended to score a touchdown on one play (sometimes used as a desperate last-minute attempt to win the game); any late, desperate measure to turn failure quickly into success. – I think we have the contract, unless the competition throws a bomb of some kind.
breaks / bad breaks / lucky breaks	(luck / bad luck / good luck) extraneous things that happen to affect the outcome of a game; any unexpected thing that helps or hinders success. – Those are the breaks. (That’s the way life is.) – We got a bad break. (We had bad luck.) – We got a lucky break. (We had good luck.)
bullpen	in baseball, the area where pitchers throw to warm up before coming into the game (often separated from the by a low fence); any area with people who are available to enter a situation. – We have a bullpen full of sharp young technical people.
bunker	in golf, a low-lying area along the fairway or green, usually filled with sand, that golfers try to avoid. also: trap, sand trap to be in a bunker — to be in a difficult situation. – He found himself in a bunker when he …
bunt	[verb] in baseball, to hold the bat out in front of the plate and let the ball hit it. As a result the ball doesn’t roll far, and a fast runner can reach first base safely. bunt [noun] a successful hit made in such a way.
bush league	a low-level professional league where the level of play is poor; any poor or unethical performance. – What he did was really bush-league. (poor quality or unprofessional)
call	[noun] — a referee’s or an umpire’s judgment; for example in baseball, whether a pitch is a strike or a ball and whether a runner is safe or out. – It’s your call. (It’s your decision to make. It’s up to you.) make a call [verb] – I would hate to have to make that call. (I’d hate to have the responsibility for that decision.)
change-up	in baseball, a slower (or "offspeed") pitch thrown occasionally to surprise a batter who is expecting a fast pitch; anything that catches someone by surprise. – In the question-and-answer session, he threw me a change-up when he asked about … > curve(ball)
cheap shot	in football, any illegal hit designed to injure or intimidate an opponent; any unfair tactic. – I thought is was a cheap shot when they talked asked his personal problems during the press conference. cheap shot artist — someone with a reputation for such tactics.
to choke	to fail in a pressure situation due to nervousness or lack of confidence; any such failure. – We had an opportunity to dominate the market, but we choked.
clean-up hitter	in baseball, the fourth batter in the batting order, usually occupied by the most powerful hitters; any such powerful performer. – When it comes to closing the sale, Don is our clean-up hitter. to bat clean-up to hit clean-up
to clothesline s.o.	in football, to hit a running opponent illegally across the neck with an outstretched forearm (the effect is like running into an unseen clothesline); any unfair, debilitating tactic. – We feel that the Justice Department clotheslined us with their investigation.
count, the	in baseball, the number of balls and strikes already thrown to the current batter (balls are always counted first: 3 and 1, 0 and 2; a "full count" is three balls and two strikes).
crunch time	the time when the pressure is greatest and the outcome of the game will be decided. – When crunch time comes, we depend on Dave. – Okay, people, this is crunch time; get ready.
curve(ball)	a baseball that is thrown and made to rotate in such a way that it’s trajectory is a curve, making it harder to hit; any unexpected, difficult situation presented by another person. – He really threw me a curveball with that first question.
diamond / baseball diamond	the part of the baseball field defined by home plate and the three bases.
double	in baseball, a ball hit successfully, allowing the batter to reach second base safely.
double header	in baseball, two games played on the same day.
double play	in baseball, one play in which two outs are recorded (a double success for the defensive team and a double failure for the team at bat).
down	in football, any play in a series of four plays during which the offensive team must advance the ball ten yards. As soon as they go ten yards (or more), the next play is a first down. If they fail to move the ball ten yards in four downs (or plays), the other team get the ball at that point on the field. Therefore, if the offensive team has several yards to go after three downs, they will usually kick the ball on fourth down (depending on their position on the field). Sometimes, if there is only one or two yards to go on fourth down ("fourth and one" or "fourth and two"), the offensive team will try to go the remaining yards on fourth down. This is risky, but depending on the situation (time left, score, field position, etc.), they will sometimes "go for it". > go for it
dunk	[noun] in basketball, a basket scored by a player who jumps above the rim and throws the ball down and in. dunk [verb] to perform a dunk slam dunk [noun] a particularly powerful dunk. For a very tall basketball player, it is almost impossible to miss a slam dunk. Therefore, it also means any decision that requires no thinking because it is such a simple choice. – Who would I hire if I could hire anybody? That is a slam dunk. It would be …
earned run average (ERA)	in baseball, the average number of earned runs allowed by a pitcher for every nine innings of play. It is the statistic for pitchers that is equivalent to a batter’s batting average. It can be used in the same way. > batting average
end run	in football, a play in which the ball carrier attempts to run around one side of the defense to avoid the strong players in the middle of the field; any strategy involving speed rather than raw power. – They tried an end run with their promotional campaign.
