Battery In Baseball | Gentle Bedtime Reading

Drift off with a calm bedtime reading that gently supports sleep and helps ease insomnia through quiet learning. This calm bedtime reading is designed for sleep, offering a peaceful focus for minds affected by insomnia and restless nights. Tonight, Benjamin explores the baseball term “battery,” explaining the unique relationship between pitcher and catcher in a slow, soothing way that helps you relax while you learn. His steady cadence and fact-filled delivery create a comforting atmosphere with no whispering, just gentle education meant to quiet the mind. This episode is ideal for listeners navigating insomnia, stress, or anxiety who enjoy drifting off while absorbing something interesting. Settle in, press play, and allow the calm rhythm to guide you toward rest. Happy sleeping!

Transcript

Welcome to the I Can't Sleep Podcast,

Where I help you drift off one fact at a time.

I'm your host,

Benjamin Boster.

And today's episode is about the baseball term,

Battery.

In baseball,

The battery is the pitcher and the catcher,

Who may also be called batterymen or batterymates in relation to one another.

The use of the word battery in baseball was first coined by Henry Chadwick in the 1860s in reference to the firepower of a team's pitching staff and inspired by the artillery batteries then in use in the American Civil War.

Later,

The term evolved to indicate the combined effectiveness of pitcher and catcher.

Throughout the history of baseball,

Although teams have typically carried multiple catchers,

Star pitchers have often preferred the familiarity of working consistently with a single batterymate.

In the early 20th century,

Some prominent pitchers were known to have picked their favorite catchers.

Sports writer Fred Leib recalls the batteries of Christy Mathieson and Frank Bowerman,

Beginning in 1899,

With the New York Giants.

Jack Coombs and Jack Lapp,

Beginning in 1908,

With the Philadelphia Athletics.

Cy Young and Luz Kreiger,

Gaining the greatest attention in 1901 with the Boston Americans,

Later the Red Sox.

Ann Grover Cleveland Alexander and Bill Killefer,

Beginning in 1911,

With the Philadelphia Phillies.

Other successful batteries were Ed Walsh and Billy Sullivan,

Beginning in 1904,

Along with Walter Johnson and Muddy Rule,

And Dazzy Vance and Hank DeBerry,

Both starting in 1923.

In 1976,

Several major league pitchers chose their preferred catchers,

A notion that had fallen out of practice for some decades.

For instance,

Catcher Bob Boone of the Philadelphia Phillies,

Though one of the best catchers of his day,

Was replaced with Tim McCarver at the request of pitcher Steve Carlton.

The Carlton-McCarver combination worked well in 32 out of Carlton's 35 games that season,

Plus one playoff game.

The two had previously been battery mates for four years,

1966-69,

With the St.

Louis Cardinals.

Another battery by choice was superstitious rookie pitcher Mark Fidrick,

Who was new to the Detroit Tigers in 1976,

Insisting on rookie catcher Bruce Kim behind the plate.

The Fidrick-Kim combination started all 29 of Fidrick's 1976 season games.

The two continued as a battery through 1977.

Knuckleballers have often preferred pitching to personal battery mates due to the difficulty of catching the unusual pitch.

One notable example was Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield and his preferred catcher Doug Mirabelli.

Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina started a record 328 games as a battery for the St.

Louis Cardinals,

And also hold the record for team wins by a starting battery.

Hall of Fame hurlers Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax each started over 200 games with Dodgers battery mate John Roseboro.

There's a table on this article that shows battery mates that,

As of September 20,

2022,

Have appeared in more than 200 starts together since 1914.

Especially notable are the five Hall of Fame batteries,

Including Lefty Grove,

Ranked by Bill James as the second greatest pitcher of all time,

And Mickey Cochran,

Ranked by James as the eighth greatest catcher of the 1925-1933 Philadelphia Athletics,

And Yogi Berra and Whitey Ford,

Who appeared in multiple World Series together for the New York Yankees between 1950 and 1963.

Reds hurler Johnny Vandermeer and Hall of Fame catcher Ernie Lombardi recorded two no-hitters in a span of five days in June 1938.

The battery of Max Scherzer and Wilson Ramos recorded two no-hitters for the Washington Nationals in 2015.

