General
gopher ball
What does gopher ball mean?
A pitch that a batter hits for a home run, from the pitcher's perspective; a play on the ball 'going for' extra bases.
"He was cruising until he served up a gopher ball to the cleanup hitter."
Origin
American baseball slang, a pun on 'go for' (extra bases) sounding like 'gopher.'
Frequently asked questions
What is a gopher ball in baseball?
A gopher ball is a pitch that a batter hits for a home run, described from the pitcher's point of view.
Why is it called a gopher ball?
It's a pun: the ball 'goes for' extra bases, and 'go-for' sounds like 'gopher.'
Who gives up a gopher ball?
The pitcher — 'serving up a gopher ball' means throwing a pitch that gets hit out of the park.
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