end zone	in football, the ten yards between the goal line and the end line where a player must take or catch the ball to score a touchdown. to reach the end zone — to reach your goal. – We have done well so far with our strategy, but we still haven’t reached the end zone. > touchdown
error	in baseball, a bad play by a defensive player (usually a dropped ball or a bad throw) which allows an opponent to reach base or advance when he would otherwise have been out. A run that scores because of an error is said to be "unearned" and is not computed in the pitcher’s earned run average.
extra innings	in baseball, additional innings that are played when the score is tied after nine innings (baseball games cannot end in a tie); any unplanned, extended period of activity. – If they don’t sign this contract tomorrow, we’ll just have to go into extra innings with them until they do.
fair ball	in baseball, a ball hit between the foul lines, which extend from home plate to the outfield foul poles. A fair ball is in play. foul ball
fan	someone who watches the game while others play it.
fastball	in baseball, a relatively straight pitch that is hard to hit because of the velocity at which it is thrown.
favorite	the team that odds-makers think will win the game; any person or company who is expected to be a winner. – We are not the favorites in this market at this time but we hope to change that soon. > underdog
field goal	in football, a ball which is kicked between the uprights of the goal post and is worth three points, compared to a touchdown, which is worth six or seven points; any moderate success. – Let’s compromise with them. I’d rather get a field goal than come up with nothing.
field position	in football, the relative advantage or disadvantage based on how close a team is to its own end zone or the opponent’s end zone; any such relative position. – Our sales are up, our market share is up, our brand recognition is strong; we are in really good field position.
foul ball	in baseball, a ball which is hit outside the foul lines. A foul ball is not in play unless it can be caught in the air (in which case the batter is out). A foul ball counts as a first or second strike (if it is not caught in the air) but is not counted as a third strike.
full-court press	in basketball, a swarming defense played over the entire length of the court instead; any maximum effort to apply pressure on one’s opponent. – If we want to keep our market share, we’ll have to use a full-court press against this new competitor.
fumble	[verb] in football, to drop a ball during a play; fumble [noun] the act of fumbling. A fumble can be recovered (picked up by the same team) or lost (picked up by the other team). Anytime someone makes a careless and costly mistake, it can be called a fumble. – Norman really fumbled the ball when he forgot to renew our license.
game plan	in team sports, a plan for playing a specific opponent, reflecting how the team wants to exploit or counter the opponent’s particular strengths and weaknesses; any strategy. – If we want to increase our market share, we need a better game plan.
go for it	in football, a risky decision to try to move the ball forward (instead of kicking it away) at a point where failure would mean turning the ball over to your opponent right there, which would give him a significant advantage; also an expression advising someone to risk failure in order to achieve an important success. – You’re thinking about applying for that new position? Go for it! > down
go to bat	to go to home plate with a bat with the intention of hitting a ball that is thrown (pitched) by the pitcher. to go to bat for someone — to do something that shows your support for someone else. – When a person is under attack, he needs friends who will go to bat for him. go up to the plate — to face a hard situation without hesitation. – Steven was great. He just went up to the plate and answered all their questions.
go-to guy	in basketball, the player who is most able to score under pressure is the one you "go to", the one you give the ball to; any person highly respected for his or her ability to produce. – Frank is our go-to guy in this kind of situation. Let’s hear what he has to say.
goose egg	in baseball, a zero on the scoreboard. – Did you hear how many sales Bill made last month? Goose egg!
grandstand	a multiple-level seating area in a sports stadium with individual seats. grandstanding — performing in a way to impress onlookers. – He doesn’t hesitate to grandstand if it helps him to get votes.
ground ball	in baseball, a ball that bounces or rolls in the infield before being caught or going through into the outfield.
hardball	baseball. Hitting a baseball with a bat is one of the hardest things in sports. When ordinary people play, they use a larger ball, called a softball, which is thrown underhand and is easy to hit. To distinguish between the two, baseball is sometimes called hardball. to play hardball — to compete intensely in an environment where every advantage is taken and no favors are given.
home	in baseball, home plate.