Another chart of Major League sibling batteries lists pitcher-catcher siblings who played on the same Major League team during a single Major League season.

The pair may or may not have performed as a battery in an actual Major League game.

Unique among those listed in the chart are Mort and Walker Cooper,

Who formed the National League starting battery at both the 1942 and 1943 Major League Baseball All-Star Games,

And also appeared as a battery in the 1942,

1943,

And 1944 World Series,

The only sibling battery to achieve either feat.

Baseball Hall of Famer Rick Ferrell and brother Wes formed a battery for the Boston Red Sox and the Washington Senators in the 1930s.

The battery that appeared in the most games together was Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada,

With 598 games together for the New York Yankees between 1995 and 2011.

The record for most team wins by a starting battery is 213 by Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina.

Red Faber and Ray Shock,

Who played together for the Chicago White Sox between 1914 and 1928,

Recorded the most total innings as a battery,

2,

553.

2.

Madison Bumgarner and Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants became the Major League's first battery to hit Grand Slams in the same game when they accomplished the feat on July 13,

2014 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The home run was pitcher Bumgarner's second Grand Slam of the season,

April 11.

Pitcher George Stovey and catcher Moses Fleetwood Walker formed the first black battery in professional baseball history when they teamed up for the 1887 Newark Little Giants of the International Association.

The tandem recorded 10 consecutive wins to begin the season before the Chicago White Stockings refused to take the field on July 15,

Leading to the league's implementation of the color line.

Frank Duncan Jr.

And his son,

Frank Duncan III of the 1941 Kansas City Monarchs,

Are thought to be the only father-son battery in Major League history.

In a game on September 7,

2012,

Former Major League Roger Clemens came out of retirement to pitch for the minor league Sugar Land Skeeters of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and formed a battery with his son,

Kobe Clemens.

Now let's learn about the glossary of baseball terms.

The number 1 in baseball refers to the pitcher's position,

A shorthand call for throwing to first,

A single hit,

And a fastball sign.

1-2-3 inning,

An inning in which a pitcher faces only three batters and none safely reaches a base,

Three up,

Three down.

1-2-3 double play,

A double play in which the pitcher,

One,

Fields a batted ball and throws home to the catcher,

Two,

Who retires a runner advancing from third.

The catcher then throws to the first baseman,

Three,

To force out the batter.

These almost always happen with the bases loaded.

1-6-3 double play,

The pitcher,

One,

Fields a batted ball and throws to the shortstop,

Six,

To force out a runner advancing to second.

The shortstop then throws to the first baseman,

Three,

To force out the batter.

2-catcher,

Two,

It's a two,

Call for throws to second,

A two-bagger is a double,

And the number two signs for a curveball.

20-80 scale.

MLB scouts use a 20-80 scale to grade players.

50 is average MLB level,

With 20 being very low,

And 80 elite.

Applies to overall ability and specific skills like hitting or pitching speed.

3.

The first baseman,

Three,

Receives throws with shouts of three,

Nabs runners attempting triples,

Three-baggers,

And the number three might signal a slider from the pitcher.

3-2-3 double play.

The first baseman,

Three,

Fields a batted ball and throws to the catcher,

Two,

Who retires a runner advancing from third,

And then throws back to the first baseman to force out the batter.

These almost always happen with the bases loaded.

3-6 double play.

The first baseman,

Three,

Fields a batted ball,

Steps on first to force the batter out,

And then throws to the shortstop,

Six,

Who tags out a runner.

Another possibility is a line drive caught by the first baseman,

Who throws to the shortstop,

Who then steps on second base for a second out.

3-6-1 double play.

The first baseman,

Three,

Fields a batted ball,

And throws to the shortstop,

Six,

To force out a runner at second.

The shortstop then throws to the pitcher,

One,

Who is now covering first base because the first baseman was busy fielding the ball to force out the batter.

3-4-3 double play.

The first baseman,

Three,

Fields a batted ball and throws to the second baseman,

Four,

To force out a runner at second.

The second baseman then throws back to the first baseman to force out the batter.

3-6-3 double play.

The first baseman,

Three,

Fields a batted ball and throws to the shortstop,

Six,

To force out a runner at second.

The shortstop then throws back to the first baseman to force out the batter.

4.

