Baseball in Spanish: From the dugout to daily life

El béisbol, or baseball in Spanish, is one of the most popular popular sports in many Spanish-speaking countries, especially in the Caribbean. It transcends borders and languages.

In today’s post, we’ll explore the wide world of baseball terminology in Spanish, discussing its vocabulary, phrases, and idioms that form the language of the diamond.

In Latin America, el béisbol is not just a sport, it’s a phenomenon that has rich and creative expressions that come with it. So, it’s time to grab a bat and a glove as we immerse ourselves in the fascinating world of Spanish baseball.

Let’s play ball!

Baseball in Spanish: Vocabulary

Baseball has a unique culture and traditions, and is strongly present in many Spanish-speaking countries. With its peculiar terminology, many baseball words in Spanish are part of our culture and everyday speech.

As we dive into this post, you’ll notice that several Spanish baseball words are the same as in English, making it easy for Spanish learners to share in a baseball game with their Latin American friends.

Since baseball is known for its wide vocabulary, let’s divide it into various categories to improve our understanding of this exciting game.

Baseball equipment: Equipamiento de béisbol

Safety first! Here are words related to baseball equipment in Spanish.

Equipment	Equipamiento
Bat	El bate
Glove	El guante
Ball	La pelota
Helmet	El casco
Cleats	Los tacos
Mask	La máscara
Cap	La gorra
Batting glove	El guante de bateo
Uniform	El uniforme

• The glove is essential for catching the ball. – El guante es fundamental para atrapar la pelota.

• Every player needs a uniform and a cap to play. – Cada jugador necesita un uniforme y una gorra para jugar.

Baseball basic terms: Términos básicos del béisbol

Like any sport, baseball has words that when people say them, we know they’re talking about this fun game. Here are some of the basic baseball terms in Spanish.

English	Spanish
Baseball	El béisbol
Hit	El hit
Strike	El strike
Ball	La bola
Out	El out
Dugout	El dogaut
Bullpen	El bulpen
Run	La carrera
Inning	La entrada
Extra inning	La entrada extra
Pitch	El lanzamiento
Tie	El empate
Strikeout	El ponche
Fastball	La bola rápida
Flyball	Un flai
Diamond	El diamante
Base	La base
Pitcher’s mound	El montículo
Stadium	El estadio
Game	El juego

• The game is in the Mets Stadium. – El juego es en el estadio de los Mets.

• The glove is in the dugout. – El guante está en el dogaut.

Field positions and roles: Posiciones y roles

A player, un jugador, is anyone who plays a sport. So a baseball player is a jugador de béisbol in Spanish. However, we commonly use the term beisbolista, which you might translate into English as a baseballer.

Let’s continue learning baseball words in Spanish with the field positions and roles.

Positions and roles	Posiciones y roles
Baseball player	El beisbolista
Runner	El corredor
Pitcher	El lanzador
Catcher	El receptor
Infielder	El jugador de cuadro
Outfielder	El jugador de jardines
Left fielder	El jardinero izquierdo
Center fielder	El jardinero central
Right fielder	El jardinero derecho
First base player	El primera base
Second base player	El segunda base
Third base player	El tercera base
Shortstop	El campocorto
Designated hitter	El bateador designado
Reliever	El relevista
Batter	El bateador
Manager	El mánager
Umpire	El árbitro
Coach	El entrenador
Substitute	El suplente

• The coach changed the pitcher in the seventh inning. – El entrenador cambió al lanzador en la séptima entrada.

• The center fielder caught the ball. El jardinero central atrapó la pelota.

Game events and strategies: Estrategias y jugadas

Baseball is known for the different strategies and outcomes that happen when la pelota is in play. Here is some vocabulary about events and strategies in Spanish baseball games.

Events and strategies	Estrategias y jugadas
Bunt	El toque de bola
Ambush	La emboscada
Stolen base	El robo de base
Squeeze play	La jugada suicida
Double steal	El doble robo
Single	El sencillo
Double	El doble
Triple	El triple
Error	El error
Run batted in (RBI)	La carrera impulsada
Walk	La base por bolas
Batted ball	El batazo
Hit and run	El bateo y corrido
Fly	El elevado
Ground ball	La rola
Homerun	El jonrón
Double play	El doble play

• The pitcher threw four innings, receiving a single and a home run. – El lanzador lanzó cuatro entradas, recibiendo un sencillo y un jonrón.

• The batter hit a double and had two runs batted in. – El bateador conectó un doble y tuvo dos carreras impulsadas.

Baseball in Spanish: Verbos

Now that we’ve seen the essential terms for equipment, players, and gameplay, it’s time to cover the common verbs used when talking about baseball in Spanish.

English	Spanish
To pitch	Lanzar
To catch	Agarrar
To bat	Batear
To throw	Tirar
To hit	Golpear
To run	Correr
To field	Fildear
To score	Anotar
To strike out	Poncharse
To slide	Deslizarse
To bunt	Tocar la bola
To tag	Tocar
To sacrifice	Sacrificarse
To win	Ganar
To lose	Perder
To warm up	Calentar

Baseball in Spanish Slang: Jergas del Béisbol en Español

Let’s continue enjoying this fun adventure in el estadio de béisbol, and see some of the common and funny slang that people use in their daily conversations that come from el béisol in Spanish.