home court advantage / home field advantage	the advantage held by the home team due to their familiarity with the playing area and the crowds that support them with their loud cheering. In baseball, it is a statistically measurable advantage due to the fact that the home team always knows exactly how many runs it needs to win (and therefore what strategy to try) because they always bat last. > last bats – When it comes to marketing, we have the home court advantage because we’ve been here much longer and we know the people.
home plate	in baseball, a five-sided base over which the pitcher must throw the ball to initiate play and which a player must touch to score a run.
home run	in baseball, a ball hit over the outfield wall in fair territory, allowing the batter and all players on base at the time to score ("hitting a home run" connotes the ultimate offensive achievement as well as personal success). = homer – The Mustang was a home run for Ford back in the sixties.
home stretch	in horse racing, the last length of straight track before the finish line; any last stage of a competition or a job. – Come on, everybody, don’t stop working yet. We are in the home stretch.
hoops	basketball. – Let’s go play some hoops. – Let’s go shoot some hoops.
infield	in baseball, the area between home plate and the beginning of the outfield, usually defined by an area of dirt from one base to the next.
inning	in baseball, the visiting team bats until it makes three outs, then the home team bats until it makes three outs, and this is called one inning. Nine innings make up a regulation game (there is no clock) unless the score is tied at the end of the ninth inning. (> extra innings) The home team does not bat in the bottom of the ninth inning if it is leading; in case of rain or weather problems, five complete innings are enough for the game to be official. If less than five innings are played before rain stops the game, it must be restarted another day. > rain check
inside baseball	a popular expression that means a full understanding of any topic (not just baseball) that has many levels of complexity and subtlety. Baseball is a game that can be appreciated on many different levels of complexity and subtlety. – Most people don’t want to discuss taxes in detail. It’s inside baseball to them.
inside track, the	in racing, the position that is closest to the inside of the track, where less distance must be traveled; any built-in advantage that someone has over the competition. – She has the inside track for the job because she is the only one with experience.
jockey for position	[verb] to maneuver into a good position. – The telecoms are jockeying for position in the new markets.
K	[noun] in baseball record keeping, the abbreviation for strike out, which is the best thing a pitcher can do. > strike out
knuckleball	in baseball, a difficult pitch thrown with no rotation, causing the ball to fly erratically, which makes it very difficult to hit.
last bats	in baseball, the advantage of batting after the other team because you know exactly how many runs you need and what substitutions you can make to win. – My opponent made some serious attacks against me in his speech, but I get last bats.
line of scrimmage	in football, an imaginary line that stretches sideline to sideline at the forward-most point of the ball; each team lines up on opposite sides of this line to face each other before the play starts.
line-up	the players who are in the game. – They have an impressive line-up of products.
losing streak	consecutive losses. – They are on a losing streak. > winning streak
major league	in baseball, the highest competitive level (also: the majors); top quality. – They are a major league corporation. – Welcome to the majors. > big leagues
man to man	in basketball and football, a style of defense in which players guard an opposing player wherever he goes rather than stay in one assigned area (a ‘zone defense").
manager	in baseball, the decision maker, the boss. (In other sports, he would be called the coach or head coach.)
minor leagues	the lower-level leagues where young players and old players play until they can make it to the major leagues.
mound	in baseball, a small mound of dirt on which the pitcher stands. The higher the mound, the greater the advantage it give to the pitcher as he throws the ball. The official height of the mound has gone up and down over the years.
no-hitter	a baseball game in which one team fails to get even one base hit. This is a rarity in baseball and a huge honor for the pitcher who throws a no-hitter.
on a roll	enjoying a series of successes, with the idea that the success will continue. = to be hot = to be on a winning streak
on deck	in baseball, the player who will bat next.
on the ropes	in boxing, a situation where a fighter is leaning against the ropes, unable to get away from the other fighter; any situation where a person, team or organization is being badly beaten by a competitor and is about to lose completely. – We have the other company on the ropes. One more year like this one and they will probably get out of this market.
out	in baseball, a failure by the batting team (or success by the team in the field): a batted ball is caught in the air (before it hits the ground); a batter or base runner is touched with the ball while he is not touching a base; a ball is thrown to a base before a runner can get there; the batter fails to hit the ball in three chances (a strike out).
out of bounds	not within the playing area; not within the definition of acceptable behavior. – His attempt to influence the judge was out of bounds.
fast out of the gate	in horse racing, to be a fast starter, racing past the gate that is lifted when the starting bell sounds at the start of a race. – The secret to success in this business is to be fast out of the gate.
outfield	in baseball, the playing area between the infield and the wall.