The second baseman,

In scorekeeping shorthand.

A shout of four indicates the ball should be thrown to home plate.

A four-bagger is a home run.

In the context of pitching,

The number four is a common sign and nickname for a change-up.

4-6-3 double play.

The second baseman,

Four,

Fields a batted ball and throws to the shortstop,

Six,

Who forces out a runner at second and then throws to the first baseman,

Three,

To force out the batter.

45-foot line.

The 45-foot line in baseball marks the area a batter-runner must stay in to avoid being called out for interfering when running to first base.

45-degree line.

An informal term referring to a hypothetical line drawn at a 45-degree angle from the front plane of the rubber to the first baseline.

It can be used as a reference point to determine whether a left-handed pitcher legally stepped at first base while attempting a pickoff.

A pitcher is required to step to the base to which he is throwing and failing to do so is a balk.

Four wide ones.

Four consecutive pitches deliberately wide of the strike zone.

Preacher Rose summarizes strategy to Stan Musial as I throw him four wide ones and try to pick him off at first.

Five.

The third baseman,

In scorekeeping shorthand.

Five-hole.

Between a player's legs,

The catcher's in particular,

From the hockey term for how a puck is advanced past the goalie,

Through the five-hole.

5.

6-hole.

The space between the third baseman,

Five,

And shortstop,

Six.

Made famous by perennial batting champion Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres as his description of where he liked to hit the baseball.

5-4-3 double play.

The third baseman,

Five,

Fields a batted ball and throws to the second baseman,

Four,

To force out a runner,

Advancing from first.

The second baseman then throws to the first baseman,

Three,

To force out the batter.

5-4-3 triple play.

Third baseman,

Five,

Fields a hard-hit ball and steps on third for a force-out on R-2,

Six.

Then throws a laser to second baseman,

Four,

To force out R-1,

Seven,

At second.

Finally,

Second baseman,

Four,

Fires the ball to first baseman,

Three,

To complete the triple play by retiring the batter,

Two.

5.

2-hole player.

A position player,

Non-pitcher like Willie Mays,

Mickey Mantle,

Andre Dawson,

Duke Snyder,

Vladimir Guerrero,

And Ken Griffey Jr.

,

Who excels at one,

Hitting for average,

Two,

Hitting for power,

Three,

Base running,

Four,

Throwing,

And five,

Fielding.

6.

The shortstop in scorekeeping shorthand.

6-4-3 double play.

The shortstop,

Six,

Fields a batted ball and throws to the second baseman,

Four,

Who forces at a runner advancing from first and then throws to the first baseman,

Three,

To force out the batter.

7.

The left fielder in scorekeeping shorthand.

7-2,

8-2,

Or 9-2 double play.

A fly ball is caught by an outfielder and a runner tries to tag up and score from third but is tagged out by the catcher.

8.

The center fielder in scorekeeping shorthand.

9.

The right fielder in scorekeeping shorthand.

9-0,

The official score of a forfeited game in Major League Baseball.

12-6 curveball.

A type of curveball,

The motion of which evokes the hands of a clock.

30-30 club.

Players who hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in a single season.

40-40 club.

Players who hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a single season.

50-50 club.

Players who hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season.

55 footer.

A pejorative term for a pitch that bounces short of the 60.

5 feet between the pitching rubber and the plate.

90 feet.

When a runner advances one base,

He moves up 90 feet.

The distance between successive bases.

A runner on third base is 90 feet away from scoring.

A-Ball or Class A.

As of the 2022 season,

Class A is the lowest grouping of modern affiliated minor league baseball,

With subcategories of High A and Single A.

Short season A leagues also existed before 2021.

High A is divided into three leagues.

Midwest League,

Northwest League,

And South Atlantic League.

Single A is also divided into three leagues.

California League,

Carolina League,

And Florida State League.

Double A is the second highest level of minor league baseball,

Below Triple A,

And as of 2022 includes the Eastern League,

The Southern League,

And the Texas League.

Double A is also the abbreviation for the American Association,

Which has been the name of numerous professional baseball leagues.

A short-lived major league of the 19th century a minor league for much of the 20th century and an independent minor league that became a partner league of Major League Baseball in 2021.

Triple A is the highest level of minor league baseball.

