General
pickle
What does pickle mean?
A situation where a baserunner is trapped between two bases and the fielders try to tag him out.
"He got caught in a pickle between second and third and was tagged out."
Origin
American baseball slang for being 'in a pickle,' i.e. a jam.
Frequently asked questions
What is a 'pickle' in baseball?
A pickle is a rundown, where a baserunner is trapped between two bases and fielders toss the ball back and forth to tag him out.
Where does the baseball term 'pickle' come from?
It comes from the older English idiom 'in a pickle,' meaning stuck in a difficult jam, which fits a trapped runner perfectly.
How do you get out of a pickle in baseball?
The runner tries to make the fielders commit or drop the ball and dash safely to a base before being tagged.
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