Beisbol en Español (And in Other Languages)

Pleibol (Playball)

Spanish beisbol words will be ordered from most widely used to slangish.

The field - El terreno (the grounds)
The diamond - El diamante
Home - jom, la registradora (the registry)
The pitching mound - el montículo (the mound), la lomita (the little hill)
Batting box - caja de bateo (batting box)
Waiting circle - círculo de espera (waiting circle)
Infield - infield
First base - Primera base, inicial
Second base - Segunda base, intermedia (intermediate)
Third base - Tercera base, antesala (waiting room)
Outfield - jardines (the gardens)
foul ground - terreno de faul, terreno malo (bad ground)
fair ground - terreno bueno (good ground), terreno de fair

The positions.

Pitcher - lanzador (thrower), pitcher, serpentinero ("serpentiner")
Catcher - receptor (receiver), catcher
First baseman - Primera base, inicialista (inicialist)
Second Baseman - Segunda base, intermediarista ("intermediarist"), camarero (waiter)
Short Stop - Parador en corto (short stop), paracorto, short stop, torpedero ("torpedoer")
Third Baseman - Tercera base, antesalista ("waiting-roomist")
Outfielder - Jardinero (gardener) [izquierdo-left; central-center; derecho-right)
Designed Hitter - Bateador designado (designed batter)

Pitchers can be:
Starter - Abridor
Reliever - Relevista, de relevo [long relief: relevo largo; short relief: relevo corto] apagafuegos ("firequencher")
Closer - Cerrador (closer), tapón (plug), taponero (plugger)


I must add that the word "bat" and the verb "batting" totally entered the Spanish language.
For example, to "dump a boy/girlfriend" is "batear a un/a novio/a"

wow! How neat! pleibol and playball are really close. I'm not a baseball fan, but the comparison was quite close in most of your words.

Diamonte is also used in pattern poetry, because the poem is in the shape of a diamond.

Thanks, fbaezer.

Interesting how third base is known as the "waiting room." Makes sense, in terms of how the runner must feel, only 90 feet from scoring a run. Kind of poetic...

Game words:

innings: entradas (entrances), innings
throw: lanzamiento, pichada (pitch)
strike: strike
ball: bola
foul: faul
out: out
strikeout: ponche (punch), chocolate, sopa de pichón (pidgeon soup), estrocao (onomatopeyic, Cuba)
walk, base on balls: base por bolas (base on balls), pasaporte (passport)
hit by pitch: golpe (hit)
hit: hit, imparable (unstoppable), indiscutible (undisputable)
error: error
single: sencillo (simple)
double: doble, doblete, tubei (onomatopeyic, Cuba), batazo de dos esquinas (two corner bat-hit)
triple: triple, triplete, tribei (onomatopeyic, Cuba), batazo de tres esquinas (three corner bat-hit)
home run: jonrón, cuadrangular (quadrangular), bambinazo (obvious homage to Babe Ruth).
fly: elevado (high), fly
ground ball: roletazo, rola, rolita (untranslatable; it's an verbal anglicism from the verb to roll; roletazo is fast, rola is normal speed, rolita is slow)
run: carrera
double play: dobleplai, doble matanza (double massacre)
assist: asistencia
bunt: toque (touch), toque de pelota (ball touching)
sacrifice: sacrificio
wild pitch: wild pitch
balk: balk
interference: interferencia
steal: robo (steal)

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you're welcome, Letty

D'Artagnan, I think baseball is the most poetic of games.

I don't know if he was the first one to say it, but a young Mexican poet, Julio Trujillo, compares baseball with the Odysee. The batter is a modern Ulysses, who must make a hazardous trip, and with the help of his mates, visit different islands/bases, and finally return home.

More baseball words in Spanish:

A pitcher can throw:

fastball: recta (straight), rápida
curveball: curva
change: cambio, cambio de velocidad (change of speed)
slider: slider
Knuckleball: nudillera (knuckler), bola de nudillos
screwball: tirabuzón (corkscrew)

he can be:

controlled: controlado
wild: descontrolado (uncontrolled), güail (onopatopeyic), tirapiedras (stone thrower)

and the bases may be:

empty: vacías
loaded: casa llena (full house)

the umpire (ampayer) may call a strike:

swinging: abanicando (fanning)
looking: cantado (sung)

if it's the pitcher turn to bat, the manager (manager, manejador) may choose to send:

pinch hitter: bateador emergente (emergency batter)

same goes with:

pinch runner: corredor emergente (emergency runner)

The pinch runner may try to steal and slide (barrerse: to sweep) to the base (base, colchoneta: little cushion, almohadilla: little pillow).

Fbaezer, in U.S terminology the "waiting circle" is usually referred to as the "on deck circle".

