77 articles
Run batted in
Run batted in (RBI) is a baseball statistic credited to a batter whose batting action scores a run; also called ribbies. Excluded on errors and double plays; first published by the Chicago Tribune in 1880.
Sabermetrics
Sabermetrics, from SABR, is the statistical analysis of baseball coined by Bill James in 1980; it produced OPS, FIP, wOBA, and WAR and entered MLB mainstream via the 2002 Oakland Athletics and Moneyball.
Save (baseball)
Save (SV), baseball statistic for a relief pitcher who finishes a winning game under set conditions; devised by Jerome Holtzman in 1959, official in MLB since 1969; companion stats blown save (1988) and hold.
Seventh-inning stretch
Seventh-inning stretch, a baseball tradition of fans rising and singing during the middle of the seventh inning; origins disputed (1869 Harry Wright letter, 1882 Brother Jasper, 1910 Taft), with "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" popularized by Harry Caray and Bill Veeck in Chicago.
Shortstop
Shortstop: baseball defensive infielder between second and third base, scoring position 6. Most demanding infield position; formalized by Doc Adams around 1845-46, Dickey Pearce made it a fourth infielder.
Sign stealing
Sign stealing: decoding an opposing baseball team's signals, chiefly catcher-to-pitcher pitch signs. Legal by naked eye from the field (runner on second), illegal with electronic devices; the 2017 Houston Astros scandal and PitchCom followed.
Slugging percentage
Slugging percentage (SLG), or slugging average, is baseball's total bases per at-bat, weighting singles 1, doubles 2, triples 3, home runs 4; excludes walks. Career record: Josh Gibson .718.
Spitball
The spitball, also known as the spitter, is a baseball pitch doctored with saliva, legal until Major League Baseball banned it before the 1920 season.
Stolen base
Stolen base: a baseball statistic credited when a runner advances to an unentitled base during a steal attempt. Key facts: 1898 modern rule, 75% break-even success rate, Rickey Henderson's record 130 in 1982, and the 2023 rule-change revival.
Strikeout
Strikeout (SO, K): baseball out recorded on three strikes; called strike added 1858, four-strike year 1887, uncaught third strike lets batter run; MLB K rate 11.4% (1955) to 22.2% (2025).
Two-seam fastball
Two-seam fastball (sinker, two-seamer): fastball gripped along the two close seams, thrown with arm-side run and sink, a few mph slower than a four-seamer, used to induce ground balls.
Umpire (baseball)
In baseball, an umpire is the official on the field who enforces the rules, calls players safe or out, and judges each pitch a ball or strike.
Variations of baseball
Variations of baseball, also called variants of baseball, are bat-and-ball games closely modeled on baseball with modified equipment or fewer players, ranging from stickball and wiffle ball to softball and rounders.
Vintage base ball
Vintage base ball: amateur baseball played under 19th-century rules, customs, and equipment (two-word spelling until 1896). Also historic base ball; wooden bats, no gloves, 1864/1867/1886 rulebooks; VBBA national body, 200+ US teams.
Walk-off home run
Walk-off home run: a bottom-of-the-last-inning homer that gives the home team the lead and ends the game. Term coined by Dennis Eckersley (1988); famous examples include Mazeroski 1960, Gibson 1988, Freeman 2024.
Walks plus hits per inning pitched
Walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) is a baseball pitching statistic, (BB+H)/IP, invented by Daniel Okrent in 1979 for fantasy baseball; league average is about 1.30, with Pedro Martinez's 0.74 (2000) the modern single-season low.
Win–loss record (pitching)
A win–loss record (pitching) is a baseball statistic counting a pitcher's credited wins and losses, written as two numbers separated by a hyphen, such as 20–5.