pennant	in baseball, a flag that is awarded to the team that wins the league championship, now synonymous with that championship. The baseball season is often referred to as the "pennant race".
pickoff	in baseball, a throw by the pitcher suddenly to another player near a base (usually first base) occupied by a runner. The goal is to touch the base runner with the ball while he is standing away from the base (which he is doing in order to shorten the distance he must run if the ball is hit by the batter). Even if they are unsuccessful in catching the runner off base, this action will help to keep him close to the base (making him run farther if the ball is hit by the batter). pickoff move pickoff attempt
pinch hitter	in baseball, a player who enters the game in order to bat for a teammate (the replaced player cannot return to the game). This is usually a strategic move by the manager. Also used in situations where one person steps in and acts on behalf of another person. – Larry is ill today, but Henry will pinch hit for him at the meeting.
pitch	[noun] (1) a ball that is thrown (pitched) by the pitcher toward home plate. (2) how the ball travels aerodynamically according to the way the ball is thrown (some different pitches are: fastball, curveball, change-up, knuckleball, screwball, split-finger fastball, spitball, …). pitch [verb] (1) to throw a baseball. (2) to deliver an idea or a sales presentation. – You may pitch your idea at our next meeting, and we will tell you what we think. sales pitch [noun] what a salesperson says when trying to sell a product and how he or she says it. – I think I need to improve my sales pitch.
play with pain	to continue to play despite personal injuries; any similar act of courage and team dedication. – I admire Randy. He plays with pain.
point	in basketball and football, the unit of scoring (in baseball points are called runs). > run
pop fly	[noun] in baseball, a short, high-arching fly ball that can easily be caught by a fielder.
power game	a style of play that relies on physical strength rather than speed or finesse; in baseball, it involves a reliance on home run hitters; in basketball, on tall players who score from close to the basket; in football, on running instead of passing.
punt	[noun] [verb] in football, the action of kicking the ball to the other team because one’s own progress has been stopped; any action that involves giving up one’s strategy temporarily with the hope of getting another chance to implement it later. – They prefer to work with our competitor, so we’ll just have to punt (and hope the situation changes later on). > down
quarterback	in football, the player on the field who directs the actions of his team; any leader of a team. also: QB quarterback [verb] to act as a quarterback or leader. – Jeff will quarterback the project. > Monday morning quarterback — a person who looks back at what happened (football games are played on weekends) and tells others what should have been done differently. – We don’t want any Monday morning quarterbacks.
RBI	in baseball, when a batter gets a hit and a runner scores as a result, the batter is credited with a run-batted-in, one more statistic that gives an idea of how productive a batter is (in a game or over a season).
rain check	If a baseball game is stopped because of rain, the game will be played on a later date, and the fans are given a rain check, which is a ticket for the make up game. Any time you are unable to accept an invitation that you really would like to accept, you can say, "Can I take a rain check?" The other person understands that you would like the same invitation again at a better time. – I’m afraid I can’t go to lunch with you today, but can I take a rain check?
referee = official	(in basketball and football) the people who enforce the rules of the game and give out penalties when rules are broken. > umpire (in baseball)
rookie	a player in his first official season in the league; any new person with no experience. / I know what I’m doing. I’m not a rookie.
rubber	in baseball, the rubber strip on the pitching mound that the pitcher must be in contact with when the pitch is thrown. – Who’s on the rubber tonight? (Who is pitching?)
run	in baseball, the unit of scoring. One run is recorded each time a player crosses home plate (after touching the other bases). It is the only determiner of who wins, but the final score is often given in terms of runs, hits, and errors.
run out the clock	in football and basketball, a strategy (by the team that is winning) of using as much time as possible during the last moments of the game; any strategy of trying to maintain the status quo without taking any chances. – Old Harry is going to retire in three years. He’s just running out the clock.
sacrifice	in baseball, if a batter hits the ball and makes an out but in the process advances another player on the bases, it is called a sacrifice. A sacrifice is not computed as an out in his batting average.
seams	in baseball, the raised stitching on a baseball. Depending on the speed and direction of the ball’s rotation, the ball will travel in a straight line or a curved line, due to the aerodynamics created by the seams.
seventh inning stretch	in baseball, the tradition of standing up and stretching after the visiting team has batted (but before the home team bats) in the seventh inning.
shutout	[noun] a game (baseball or football) in which one team does not score. – No one voted for John. It was a complete shutout. shut out [verb] to prevent the other team from scoring. – I was almost shut out for the whole month; I only made one sale.
