Glossary of baseball (Q) facts for kids

Baseball has many special words and phrases! This article explains some of them, starting with the letter 'Q'.

Quality At Bat

A quality at bat happens when a batter does something helpful for their team, even if they don't get a hit. It's about being productive at the plate.

What Makes a Quality At Bat?

• Advancing runners: Moving a teammate closer to scoring, like with a sacrifice bunt.
• Getting on base: Reaching a base safely, perhaps by drawing a walk.
• Making the pitcher work: Forcing the pitcher to throw many pitches. This can tire the pitcher out.

A quality at bat isn't just measured by typical stats like batting average. It's about smart play. Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer once said that a quality at bat is about "waiting for a pitch you can handle." He added that if you get on base or hit the ball well, you know you had a good plate appearance.

Quality Start

A quality start is a way to measure how well a starting pitcher performs.

When is it a Quality Start?

A pitcher gets a quality start when they:

• Pitch at least six full innings.
• Allow three or fewer earned runs.

This can happen even if the pitcher's team loses the game! A pitcher might pitch very well but still not get a win. This statistic was created by sportswriter John Lowe. It helps show a pitcher's good performance, even if the team's offense doesn't score enough runs to win.

Quick Pitch

A quick pitch is an illegal pitch in baseball. It happens when the pitcher throws the ball before the batter is ready in the batter's box.

Rules for a Quick Pitch

• If there are no runners on base, the umpire calls the pitch a ball.
• If there are any runners on base, the umpire calls a balk. A balk means all runners on base get to move up one base.

The umpire always decides if a pitch is a quick pitch.

Quiet Bats

When a pitcher is doing a great job and stopping the other team from getting many hits, it's said that they have "quieted some bats."

What it Means

This phrase means the pitcher is making it hard for the opposing hitters to get on base or hit the ball hard. For example, a headline might say, "Miscues, Quiet Bats, Cost D-Backs." This means the team made mistakes and their hitters weren't getting hits, which led to a loss.

Quiet Swing

A batter with a quiet swing keeps their head, hands, and bat very still while waiting for the pitcher to throw the ball.

Why a Quiet Swing is Good

This stillness helps the batter focus on the pitch. It allows them to react better and hit the ball with more power and accuracy. For example, Hideki Matsui was known for his quiet swing and stance. This helped him hit for both power and a good batting average.