Most
Japanese Baseball terminology was borrowed wholesale from the American game, so with a little creative thinking it is not to hard to follow Japanese broadcasts with little or no knowledge of Japanese. A sampling:
A
anchi kyojin: Anti-Yomiuri Giants (kyojin being the Japanese word for "giants"). Much like America's Yankees, the Tokyo-based Giants have utterly dominated the Japanese game as a perennial threat to win the championship. Thus, this term describes most fans of Japanese baseball who do not root for the Giants.
B
banto:
bunt
batta:
batter
batta bokkusu:
batters box
besuboru:
baseball
besuto nain: starting lineup ("best nine")
boru:
ball
C
chenji appu:
changeup
D
daburu pure:
double play
deddo boru: a pitch that hits the batter ("dead ball")
de gemu: day game
E
eesu: pitching ace
entaitoru tsu besu:
ground rule double ("entitled two bases")
era:
error
F
fain pure: fine play
famu:
farm team or
farm system
fasuto:
first baseman
fauro:
foul ball
fensu: home run fence
foa boru:
walk ("four ball")
foku:
forkball
furu besu:
bases loaded ("full bases")
furu kaunto:
full count
G
gattsu pozu: guts pose, i.e. hot-dogging it after a home run - what we used to call a "pimp job" when I was back in high school.
gemu setto: game over ("game set")
goro:
ground out
gurobu: glove
H
heddo surraidingu: head-first slide ("head sliding")
herumetto:
batting helmet
hiiro intabyu: post-game hero interview
homuin:
run ("home-in")
homuran:
home run
I
iji furai: routine fly ball ("easy fly")
K
kantoku: manager
koochi: coach
kyatcha:
catcher
M
manrui homa:
grand slam home run
maundo:
pitchers mound
N
naisu pure: nice play
naita: night game
P
pa riigu:
Pacific League
pasu boru:
passed ball
pinchi hitta:
pinch hitter
pinchi ranna:
pinch runner
pitcha:
pitcher
pitchingu sutaffu:
pitching staff
pure boru:
Play ball
R
raina:
line drive ("liner")
raito:
right fielder
rakii sebun:
lucky seven - the Japanese version of the
seventh inning stretch in which fans release thousands of
condom-shaped balloons
ranningu homuran:
inside-the-park home run ("running home run")
refuto:
left fielder
ririfu pitcha:
relief pitcher
rukii:
rookie
S
saado:
third baseman
saikuru hitto:
hitting for the cycle
sanshin: strikeout
sayonara homuran:
walk-off home run
sebu:
save
sekando:
second baseman
senta:
center fielder
se riigu:
Central League
shiiso gemu: seesaw game, i.e. a game with multiple lead changes
shimei dasha:
designated hitter
shinjin:
rookie (lit. "new person")
shinpan:
umpire
shoto:
shortstop
suitchi hitta:
switch hitter
suketto: a derogatory term for foreign players that literally means "helper" - the implication is that they are not real ballplayers, just "helpers."
sukoa bodo:
scoreboard
supuritto finga fasuto boru:
splitfinger fastball
suraida:
slider
sutoraiku:
strike
sutoreto:
fastball ("straight")
T
tatchi appu:
tag up ("touch up")
tatchi auto: tagged out ("touch out")
taimurii: a
run batted in (from "timely hit")
U
uetingu sakuru:
on-deck circle ("waiting circle")
W
wairudo pitchi:
wild pitch
Y
yakyu: "fieldball" - the Japanese name for baseball