LOOGY A mildly derogatory nickname for a left-handed specialist. Long relievers enter early in a game (generally before the 5th inning) when the starting pitcher cannot continue, whether due to ineffective pitching, lack of endurance, rain delay, or injury. A team is said to 'win by the long ball' after a walk off home run or the team hits several home runs to win. lollipop A soft, straight pitch with a lot of arc. A pitcher with 'good location' not only has command but makes the right choices about where to throw the ball against particular batters.

locate A pitcher's command is reflected in his ability to locate the ball – to throw it to an intended spot. load the bases A succession of plays that results in base runners on first, second, and third bases. Live Ball Era The time since 1919 or 1920 when several rule changes favored the strategy of the power game over the time-honored inside game, ending the Dead Ball Era. This line-up will change throughout the game as players starting players are removed and substitutes inserted. Before the game starts the manager hands a line-up card of the starting players to the home plate umpire.Typically this form will be taped to the wall inside the dugout for the manager and coaches to consult when they need to make substitutes during a game. A form kept by each manager listing the starting players and all other players who are on the active roster and available to play in the game.A batter may be said to have 'lined out' if the liner was caught by a fielder.A line drive may also be said to be 'hit on a line.'.A line drive or liner is a batted ball that is hit hard in the air and has a low arc.leg out To run hard to get safely on base or to advance a base: 'Scott Podsednik legged out an infield hit, stole second and scored when Everett legged out a double.' line drive left-handed specialist A left-handed relief pitcher specializing in getting one out, often in critical situations. 'Depp's performance came out of left field in The Curse of the Black Pearl nobody had ever thought of channeling Keith Richards and Pepé Le Pew before.' -Kent Williams. Visiting players came to refer to something as odd to be 'out in left field.' The flaw in that story is that Cook County Hospital was behind third base, not left field. Another legend is that the phrase originates from Chicago's old West Side Park which had a mental hospital located behind left field. Rumored to originally describe fans who came to Yankee Stadium to see Babe Ruth (a right fielder) but who bought tickets for the wrong side of the field. AHDI dates this idiom back to the mid-1900s it also states that the precise allusion is disputed, but a number of theories exist. left field ( idiomatic ) Unusual, unexpected, or irrational (as in 'that insult really came out of left field). The total number for a team and a player is usually published in the box score. left on base Baserunners that are still on base when the third out is made. Flashing the leather means making an outstanding defensive play. leather Referring to a fielder's glove, a player with good leather is a good defensive player (typically an infielder). Leaning A baserunner is said to be 'caught leaning' or 'leaning the wrong way' when he is (picked off) a base while shifting his weight toward the next base. The first batter in an inning (who could be in any hole on a team's line-up card).Batting clean-up, playing left field, Thor Thunderbat.' Batting third, in the pitcher's spot, is designated hitter Burt 'Biggie' Brokenleg. Batting second, playing second base, Carlos Contacthitter. When the announcers read the starting line-up they might say, 'Leading off, and playing short-stop, is Sammy Speedyrunner. The first batter listed on a team's line-up card (in the 1-hole or the 'lead-off spot' on the line-up card).The team with more runs is said 'to lead' the game.The player who is first in the batting order for a given team in any given inning is said to lead off the inning.When a baserunner steps off of a base before a pitch is thrown in order to reduce the distance to the next base he takes a lead.Lawrence Welk A (rare) 1-2-3 triple play ('.and a one, ana 2, ana 3') lead 'Monroe laced it to left field.' late innings The seventh, eighth and ninth innings of a regulation nine-inning game. L lace To hit the ball very hard, typically a line drive.

The following is a glossary of baseball jargon ( phrases, idioms and slang):

Baseball lingo