Baseball terms can be confusing. If you’ve ever been to a game where there are dark clouds forming overhead and the players are not acting quite right, these definitions will help you understand what the hell is going on down there on the field. 

A

Aboard – a runner that has safely reached base.

Action Call – a catcher’s call that is repeated three times in unison by all players. 

Antechamber – the unknown area behind the dugout that shall remain unknown for all time.

B

Back Stop – the fence/wall behind home place. 

Bat Push – when a batter is so scared, he holds the bat at the thick end. 

Blasphemous Ball – a ball that looks smooth but has a slightly rhombicuboctahedron shape to it.

C

Caught Looking – a thrown third strike with no swing from the batter. 

Collapsing Call – a piercing call made by the umpire when the head of the pitcher collapses in. 

Crushing Pitch – a pitch thrown directly into the dugout with a Blasphemous Ball, often decapitating an opposing player.

D

Delivery – the throw to a batter by a pitcher. 

Dead Lift – a ball that is thrown out of the ballpark by an outfield player, who then cries out in pain.

Dove – the vesper of a player’s spirit leaving his body after decapitation. 

E

Extra Innings – more game played if teams have a tie score after nine innings

Entropic Base Line – a base line that is there at first, but then ceases to exist, typically in the fourth inning.

Entanglement Play – the absorption of a vesper into the antechamber for the final becoming.

F

Fighting Off a Pitch – when a batter fouls off a pitch to continue their at-bat. 

Forward Play – when all players play shortstop as one combined player.

Foul Grass – a desecrated patch of grass formed around the pitcher’s mound when he throws a Crushing Pitch.

G

Gapper – a base hit hit between outfielders . 

Gliss – powdered bones sprinkled on the pitcher’s mound and the six invisible bases.

Ground Pound – the syncopated stomp of the crowd, vibrating the field and unearthing sigils in the Foul Grass necessary for the final becoming.

H

Holding the Runner – when an infielder, typically the first baseman, keeps a baserunner closer to the base by offering a pick-off play to the pitcher. 

Halfway Run – when a player runs for the sideline but is halved before escape. 

Hidden Play – a play that is called directly from the antechamber, primarily to form an Illumination Zone. 

I

Infield Fly Rule – a rule designed to prevent the defense from intentionally letting pop-ups drop to trick runners on base. 

Intro League – the minor league team called from another time to appear on the field.

Illumination Zone – an area that allows any player within the sigils to understand the true form of Xolotl

J

Junking a Game – a team intentionally losing a contest to conserve players for a future game, typically during the first game of a doubleheader.

Joint Break – a time out between two teams that lasts for all eternity.

Juxtaposition Runner – a player on the opposing team who tries to stop the last and true summoning of Xolotl.

L

Long Relief – a pitcher brought in after the starter that is able to pitch for multiple innings. 

Last Defense – a move completed by the Vicar to shut the antechamber.

Lazarus Wheel – a spiraling force from the Illumination Zone that breaks the bones of any Juxtaposition Runner.

M

Middle Relief – a pitcher brought in after the starter that is able to pitch for multiple innings but not expected to finish the game. 

Must Play – when Xolotl is before you and you must decide your true form.

Mitigation Technique – when the organ player plays a lilted tune that subdues the crowd and the Intro League into submission.  

N

Nubber – a weakly hit ground ball. 

Near Pitch Shout – a scream nearly let out by the pitcher, but stifled. 

Nexus Bump – a play by the Intro League in which they rise against the screaming crowd.

O

On Base Percentage – the equation that illustrates how often a player reachers base. 

Out of Tray – a throw that is swallowed by the Shade Manager

Old Run – the last-ditch effort to make a run through the sigils to the pitcher. 

P

Pickle – when a baserunner is caught between two base (first and second or second and third or third and home) and faces an imminent tag out. 

Pink Hover – the haze around the heads of the Intro League that cannot be removed. 

Perfect Wood – when a wood bat connects with the head of the pitcher. 

Q

Quality Start – when the starting pitcher completes at least six innings and allows no more than  three earned runs.

Quest Giving – when a Vicar is selected. 

Quit Calm – a quiet moment when the pitcher has been subdued. 

R

Rubber Match – the deciding game of a three-game series, i.e. the third game in a series tied 1-1. 

Rope Up the Line – the force paralyzing all on the field once the antechamber is opened.

Resonant Period – the length of time when tendrils of smoke start to emanate from the antechamber, typically before a Crushing Pitch is thrown.

S

Split Fingered Fastball – a pitch that looks like a fastball, but drops when it reaches the batter, also known as the splitter

Spire Bat – a bat that makes itself known only when the pitcher is vulnerable.

Shade Manager – the shadow in left field that manages plays through pulsating darkness. 

T

Taking a Pitch – when a hitter does not swing at a pitch that might be a strike. 

Temperament – a condition that befalls players when they understand the true meaning of the game.

Time Off – the time dilation resulting from a Collapsing Call. 

U

Unearned Run – a run scored due to an error. 

Umbrage – the shadow cast by the Shade Manager, which should be avoided during the seventh inning stretch.

Unholy First Call – a terrifying cry heard first from the Foul Grass, signifies the sigils have been broken.

V

Vulture – a relief pitcher who earns a win despite a quality start.

Vice Whip – the back and forth felt internally when a blood sacrifice is completed.

Vicar – a non-player who attempts to stop the final call.

W

Warning Track – the dirt track in front of the outfield wall

Wing Player – those players that take to the sky.

Wrath of Play – a period when all is undone and the field is drowned in sorrow.

X

X-factor – a player that significantly influences the game.

Xanthus Cleats – shoes that are typically worn during the Wrath of Play.

Xolotl – a deity from Aztec mythology, sometimes considered a demon of death and the underworld. 

Y

Yard – the field.

Yank Ball – a ball that when thrown comes back. It is always coming back.

You – you. There is no escape. You are born of the antechamber.

Z

Zinger – a hard-hit ball, typically a line drive.

Zap Pitch – a pitch thrown with unearthly velocity after the sigils are broken. Typically with a Blasphemous Ball. 

Zariel – a fallen angel. Your true and final form once the ritual is complete.

This piece is in Recommend If You Like The Baseball Issue Summer 2026. You can find physical copies in bars, cafes and stores in Chicago and Washington, D.C. The newspaper is available for purchase here. 

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