sidelines	in football and basketball, the lines along the sides of the field or court that mark the limits of the playing area, where the coaches and reserve players wait and watch during the game; not where the action is. – I expect him to be back at work as soon as he is well again. He hates being on the sidelines.
softball	a game exactly like baseball but played with a bigger, softer ball and played on a slightly smaller playing field. It is played by amateurs on weekends in local parks, with or without beer. > hardball.
southpaw	a left-handed pitcher; any left-handed person. In the 1870’s, a Chicago sportswriter invented the term to describe left-handed pitchers. The baseball park in Chicago was laid out with home plate at the west end and center field to the east, so a pitcher’s left arm, as he faced west, was to the south.
sparring partner	a boxer who practices (or spars) with another boxer who is training for a boxing match; any person who helps someone train for a competition by imitating the competition. – We need a sparring partner for Robert before the big debate.
spitball	in baseball, an illegal pitch thrown by adding spit (or any liquid substance) to a part of the baseball. The added weight affects the aerodynamics, causing it to behave in unexpected ways, making it harder to hit.
spot someone	to give an opponent some points in advance in order to make an uneven contest more even. – I’ll play golf with you, but I want you to spot me five strokes.
stolen base	[noun] in baseball, an advance from one base to another base at a time before or after the ball is pitched (that is, when the ball has not been hit). Speed and good timing is required. to steal a base [verb] to run safely to the next base between pitches.
stranded	(= left on base) in baseball, runners left on base after the third out. Any runners that were stranded (or left on base) at the end of one inning are NOT on base when the next inning begins.
strike	in baseball, either a swing by a batter which misses the ball or a pitch that is thrown over the plate between the batter’s chest and his knees (even if the batter does not swing). > strike out
strike out	in baseball, an out recorded when a batter fails to hit three pitches that are judged to be strikes, whether he swings at them or not. > strike
strike zone	the area over the plate and between the batter’s chest and his knees. If a pitch is thrown through the strike zone, it is called a strike by the umpire, whether the batter swings or not. It does not go through the strike zone (and if the batter does not swing), it is called a ball by the umpire. Three strikes and you are out (called a strike out). Four balls and you are allowed to go to first base (called a walk).
team player	an unselfish player, usually not a star performer, who works more for team results than for personal glory and personal statistics; any such unselfish member of an organization. – We only want team players around here.
throw in the towel	in boxing, to stop a fight in which your man is being hurt by the other boxer by throwing a towel into the ring (done by the trainer); to give up in any hopeless situation. – I’m afraid we may have to throw in the towel if the situation does not improve soon.
timeout	stoppage of play during a football or basketball game in order to provide a brief rest to the players and to allow the coaches to quickly discuss strategy with the players. Each team is given a limited number of timeouts for each game. Timeouts can be used to stop the clock and conserve time and are, therefore, a part of strategy. In baseball, there are no such timeouts because there is no clock in baseball. The word timeout can be used to stop whatever is happening or to get attention. – Wait a minute! Timeout! Did you just say …
touch base	in baseball, a basic rule that each base must be touched by a runner as he advances toward home plate. In business, it is often equally important to make contact with certain people at certain times, to inform them or to consult them. So when we touch base with someone, it means we contact them. – Be sure to touch base with me, John. – I’ll touch base with you when I get back from my trip. touch all the bases [verb] to contact everyone; to follow all the rules. – If you want to get the support you need, you must touch all the bases.
touchdown	in football, a value of six points gained by carrying the ball across the goal line or catching it in the end zone; like home run, any clearly successful act. – I think we can score a touchdown with this strategy.
triple	[noun] in baseball, a ball hit successfully, allowing the batter to reach third base safely.
triple crown	[noun] in baseball, an award only given when one player has the league’s best numbers for batting average, home runs, and RBIs in one season. Only a few players have ever won the triple crown.
umpire	in baseball, the officials stationed behind home plate and at each base. Their job is to decide if a pitch is a ball or a strike, if a hit ball is fair or foul, and if a runner is safe or out.
underdog	the team that is expected to lose. – Americans often like to see the underdog win. > favorite
walk	[noun] in baseball, when a pitcher makes four bad pitches (called balls) to a batter he is allowed to walk to first base. This is a good thing for the batter and a bad thing for the pitcher.
whiff	slang for to strike out. – Ron’s idea whiffed at the meeting.
whitewash	(slang) > shutout.
winning streak	consecutive victories. – We are on a winning streak. > losing streak
winning streak	in North American professional baseball, the championship series between the champions of the American and National leagues. The first team to win four games is the champion. It is played in October.