As of 2022,

This level includes the International League and the Pacific Coast League.

4A player,

Alternatively quadruple A player,

Is a term for a minor league player who is consistently successful in the high minor leagues,

But cannot translate that into success at the major league level.

Poor management can be responsible.

4A may also informally refer to high-quality but unaffiliated foreign baseball leagues outside North America,

Where play is considered less competitive than in MLB,

But more competitive than in Triple A.

This is usually restricted to describing Japan's NPB.

Aboard.

When a runner is on base,

When there are runners safely on base,

There are runners aboard.

Ace.

The best starting pitcher on the team,

Who is usually first on a pitching rotation.

Advance a runner.

To move a runner ahead safely to another base,

Often the conscious strategy of a team that plays small ball.

If a batter does make an out,

His plate appearance will have been less negative if he still got a runner into scoring position.

In certain situations,

Batters even deliberately sacrifice themselves.

Ahead in the count.

A term that signifies whether the batter or pitcher possesses the advantage in an at-bat.

If a pitcher has thrown more strikes than balls to a batter in an at-bat,

The pitcher is ahead in the count.

Conversely,

If the pitcher has thrown more balls than strikes,

The batter is ahead.

If the pitcher is ahead in the count,

The batter is in increasing danger of striking out.

If the batter is ahead,

The pitcher is in increasing danger of walking him.

Aim the ball.

Sometimes when a pitcher tries a bit too carefully to control the location of a pitch,

He is said to aim the ball instead of throwing it.

This is a different meaning of aim from the situation in which a player aims a pitch at a batter in an effort to hit him.

Airmail.

Slang for fielders errant throw that sails high over the player to whom he intended to throw the ball.

For example,

If the third baseman were to throw the ball over the first baseman's head and into the stands,

He is said to have airmailed the throw.

But Chandler airmailed her throw to third into the dugout.

Alabaster blast.

Coined by Pittsburgh Pirates announcer Bob Prince,

A Baltimore chop would bounce higher than normal due to the extraordinarily hard dirt at Forbes Field.

Alley.

Also gap or power alley,

The space between the left fielder and the center fielder or the right fielder and the center fielder.

If a batter hits the ball up the alley with enough force,

He has a stronger chance of advancing beyond first base and being credited with an extra base hit.

Typically,

This is an appropriate term for describing a line drive or ground ball.

Fly balls that hit the wall are not normally described this way.

Ambush.

Swinging at and especially hitting the first pitch.

American League,

AL.

The junior of the two existing major leagues.

American League Champion Series,

ALCS.

The season's final best-of-seven playoff series which determines the American League team that will advance to the World Series.

The ALCS,

Like its analog,

The NLCS,

Came into being in 1969.

The ALCS winner takes the American League pennant and the title of American League Champion for that season.

The winners of the American League Division Series have met in the ALCS since 1995.

Annie Oakley.

A free ticket to attendance at a ball game or to first base.

A free pass or base on balls.

Appeal play.

A play in which the defense has an opportunity to gain a favorable ruling from an umpire by addressing a mistake by the offense or seeking the input of another umpire.

Appeals require the defense to make a verbal appeal to an appropriate umpire,

Or if the situation being appealed is obvious,

A player may indicate an appeal with a gesture.

The onus is on the defense to make an appeal.

Umpires will not announce potential appeal situations,

Such as runners failing to touch a base,

Batting out of order,

Or unchecked swings until an appeal is made.

Arm.

A metonym for a pitcher.

A's trade two young arms to Kansas City.

Enthopolis is just stockpiling arms in an attempt to lure a trade.

Around the horn.

The infielders practice of throwing the ball to each other after recording an out,

Provided there are no runners on base.

The purpose is as much traditional as anything,

But it serves as a way to celebrate the out.

Typically,

If an out is made at first base,

The first baseman will throw to the shortstop,

Who throws to the second baseman,

Who throws to the third baseman,

Who turns the ball to the pitcher.

Patterns vary from team to team,

But the third baseman is usually the last infielder to receive a throw,

Regardless of the pattern.

Throwing the ball around the horn is also done after a strikeout with no base runners.

The catcher will throw the ball to the third baseman,

Who then throws it to the second baseman,

Who throws it to the shortstop,

And then throws it to the first baseman.

