Glossary of baseball (U)

U

UA or U.A.
Abbreviation for Union Association, a one-year (1884) major league.

Uecker seats
Spectator seating offering a very poor view of the playing field. Named in honor of longtime Milwaukee Brewers announcer Bob Uecker, in reference to one of his TV ads in which he is removed from the box seats and learns that his ticket is actually for a seat in the back row of the right field upper deck.

ugly finder
A foul ball hit into a dugout, presumably to "find" someone who is ugly or to render him that way if he fails to dodge the ball.

ukulele hitter
A weak hitter – banjo hitter, Punch and Judy hitter. "Wolff: Ukulele Hitter Makes Hall of Fame as Broadcaster".[1]

ultimate grand slam
A grand slam by a member of the home team when they are exactly three runs behind in the bottom of the final inning, thus overcoming a 3-run deficit and winning the game with one swing. See also walk-off home run.

umpire
Main article: Umpire (baseball)
"The ump" is in charge of a game, as are members of his crew ("refs" in most other sports).

unassisted play
When a fielder single-handedly executes a play which is more often completed by multiple fielders. For example, with a runner on first base, a ground ball is hit to the shortstop who then steps on second base, completing a force out. Unassisted double plays are rare, and unassisted triple plays are extremely rare.

Uncle Charlie
A curveball.

uncontested steal, undefended steal
If a base runner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate but the catcher does not attempt to throw him out, then the steal may be scored as an uncontested or undefended steal. In the game's statistics, the runner would not be credited with a stolen base. Also called defensive indifference. See also stolen base, fielder's choice.

up
  • The player at bat or on his way there.
  • "Batter up!": Start the inning (says an umpire).
  • Three up, three down: Three batters came to the plate and all three are out.
  • A team in the lead is "up" by some number of runs.
  • Called up, a player has been promoted from the minors to the majors.

up and in
Same as high and tight.

up in the zone
A pitch to the upper part of the strike zone. "When Miller throws his fastball up in the zone, opponents are hitting .079 (6-for-76) and have missed on 36 percent of swings (league average is .232). When his fastball is down or in the middle of the strike zone, opponents hit .270 with a miss rate of 15 percent."[2]

up the middle
(adverb) Said of a ball batted through the middle of the infield, i.e. over or near second base and toward or into the outfield.

upper decker
  • A home run that lands in the stadium's upper deck.
  • A dip of tobacco placed in the upper lip.

uppercut
When a batter's swing moves upward as the bat moves forward. "The looping or uppercut swing is most common when the hitter 'loads up his swing' in order to hit with more power."[3]

upstairs
A high pitch, usually above the strike zone.

up the elevator shaft
A high pop-up directly over the batter.

up the middle
The area near an imaginary line from home plate through the pitcher's mound and second base into center field. General managers typically build teams "up the middle", i.e. strength at catcher, second base, shortstop, and center field.

utility
Main article: Utility player § baseball
A player (usually a bench player) who can play several different positions.

References
  1. Richard Sandomir, "Wolff: Ukulele Hitter Makes Hall of Fame as Broadcaster", The New York Times, July 31, 1995.
  2. William Cohen, "Shelby Miller hard to hit up in the zone", ESPN, June 17, 2013.
  3. BatSpeed.com_Baseball and Softball Swing Hitting Mechanics
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