beanball

noun

bean·​ball ˈbēn-ˌbȯl How to pronounce beanball (audio)
: a pitch thrown at a batter's head

Examples of beanball in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web And in Major League Baseball, brushback pitches, beanballs and brawls are part of the sport’s lore, and are excused as apt punishment for breaking the game’s unwritten rules. Michael A. Fletcher, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2023 Upon reaching first, Zay Jarvis noticed something: Shelton, the Pearland pitcher, was still reeling about the beanball and seeing Jarvis on the ground. Jason Gay, WSJ, 15 Aug. 2022 The Mets wanted revenge on Roger Clemens in the worst way after Clemens concussed Mike Piazza — who was hitting 7-for-12 with three homers against Clemens — with an obvious beanball on July 9, 2000. Jerry Beach, Forbes, 9 Apr. 2022 Conigliaro was a Red Sox outfielder whose career was cut short by a beanball in 1967. BostonGlobe.com, 21 Dec. 2019 In 1965, Juan Marichal, a future Hall of Fame pitcher, was involved in a confrontation while batting as part of beanball war between Marichal’s Giants and the rival Los Angeles Dodgers. Doug Lesmerises, cleveland, 15 Nov. 2019 There will be stringent enforcement of both a pitch clock and a rule forcing batters to remain in the box (unless dusting themselves off after a near-beanball). BostonGlobe.com, 10 Nov. 2019 Marlins pitcher Dan Straily and manager Don Mattingly were both suspended for their roles in a beanball incident with the San Francisco Giants. Craig Davis, Sun-Sentinel.com, 21 June 2018 Unlike the first two games of this series that were marked by flaring tempers and alleged beanballs, Wednesday's finale was tame. Michael Wagaman, Sun-Sentinel.com, 20 June 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'beanball.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1905, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of beanball was circa 1905

Dictionary Entries Near beanball

Cite this Entry

“Beanball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beanball. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

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