Some catchers,

Such as Ivan Rodriguez,

Prefer to throw the ball to the first baseman,

Who then begins the process in reverse.

Some catchers determine to whom they will throw based on the handedness of the batter,

To first for a right-handed batter,

Because the line to the first baseman is not blocked,

And vice versa,

Or whether the team is in an overshift,

When the third baseman would be playing close to where the shortstop normally plays,

And would require a harder throw to be reached.

An additional application of this term is when a 5-4-3 double play has occurred,

Which mimics the pattern of throwing the ball around the horn.

Arsonist An ineffective relief pitcher,

Usually a pitcher who comes into the game with no one on base,

But proceeds to give up several runs,

Opposite of fireman.

Ash An old-fashioned word referring to a baseball bat,

Which is typically made of wood from an ash tree.

The shrewd manager substitutes a fast runner for a slow one,

And sends in a pinch hitter when the man he takes out is just as good with the ash as the man he sends in.

Aspirin Not to be confused with a pill.

Saying for a fast ball that is especially hard to hit,

Due to its velocity and or movement.

In reference to the difficulty of making contact with something as small as an aspirin tablet.

May additionally reference batters seeing a pitched ball as relatively smaller than normal.

A potential psychological effect on batters who are in a slump.

Assist The official's scorer awards an assist to every defensive player who fields or touches the ball after it has been hit by the batter,

Prior to a put-out,

Even if the contact was unintentional.

For example,

If a ball strikes a player's leg and bounces off him to another fielder who tags the base runner,

The first player is credited with an assist.

A fielder can receive only one assist per out recorded.

A fielder also receives an assist if a put-out would have occurred had not another fielder committed an error.

Atom ball or atom Atom ball slang for a ball batted directly at a defender.

At bat,

A completed played appearance by a batter which results in a base hit or a non-sacrifice out.

At bats,

Or times at bat,

Are used for the calculation of a player's batting average and slugging percentage.

Note that a played appearance is not recorded as an at bat if the batter reaches first base as a result of a base on balls or hit by pitch,

Nor if he executes a sacrifice bunt or sacrifice fly.

Occasionally,

A batter may be at the plate when the third out of the inning is made against a base runner.

In this case,

The batter will lead off the next inning with a clean strike count,

And his interrupted played appearance is not counted as an at bat.

Backstop The fence behind home plate,

Designed to protect spectators from wild pitches or foul balls.

Catcher,

Sometimes backstopper.

Bag,

A base.

Also,

A two bagger is a double or two base hit.

A three bagger is a triple or three base hit.

A four bagger is a home run.

Caddy A caddy's sole function is to come in as a substitute in the late innings of a lopsided game,

To act as a defensive replacement for an aging power hitter,

Or to pinch run.

Cannon,

A strong arm.

To throw strongly.

An ouncer following a play in which the shortstop fields a ground ball and throws hard to first.

Will in cannons and gets him.

Dead arm.

When a normally effective or dominant pitcher seems unable to throw as hard as he usually does,

He may be said to have a dead arm.

If you've watched the radar gun when Carlos Zambrano is pitched this month,

You know something's not right.

The problem,

The Cubs right hander said Saturday,

That it is going through a dead arm phase.

Die.

A fly ball is said to die if it travels a shorter distance from a home plate than initially expected,

Due to wind or other aerodynamic factors.

Not to be confused with a dead ball.

Earned run.

Any run for which the pitcher is held accountable,

I.

E.

The run did not score as a result of a fielding error or a passed ball.

Primarily used to calculate the earned run average.

In determining earned runs,

An error charged to a pitcher is treated exactly like an error charged to any other fielder.

Some pitchers,

Notably Ed Lynch,

Referred to earned runs as earnies.

Zone.

The strike zone.

A pitcher is said to be in the zone,

Not only by throwing strikes,

But by maintaining his focus and throwing pitches that get batters out.

You hear about pitchers being in the zone and stuff like that.

And that's what I was doing.

I was zoned in.

I was throwing the right pitch every time.

And until the kid got hit,

I honestly didn't even realize.

Reviews

Never heard that term “battery” in baseball before, Benjamin. Perfect subject to fall asleep to. Thanks!!