List of baseball jargon

The following is an alphabetical list of selected unofficial terms, phrases, and other jargon used in baseball, and explanations of their meanings. See also baseball slang for slang in general usage that originated in baseball. For an exhaustive list, see The New Dickson Baseball Dictionary, by Paul Dickson.

R

;rainbow

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:usually a curve ball with a high arc in its path to the plate

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;range

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:how far to his left and/or right a fielder can go to catch a ball

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;relay

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:the process of getting the ball from the deep outfield to third base or home plate by first throwing to an infielder, who then throws to the final target. The relay to the plate...he's out at home!

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;reliever or relief pitcher

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:A pitcher brought in the game to "relieve" another pitcher.

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;rhubarb

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:an argument or fight in a baseball game. Hence, Rhubarb, a novel by H. Allen Smith.

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;ribbie

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:Expansion of the initial's RBI, which stand for Run Batted In

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;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, barring an error or the need to make a play on another runner. Also called a hot box or a pickle. Sometimes used as a baserunning strategy by a trailing runner, to distract the fielders and allow a leading runner or runners to advance.

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;runners at the corners

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:runners on 1st and 3rd.

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;Ruthian Blast

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:A home run that travels very far.

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