ground ball with eyes

9.1

A ball hit on the ground that moves unexpectedly and is hard to field

noun

Jargon

: bola rodante con ojos

The shortstop lunged for the ground ball with eyes, but it slipped into the outfield.

Examples

That inning changed after a ground ball with eyes snuck past the diving third baseman.
He was lucky when his slow ground ball with eyes brought home the tying run.
That was a tricky ground ball with eyes!
The pitcher threw a ground ball with eyes to the shortstop.
He was lucky when his slow ground ball with eyes tricked the fielders and brought home the tying run.
That inning changed dramatically after a ground ball with eyes sneaked past the diving third baseman.
The shortstop lunged for the ground ball with eyes, but it unpredictably rolled into the outfield.

Surface Forms

ground ball with eyes singular

ground balls with eyes plural

Morphology

ground + ball + with + eyes

The noun phrase splits into a transparent part ('ground ball' = a ball hit along the ground) and a metaphorical modifier ('with eyes') that attributes agency or sight to the ball, suggesting unexpected movement. The metaphorical use of 'eyes' is sport-specific and not directly predictable from the literal words, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would only partially infer the idea but not the precise idiomatic meaning without exposure.

Etymology

The noun ground ball with eyes comes from a simple image: a slow ground ball looks like it has eyes because it seems to spot a gap and roll away from the fielder. That's why the phrase means 'a ground ball that moves in an unexpected way and is hard for fielders to play'.