As we mentioned at the beginning of this post, baseball is a strong part of the culture in Latin America. El béisbol is so common, especially in the countries around the Caribbean, that it has influenced the language. That’s why many everyday expressions used in many countries, such as the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and Cuba, have their origins in el béisbol.

Let’s step onto the field and have fun learning some common expressions that have become a part of everyday life thanks to baseball in Spanish.

Sacarla de jonrón – To hit a home run

This is a typical Spanish baseball slang, used similarly to the English expression. We can hit a home run, or sacarla de jonrón, when we succed in something or accomplish something of significance.

• The lawyer hit a hit a home run with the case. – El abogado la sacó de jonrón con el caso.

Estar en tres y dos – To face a 3-2 count

If someone in Puerto Rico or Venezuela says estoy en tres y dos, it means that person is in an awkward or difficult position. A better English expression than facing a 3-2 count is being between a rock and a hard place. In the Dominican Republic this expression is even stronger, used to talk about a person who is seriously ill.

• My father is very ill, he’s about to die. – Mi papá está muy enfermo, está en tres y dos.

Recoger los bates – To pick up the bats

Recoger los bates is commonly used when an event is about to come to an end, or has just finished. We say that it’s time to pick up the bats.

• The party is over, let’s wrap things up. – Se terminó la fiesta, recojamos los bates.

Quedar ponchado con – To get struck out

In Spanish, quedar ponchado is used to say that somebody is confused or surprised, whether by someone else or by a situation, and doesn’t know what to do. English translations of this expression could be stumped by, caught off guard by, or just confused by.

• I was stumped by my mom’s question this morning. – Quedé ponchado con la pregunta que me hizo mi mamá esta mañana.

Agarrar fuera de base – Caught off base

This phrase has different meanings in different regions.

In Puerto Rico and Venezuela, when somebody is caught in an unpleasant situation or is surprised with an unexpected comment, that person can usually say me agarró fuera de base, translating as I was caught off base or I was caught off guard.

However, in Cuba and the Dominican Republic, when someone is agarrarado fuera de base, it means that they’re caught cheating on their partner.

• You caught me off guard when I was in the bathroom. – Me agarraste fuera de base cuando estaba en el baño.

Llegar a primera base – Getting to first base

In everyday language in both English and Spanish, getting to first base means kissing someone for the first time, usually implying making out. Llegar a primera base, or getting to first base in Spanish, is the first step to scoring, both on and off the field!

• I got to first base on my date. – Llegué a primera base en mi cita.

Mandar pal bullpen – To send someone to the bullpen

En el beisbol, the bullpen or el bulpen is where pitchers warm up. But in Puerto Rico, the expression mandar a alguien pal bullpen is the equivalent of sending someone to take a time-out. It’s a good way to cool down a difficult situation.

• I was arguing with my girlfriend in front of everyone, and she sent me for a time-out. – Estaba discutiendo en frente de todo el mundo y me mandó pal bullpen.

Un flaisito al catcher – A flyball hit to the catcher

Flaisito is another Spanish word for flyball. The diminutive -ito at the end indicates that it’s a small hit. In English, un flaisito al catcher translates to a flyball hit to the catcher.

We use this phrase to describe something easy to do. In English, un flaisito al catcher describes something that’s a piece of cake.

• The math exercise was a piece of cake. – El ejercicio de matemática fue un flaisito al catcher.

Caer de flai – To drop in like a flyball

This slang describes the awkward moment when an uninvited guest shows up at a party or an event. In Spanish, we would say that person cayó de flai, which translates as fell like a fly ball. This expression captures the essence of dropping in without an invitation.

• We were having a small, invite-only lunch, but Rebecca just showed up. – Estábamos teniendo un pequeño almuerzo solo para invitados, pero Rebecca cayó de flai.

Conclusion: Baseball in Spanish

Wow, we’re already in the 9th inning, our pitchers need to rest!

We’ve enjoyed throwing you all of these baseball terms in Spanish in this fun post! Before our next game, let’s end with a quick review of what we covered.

We started with vocabulary about baseball equipment, like bate and guante, to know the fundamental terms used on and off the field. Next, we got into field positions and roles, providing Spanish terms for each position, from lanzador to jardinero. We continued running the bases by discussing game plays and strategies, like a doble play or robo de base. We wrapped up our Spanish baseball vocab with a list of verbs related to the sport, giving the tools to describe some of the actions on the field.

Finally, we slid on the tercera base and saw some of the common Spanish baseball slang, learning phrases to help us understand regional cultural nuances derived from this popular sport.

Learning baseball words in Spanish not only expands your vocabulary, it’s also a way to connect to millions of Spanish-speaking baseball lovers. By learning Spanish baseball vocab, you can enrich your cultural understanding of the places where el béisbol is a central part of everyday life. Imagine traveling to Mexico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela and shouting ¡jonrón!.

So get ready for a home run when using this vocabulary in your daily conversations, and let’s play béisbol!