Glossary of baseball (R) facts for kids

Baseball is a super fun sport with lots of special words and phrases! This guide will help you understand some of the terms that start with the letter "R."

Baseball Terms: Letter R

Rabbit Ears

This term describes a player who hears everything that opponents or fans say, especially if it makes them nervous or causes them to play poorly. An umpire who pays too much attention to every complaint from the dugouts might also be said to have "rabbit ears."

Rag Arm

A "rag arm" is a term used for a player, usually a pitcher, who has a weak arm. It means their throws might not be very fast or strong.

Railroad

To "railroad" means to run into and knock over another player. This usually happens when a runner crashes into the catcher at home plate or a first baseman at first base. The player being run into might not be able to get out of the way because they are focused on catching the ball to make an out.

Rain Delay

A "rain delay" happens when a baseball game starts late or is temporarily stopped because of rain. If a game is stopped after it has begun, it might start again later the same day or on a different day. If a game is completely canceled because of rain, it's called a rainout. Most rainouts are rescheduled for a later date.

Rainbow

A "rainbow" is a special kind of curveball. It gets its name because it has a high, arching path to home plate, just like a rainbow.

Rainout

A "rainout" is a game that is canceled or stopped because of rain. Major League Baseball teams usually keep playing in light rain. However, they will stop if it's raining heavily or if the field has too much standing water. Games can also be delayed or canceled due to other bad weather or if the field isn't safe to play on.

If a game is rained out before it starts, a make-up game is scheduled for another day. If a game is stopped before enough innings are played (usually 4½ or 5 innings), it's not an official game. The umpire will say "No Game," and the game will be played again from the beginning on a new date. Statistics from that stopped game won't count.

Rake

To "rake" means to hit the baseball really hard and all over the field. When a player is "raking," it means they are hitting the ball very well.

Rally

A "rally" is when a team comes back from being behind in the score. This often happens in the later innings of a game, when a team scores many runs to catch up or take the lead.

Rally Cap

A "rally cap" is a baseball cap worn in a funny way—backwards, sideways, or inside-out. Fans or players wear them to try and bring about a rally for their team. This tradition became famous during the 1986 World Series when New York Mets players wore their caps inside-out, and their team came back to win the game and the series.

Range

"Range" refers to how well a fielder can move from their position to catch or field a ball that is hit. A fielder with good range can cover a lot of ground quickly.

RBI

RBI stands for "Run Batted In." An RBI is a run that is scored because of a Glossary of baseball (H)#hit, a walk with the bases loaded, a hit-by-pitch, a sacrifice fly, or a fielder's choice that results in an out but allows a run to score. It's a way to give credit to the batter for helping their team score.

RBI Situation

An "RBI situation" means there are runners on base who are in scoring position. This means they are on second or third base, making it easier for them to score a run if the batter gets a hit.

Receiver

"Receiver" is another word for a catcher. Other terms for a catcher include "backstop" or "signal caller."

Regular Season

The "regular season" is the main part of the baseball schedule. In Major League Baseball, teams usually play 162 games. Sometimes, if two teams are tied for a playoff spot, they might play an extra 163rd game, which also counts as part of the regular season.

Regulation Game

A "regulation game" is a standard baseball game. Most professional games last nine innings. The team with the most runs at the end of the game wins. If the home team is ahead after eight-and-a-half innings, they win, and the last half-inning isn't played. If the game is tied after nine innings, they play extra innings until one team has the lead at the end of an inning.

Rehab Assignment

When a Major League player is recovering from an injury or illness, they might play a short time with one of the team's minor-league teams. This is called a "rehab assignment." It helps them get back into playing shape before they return to the main team. It's different from being sent to the minors for poor performance.

Relay

A "relay" is a defensive play where an outfielder throws the ball to an infielder, who then throws it to the final target (like a base or home plate). This is done because it's hard to throw accurately and fast over very long distances. It's also called a "cut-off."

Relief Pitcher / Reliever

A "relief pitcher" or "reliever" is a pitcher who comes into the game to replace another pitcher. They usually pitch for a few innings or just a few batters, often when the starting pitcher is tired or not pitching well.

Replacement-Level Player

A "replacement-level player" is a player with average skills who can be easily found and signed by a Major League team for a low cost. A team made up entirely of these players would be expected to win a certain minimum number of games in a season.

Replacement Player

A "replacement player" is someone who plays baseball during times when the regular players are on strike or locked out. These players are not part of the main players' union.

Restricted List

The "restricted list" is a special roster status for players who are not available to play because of their own actions, such as refusing to play or getting into trouble. When a player is on this list, the team can remove them from the active roster and stop paying them, but they still keep the player's rights.

Retire the Batter

To "retire the batter" means to get the batter out.

Retire the Runner

To "retire the runner" means to get a runner out at a base, usually by throwing the ball to that base before the runner gets there.

Retire the Side

See side retired. This means getting three outs in an inning, which ends the batting team's turn.

Rhubarb

A "rhubarb" is an old-fashioned term for an argument or a fight that breaks out during a baseball game.

Ribbie, Ribeye

These are slang terms for a run batted in (RBI).

Rifle

"Rifle" can mean two things:

• A very strong arm: A player with a "rifle" arm can throw the ball very fast and accurately. It's like saying they have a "cannon" for an arm. It can also be used as a verb, like "He rifled the ball home to catch the runner."
• A hard hit: A batter can "rifle" a ball when they hit a very hard line drive.

