So ingrained in American culture,
we don’t realize how baseball and
language are inextricably linked.
Baseball phrases are part of
our everyday language.
To wit:
“Right, left, center”
not a political label
“Hit and run”
an unfortunate, criminal accident
“A single”
someone alone on a Saturday night
“Sacrifice”
what mothers do for their children every day
“Out at home”
a divorce
“The wind-up”
the end of a romance
“Batter up”
cake preparations
“Designated hitter”
a contract killer
“Relief pitcher”
beer at the end of a work day
“Pop-up”
a fun children’s book
“Starting rotation”
laundry machine turned on
So, the next time you’re at a game
notice how you are playing with words.