😝 A person who spits ⚾ An illegal pitch

spitter

1 9.9

An illegal baseball pitch in which the pitcher puts saliva or grease on the ball to change its movement

noun
/ˈspɪtər/

Archaic

: pelota escupida

The cunning pitcher managed to throw a spitter without the umpire noticing.
throwing a spitter

Examples

Using a spitter is against the rules and can result in suspension.
He is known for his spitter technique on the mound.
Legend has it that some old-time pitchers relied on a spitter to win games.
The umpire suspected the pitcher of throwing a spitter during the crucial inning.
The pitcher threw a spitter that confused the batter.
Despite being banned, many pitchers still try to sneak in a spitter during games.
Throwing a spitter can confuse batters due to its unpredictable movement.

Synonyms

spitball

vsspitter

Specialized

2 9.1

An illegal pitch where a player puts saliva or grease on the ball to change its movement

has identical meaning but uses an alternate name for the same pitch

Surface Forms

spitter singular

spitters plural

Morphology

spitter = spit (semi-transparent) = spit + er

The word is built from 'spit' + '-er', but the baseball sense is specialized and not fully predictable from the literal agentive meaning.

Etymology

Spitter in baseball gets its name from the same root: pitchers would put spit or another wet substance on the ball to change how it moved, and that altered pitch became known as a spitter. That's why a spitter in the game is an illegal pitch made by applying saliva or a similar substance to the ball.