Home run

In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run is usually achieved by hitting the ball over the outfield fence between the foul poles (or hitting either foul pole) without the ball touching the field.

Inside-the-park home runs where the batter reaches home safely while the baseball is in play on the field are infrequent. In very rare cases, a fielder attempting to catch a ball in flight may misplay it and knock it over the outfield fence, resulting in a home run.^[1]

An official scorer will credit the batter with a hit, a run scored, and a run batted in (RBI), as well as an RBI for each runner on base. The pitcher is recorded as having given up a hit and a run, with additional runs charged for each base-runner that scores.

Home runs are among the most popular aspects of baseball and, as a result, prolific home run hitters are usually the most popular among fans and consequently the highest paid by teams—hence the old saying, "Home run hitters drive Cadillacs, and singles hitters drive Fords" (coined, circa 1948, by veteran pitcher Fritz Ostermueller, by way of mentoring his young teammate, Ralph Kiner).^[2]^[3]^[4]

Nicknames for a home run include "homer", "round tripper", "four-bagger", "big fly", "goner" "dinger", "long ball", "jack", "shot"/"moon shot", "bomb", "tater", and "blast", while a player hitting a home run may be said to have "gone deep" or "gone yard".^[5]

^ Halicke, Chris (May 26, 2020). "This Day in Texas Rangers History: Jose Canseco's Head Produces Home Run and All-Time Blooper". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
^ Johnson, Vince. "Once Over Lightly". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 7, 1949. Retrieved December 2, 2018. "Once, while Kiner was trying futilely to place his hits, old Fritz Ostermueller came through with a sage observation. 'Ralph,' he said, 'the right-hand batters who hit to the right field are driving Fords. The right-hand batters who hit over the fence in left are driving Cadillacs.' Kiner, by the way, is driving a Cadillac."
^ Kiner, Ralph; Peary, Danny. "BackTalk; The View From Kiner's Korner". The New York Times. April 4, 2004. Retrieved December 2, 2018. "Another quote that has been attributed to me is, 'Home-run hitters drive Cadillacs and singles hitters drive Fords.' That was actually first said by my Pirates teammate, pitcher Fritz Ostermueller."
^ Ralph Kiner at the SABR Baseball Biography Project , by Warren Corbett, Retrieved July 16, 2011.
^ Landers, Chris (September 18, 2018). "The 26 best nicknames for a home run, ranked". MLB.com. Retrieved August 8, 2020.

[1] Halicke, Chris (May 26, 2020). "This Day in Texas Rangers History: Jose Canseco's Head Produces Home Run and All-Time Blooper". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 19, 2023.

[2] Johnson, Vince. "Once Over Lightly". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 7, 1949. Retrieved December 2, 2018. "Once, while Kiner was trying futilely to place his hits, old Fritz Ostermueller came through with a sage observation. 'Ralph,' he said, 'the right-hand batters who hit to the right field are driving Fords. The right-hand batters who hit over the fence in left are driving Cadillacs.' Kiner, by the way, is driving a Cadillac."

[3] Kiner, Ralph; Peary, Danny. "BackTalk; The View From Kiner's Korner". The New York Times. April 4, 2004. Retrieved December 2, 2018. "Another quote that has been attributed to me is, 'Home-run hitters drive Cadillacs and singles hitters drive Fords.' That was actually first said by my Pirates teammate, pitcher Fritz Ostermueller."

[Corbett-4] Ralph Kiner at the SABR Baseball Biography Project , by Warren Corbett, Retrieved July 16, 2011.

[5] Landers, Chris (September 18, 2018). "The 26 best nicknames for a home run, ranked". MLB.com. Retrieved August 8, 2020.

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