Right-Handed Bat

Even though a baseball bat is the same no matter how you hold it, a "right-handed bat" is a way to describe a player who bats right-handed.

Right-Handed Hitter

A "right-handed hitter" is a batter who stands on the left side of home plate and swings the bat with their right hand leading.

Ring Him Up

To "ring him up" means to call a strikeout, especially when the batter doesn't swing at the third strike. The umpire makes a motion like ringing a bell, similar to an old-fashioned cash register.

Rip

"Rip" can also mean two things:

• To hit a hard line drive: "He ripped a single through the right side" means he hit a fast, low ball.
• A hard swing: "Reyes took a good rip at that pitch" means he swung hard, even if he missed.

RISP

RISP is an acronym that stands for Runners In Scoring Position. This means there are runners on second or third base, making it easier for them to score.

RLSP

RLSP stands for Runners Left in Scoring Position. This number is often seen in a game's box score. It tells you how many runners were on second or third base when the batting team got their third out and their turn to bat ended.

Road Game

A "road game" is a baseball game played at another team's home stadium, not your own. When a team plays away from home, they are on a "road trip" and are called the "visiting team."

Road Trip

A "road trip" is a series of "road games" or away games where a team travels from one city to another to play.

Robbed

"Robbed" can mean two things:

• When a fielder makes an amazing play that stops a batter from getting a hit or a home run, the batter is said to have "been robbed" by the fielder.
• If an umpire makes a call that seems unfair or wrong, the losing team or their fans might complain that they "were robbed" of a win.

Rocking Chair

The "rocking chair" is a nickname for the position of the third base umpire. It's called this because the third base umpire usually doesn't have to make as many difficult or frequent calls as the other umpires.

ROOGY

ROOGY is a slightly funny acronym for "Righty One Out GuY. It refers to a right-handed relief specialist who is often brought in to get just one or two specific right-handed batters out.

Rookie

A "rookie" is an athlete in their first year of playing a sport professionally. In Major League Baseball, there are specific rules about how much a player can have played before they are no longer considered a rookie, especially for awards like the Rookie of the Year.

Roll a Pair

To "roll a pair" means that the next play will be a double play, where two outs are made on one play. It's also sometimes shortened to "roll it."

Room Service

"Room service" describes a ball hit directly to a fielder, so they barely have to move to catch it. It can also refer to a pitch that is very easy for a batter to hit.

Rooster Tail

A "rooster tail" happens when a baseball rolls on wet grass and kicks up water behind it, looking like a rooster's tail.

Rope

A "rope" is a very hard line drive, which is a ball hit low and fast. It's also called a frozen rope. You can also use it as a verb, like "He roped one up the middle."

Roster

A "roster" is the official list of players who are allowed to play in a game. Major League Baseball teams usually have 25 players on their active roster for most of the season. However, more players can be added to the roster later in the season.

Rotation

The "rotation" or "starting rotation" refers to the group of starting pitchers a team uses and the order in which they pitch. Because pitchers need several days to rest after a game, most teams have four or five starting pitchers who take turns pitching every few days.

Roughed Up

When an offense has "roughed up" the opposing pitcher, it means they have hit the pitcher's pitches very hard and scored many runs against them.

Roundhouse Curveball

A "roundhouse curveball" is a type of curveball that doesn't break sharply but instead makes a more gradual, wide loop as it travels to the plate.

Round-Tripper

A "round-tripper" is another term for a home run. It's like a trip around all the bases, starting and ending at home plate.

Rubber

The "rubber," officially called the pitching plate, is a white rubber strip on the pitcher's mound. It is exactly 60 feet 6 inches from the back of home plate. A pitcher pushes off the rubber with their foot to gain speed when throwing the ball.

Rubber Arm

A pitcher is said to have a "rubber arm" if they can throw many pitches or pitch on consecutive days without getting tired. These pitchers are very valuable because they can be used often.

Rubber Game

A "rubber game" is the final game in a series (like a three-game series) when the teams have split the wins evenly in the games before. For example, if each team has won one game in a two-game series, the third game is the "rubber game" because it decides the winner of the series.

Run

"Run" can mean a few things in baseball:

• A player scores a "run" when they advance around all the bases and touch home plate. The team with the most runs wins.
• A manager "runs his players" when he encourages them to steal bases or try to advance extra bases aggressively.
• A player or coach can be "run" by an umpire, which means they are ejected from the game.

Run on Contact

See contact play. This is a strategy where runners on base start running as soon as the batter makes contact with the ball, rather than waiting to see if it's a hit.

Rundown

A "rundown" is a play where a runner is stuck between two bases. Fielders with the ball toss it back and forth, trying to tag the runner out as they run back and forth to avoid being tagged. It's also called a "hotbox" or a "pickle."

Rung Up

"Rung up" can mean two things:

• Being ejected from the game by an umpire.
• Slang for having struck out looking, meaning the batter didn't swing at the third strike.

Runners at the Corners

"Runners at the corners" means there are runners on first base and third base, with second base empty.

Runners in Scoring Position

"Runners in scoring position" means there are runners on second or third base. From these bases, a typical base hit should allow them to score a run.

Ruthian Blast

A "Ruthian blast" is a home run that travels a very long distance. This term is used to honor the famous slugger Babe Ruth, who was known for hitting incredibly long home runs.