Can of corn is one of the more mysterious baseball phrases, with numerous theories behind its origin. One is that it comes from the action of grocery clerks using a stick to tip a can off a high shelf and then catch it (as to hand to a customer). In extended use, the phrase can refer to something easily accomplished.
The ”can of corn” in baseball refers to that style of catch with a fly ball. Essentially, the catch and the can of corn have the following in common: Catching something that’s almost coming “straight down” The style of catching—letting the can, or the ball, do most of the work of coming down to you.
A “can of corn” is a routine fly ball hit to an outfielder.
White Sox broadcaster Ken “Hawk” Harrelson likes to use the phrase these days, and Hall of Fame broadcaster Red Barber is credited for using it first as one of his signature catchphrases when he started broadcasting Brooklyn Dodgers games in 1939.
It’s called cheese because cheese is easy to slice through. Cheese is a fastball that is easy to hit. Cheese is a fastball that is easy to hit.
One of the early nicknames of the curveball was Uncle Charlie, or sometimes, Lord Charles. This was derived from the name of Harvard President Charles Elliot, who was opposed to the adoption of the curveball and considered it to be cheating.
A “can of corn” is an easy-to-catch flyball, usually hit high and into the outfield. A typical synonym for “can of corn” is “routine flyball.”
Here are a few:- “How can you not be romantic about baseball?” - Moneyball.
A ballpark ale brewed with the actual corn harvested from the Field of Dreams movie site, ‘Can of Corn’ was brewed to bring those who truly love the purity of the game together, just like Ray built the field.
a fly ball that is so easy to catch that the fielder need only stand under the falling ball and let it drop into their glove: That’s the third straight can of corn off a Yankee bat tonight, and the Toronto outfield is not complaining.
Tater: A sign of the times. The latest word in bourbon whiskey parlance, a “tater” is an enthusiast who perpetuates the category’s newly found hype culture.
It is the part of the ear on which the kernels grow. The ear is also considered a “cob” or “pole” but it is not fully a “pole” until the ear is shucked, or removed from the plant material around the ear.
In the early days of baseball, Hot Stove Season referred to an actual baseball season: Hot Stove Leagues, in which MLB players would stay in shape by playing baseball in their hometowns while staying warm with actual hot stoves.
A softly hit ball that goes over the infielders and lands in the outfield for a hit. Originally called a “duck fart” because it was assumed that a duck’s feathers would make its farts as soft (or quiet) as the hit. Changed to a “snort” for use in polite company.
Crooked Number is a term or expression in Baseball that describes a single point after successful consecutive half-innings. Crooked numbers, or commonly known as crooked, is higher than the number being placed on the line score due to half-innings.
Cookie: An easily hittable pitch. Crooked number: A team’s inning run total greater than zero or one.
An oppo taco is a home run that is hit to the opposite side of the field from where the batter is standing.
An illegal pitch may be quick pitch (i.e. a pitch made before the batter is properly set in the batter’s box), a pitch made while the pitcher is not in contact with the pitching rubber, or one in which he takes an extra step while making his delivery.
In 1869, the newspaper described Phonney Martin as an “extremely hard pitcher to hit for the ball never comes in a straight line, but in a tantalizing curve.”
A curveball is a breaking pitch that possesses strong downwards movement. While fastballs are thrown with backspin to create lift, a curve is customarily thrown with topspin to induce drop. Topspin is what causes a baseball to move downwards (aided by the force of gravity) as it approaches home plate.
Baseball Lingo: The History of a “Can of Corn”- A “can of corn” in baseball is when a batter hits an easy fly ball to an outfielder.
On the other hand, when an outfielder gets hit a “can of corn”, the outfielder doesn’t generally have that far to run to get in position to catch the ball.
Children of the Corn (advertised as Stephen King’s Children of the Corn) is a 1984 American supernatural slasher horror film based upon Stephen King’s 1977 short story of the same name.
Here are some more famous quotes from baseball players through the years. “When you start the game, they don’t say “Work ball!” They say, “Play ball!”” – Willie Stargell. “ “The game had done much for me, and I had done much for it.” – Jackie Robinson.