You're right.
Daaah!

I was caught stealing (atrapado robando) terminology.

Important words for stats:

runs batted in: carreras producidas (produced runs)
batting average: promedio de bateo
earned run average: porcentaje de carreras limpias (clean run percentage)
wins: ganados
losses: perdidos
saves: salvados
unearned run: carrera sucia (dirty run)
game winning RBI: carrera producida ganadora (winning produced run)

lefty: zurdo
rightie: derecho
switch hitter: bateador ambidiestro (both dexterities batter)

Other basic words given by baseball to the Spanish language:
cachar: to catch
fildear: to field

Some popular sayings -you don't need to care about baseball to say them-:
"Ni picha, ni cacha ni deja batear" : "S/he doesn't pitch, or catch, or let anybody bat"
"Soy cuarto bat, y me obligas a sacrificarme" : "I'm batting fourth, and you force me to bunt"

Other popular sayings (baseball fans only):
"2, 2 y 2, la cuenta que huele a chocolate": "2 [balls], 2 [strikes] and 2 [outs], the count that smells like chocolate (strikeout)"
"Después del gran faul, el gran ponche" : "After the great foul, the great strikeout"
"Después del error, viene el hit": "After the error, comes the hit"
"Pitcher que empieza ponchando, pierde el juego" : "Pitcher who starts with a strikeout, losses the game"

A friend reminded me of another word for the pitching mound: "la lomita de las responsabilidades": the little hill of responsabilities.

Perhaps one of our colleagues in Montreal could share some French words for baseball terminology.

Speaking of beisbol, I watched my Braves play the Expos in San Juan last night (on the tube). The stadium looked nice, albeit with artificial turf...

I understand My Own Username is a journalist who specializes, among other things, in baseball.
It would be great to see some baseball terminology in Serbo-Croatian.

Yeah, the Expos.
Actually, two Mexican cities practically lost to San Juan the bid for the Expos.
Monterrey has wanted a Major League club for years. They have a very nice stadium, money, and lots of ball fans (plus they would draw some baseball tourism from the rest of the country).
Mexico City entered the bid too late. The major is a huge baseball fan. But the stadium is a drag (not enough parking place, too many seats without roof), and the weather has always played against baseball (our rainy season starts in April, ends in late October).

Your Bravos... they never appreciated Vinny [Castilla].
The Medias Blancas (White Sox) or Patipálidos (Palefooted), instead, believed in Loaiza when nobody else did (not even here).

Los Bravos believed in Vinny until his bat went silent. I guess he's hitting again now, which is good for him...

fbaezer, if you know the words to "Take me out to the Ballgame" give us a Spanish translation.

Now, that's strictly an American tradition.
No singing on the mid seventh inning.

We may have something almost as good, though. In the Mexico City stadium, if the local team scores a run during the bottom (parte baja, low part) of the seventh inning, from that moment, until the end of the inning, beers are sold at half price.

Told ya that I didn't know baseball. Anyway, some infernal organ player always does that baseball bit.

Those are some great words that I didn't know...thanks a lot.

You´re welcome, and welcome to A2K, abryant.

I suppose you support the Medias Rojas (Red Sox) or Patirrojos (Red footed).

fbaezer - your wish is my command However, it's kinda new sport in Croatia, so in many cases people actually use English terms

Bejzbol
The field - teren
The diamond - dijamant
Home - kuca (house)
The pitching mound - brdo (hill)
Infield - infield
First base - prva baza
Second base - druga baza
Third base - treca baza
Outfield - polje (field)

Pitcher - bacac (thrower)
Catcher - hvatac (catcher)
First baseman - prvobazni igrac (first base player)
Second Baseman - drugobazni igrac
Short Stop - short stop
Third Baseman - trecebazni igrac
Outfielder - vanjski (outfielder) - lijevi (left), srednji (central), desni (right)
Designed Hitter - zamjenski udarac (replacement hitter)

innings: izmjene, inninzi
throw: bacanje
strike: strike, dobra lopta (fair ball)
ball: lopta
foul: faul
out: out
strikeout: strikeout, izbacaj (throwing out)
walk, base on balls: setnja (walk), cetiri lose (four bad)
hit by pitch: hit by pitch
hit: udarac (hit)
error: pogreska
single: single
double: double
triple: triple
home run: home run, optrcavanje (running around)
fly: fly
ground ball: niska lopta (low ball)
run: trcanje
double play: double play, dvostruko izbacivanje (double out)
assist: asistencija
bunt: bant
sacrifice: zrtvovanje (sacrifice)
wild pitch: wild pitch
balk: balk
interference: ometanje (interference)
steal: kradja (steal)

Dobro, MOU!

Cetainly a curveball is not named kurva