Baseball, known as béisbol in Spanish-speaking countries, is a sport that transcends borders and languages. As a fan or player of baseball, understanding the baseball vocabulary in Spanish adds depth and authenticity to your appreciation of the game. In this article, we will delve into the rich world of baseball terminology in Spanish, exploring the key words and phrases that form the language of the diamond.

Baseball Vocabulary in Spanish

Baseball has its own unique culture and traditions, such as singing the national anthem before games and performing the seventh-inning stretch. In conclusion, whether you’re discussing strategies, cheering on your favorite team, or watching a game in Spanish, by learning the baseball vocabulary in Spanish, you’re taking a step closer to fully embracing this exciting game.

Field Positions and Roles

As you may know, anyone who plays a sport is called jugador or jugadora (player), so a baseball player would be jugador or jugadora de béisbol. However, you can also use the term beisbolista. Let’s continue learning baseball vocabulary in Spanish with the field positions and roles.

  1. El jugador or la jugadora de béisbol (baseball player)
  2. El or la beisbolista (baseball player)
  3. El corredor or la corredora (runner)
  4. El lanzador or la lanzadora; el or la pícher (pitcher)
  5. El or la relevista (reliever)
  6. El receptor or la receptora; el or la cácher (catcher)
  7. El bateador or la bateadora; el toletero or la toletera (batter, hitter)
    • El bateador designado or la bateadora designada (designated hitter, pinch hitter)
    • El bateador oportuno or la bateadora oportuna (clutch hitter)
    • El bateador peligroso or la bateadora peligros (dangerous hitter)
  8. El jardinero or la jardinera (fielder, outfielder)
    • El jardinero central or la jardinera central (center fielder)
    • El jardinero derecho or la jardinera derecha (right fielder)
    • El jardinero izquierdo or la jardinera izquierda (left fielder)
  9. La base (base, place) and el or la base would be a base player.
    • El or la primera base (first base player)
    • El or la segunda base (second base player)
    • El or la tercera base (third base player)
  10. El campocorto (shortstop)

Playing Baseball

Here is some useful baseball vocabulary in Spanish.

Batting and Hitting

When a batter hits the ball, they can achieve different outcomes.

  1. Batear (to bat, to hit)
  2. El bate (bat)
  3. La pelota de béisbol (baseball ball)
  4. El jonrón or home run (home run)
  5. El doble (double)
  6. El triple (triple)
  7. El hit (single)
  8. El batazo (batted ball, hard-hit ball)
  9. El ponche (strikeout)
  10. Ponchar (to strike out)
  11. Poncharse sin tirarle (to strike out looking)

Running the Bases and Scoring

Once the ball is in play, runners try to advance on the bases. Then, in baseball, you need to score runs (las carreras). Each team has a turn to bat (la entrada) and a game usually consists of nine innings. Extra innings are needed only when the score is tied after nine innings.

  1. Las carreras (runs)
  2. Anotar una carrera (to score a run)
  3. Correr las bases (to run the bases)
  4. Robar una base (to steal a base)
  5. Sacrificar (to sacrifice)
  6. La entrada (inning)
    • La entrada adicional (extra inning)

Strategies and Tactics

Baseball involves various strategies and tactics. Here is some baseball vocabulary in Spanish that can help you talk about hem.

  1. El entrenador (coach)
  2. El sacrificio (sacrifice bunt, fly)
  3. El batazo de sacrificio (sacrifice hit)
  4. La jugada de doble play (double play)
  5. El cambio (pitch substitution)
  6. El relevo (bullpen)
  7. La rola, la rolata, la roleta or el roletazo (roller, ground ball)

Umpires and Calls

Finally, umpires play a crucial role in baseball, making calls and ensuring fair play. In Latin American Spanish, you can use the words umpire, ampáyer or ompáyer to refer to this professional. However, in Spain they are called árbitro or árbitra. Umpires make different calls. Let’s learn how they are called in Spanish.

  1. El árbitro or la árbitra; el or la umpire (umpire)
  2. El árbitro principal or la árbitra principal (crew chief, head umpire)
  3. La estatua de la libertad (statue of liberty)
  4. El strike (strike)
  5. La bola or la bola mala (ball)
  6. El out (out)
  7. La revisión de vídeo (video review)

Exercises

Here are some exercises to practice baseball vocabulary in Spanish. Feel like reviewing more sports vocabulary? In our blog, you can also find exercises covering cricket, golf, ice hockey, soccer, basketball and tennis vocabulary.

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Categorized in:

Vocabulary