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Glite Dictionary
Texas leaguer

Texas leaguer

9.9
A short, weak fly ball that drops between infielders and outfielders and gives the batter a hit
  • noun
  • /ˈtɛksəs ˈliːɡər/
  • Jargon
translation icon : Texas leaguer
  • In the game, he hit a Texas leaguer that landed just beyond the infield, allowing him to reach first base.

Examples

  • After the pitcher delivered, the ball soared and turned into a Texas leaguer, confusing both the shortstop and left fielder.

  • The batter was pleased with his Texas leaguer, as it became an unexpected hit in the challenging outfield.

  • A little Texas leaguer to center field, easy out.

    Squeeze Play (1979)

Synonyms

fly ball
vsTexas leaguer
  • Specialized
16 3.1

A ball hit high into the air in baseball

is the specific one that drops between infielders and outfielders causing a base hit

Surface Forms

Texas leaguer singular
Texas leaguers plural

Morphology

Texas + leaguer

This is a specialized baseball term historically linked to the Texas League; the literal parts 'Texas' (a place) and 'leaguer' (a league participant) do not transparently signal a weak fly ball that drops between infield and outfield. The meaning is jargon-specific and not derivable from the constituents, so a B1 learner who knows the words would not reliably predict the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Texas leaguer comes from one popular story about a Texas player, Ollie Pickering, who in 1901 hit many soft fly balls that fell just between the infielders and outfielders. People began calling these small, 'lucky' hits 'Texas leaguers', so today Texas leaguer means a soft fly ball that drops between fielders and often becomes a base hit.