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A
Aaltoliike= The Wave: A waving movement formed by the spectators, occasionally found in pesäpallo.
Aavistuslähtö= Stolen start: the runner advances as soon as the ball leaves the pitcher’s hand.
Aivot= Brains: An essential piece of equipment, which should not be left at home!
Aivoton= Brainless: a player who blunders catastrophically at a crucial moment
Ajatuskatko= Lapse of concentration: a player’s explanation after a mistake..
Ajolähtö= Force Play: a situation where all the bases are full. Runners must advance on the third hit.
Avausheitto= Opening Pitch: the pitch usually thrown by a person of merit. It is meant for the pitcher, but hits the ice cream seller on the arm.
B
Banaani= Banana: a player’s snack for a bus ride; rich in vitamins.
Baseball= the lukewarm version of pesäpallo.
Betoni= Concrete: the substance claimed to be the cause of high bounces off the front field in Oulu.
Boboll= The Swedish term for pesäpallo
Bye Bye Baby= A song that the home team plays for the losing visitors. The commentator also wishes them “a very pleasant journey home”.
C
Canasta= A players’ training method during winter.
Cembalot= Shindig: A party caused by a victorious game..
Cypros= Cyprus: A favorite location for the winter training of pesäpallo
D
Dagens Nyheter= A Swedish newspaper that has never written one word about pesäpallo. Apparently, there is an opposition.
E
Etenijäjokeri= Runner Joker: a quick fellow, who comes to bat especially when the bases are empty and in need of a runner.
Etupesät= Infield bases: 1st and 2nd bases.
Etupesät täynnä= Infield bases full: a runner on both 1st and 2nd base.
F
Fair Play= The pitcher throws two intentional bad pitches to let the freezing runner on 3rd base walk to home base.
G
Geeli-Jussit= A nickname for Seinäjoki’s Maila-Jussit, for they are said to use most hair gel compared to other teams. Jussi is a popular Finnish man’s name.
Golf-tyyli= Golf Swing: a style of batting resembling a golf swing. Usually results in a fly hit and a catch.
Gunnar= “kunnari” i.e. Home Run: Gunnar is the mysterious character in pesäpallo. People keep yelling “go for Gunnar, go for Gunnar…”, but nobody knows where this Gunnar is.
H
Haava, haavoittua= Caught: A runner is caught if they advance on a catch, but reach the next base before being put out. When caught, the runner cannot finish the run and will leave the base.
H-hetki= Zero Hour: the only real opportunity to bat the ball to some ingenious location.
Hermopallo= Nerve Ball: When the offensive team has a psychological advantage, they try to keep the pressure on by batting bouncing ground hits, and hope that the opponent will fumble the ball all over the place.
Huti= A Missed Strike: An excellent way to make everyone notice the batter if they perform this hit in a force play or three times in a row.
Hutunkeitto= Draw of Choice: the teams use a bat to draw which team will start in the offensive or defensive innings. The winner of the draw may choose their starting inning.
I
Itä-länsi= East vs. West: Pesäpallo’s annual grand event.
J
Jakso= Period: A match is formed by two periods each including four innings. Winning a period gives one point. If a team wins both periods, it wins the game 2-0, and receives three championship points. If the periods are a tie, there will be a deciding super inning (see below.)
Jokeri= An offensive player who can bat anywhere in the batting order. A team may use two jokers per inning.
Joko-joko -pallo= Townspeople’s nickname for pesäpallo.
Junttipallo= “redneck ball”: see previous entry.
Jälkipeli= “Post Mortem”: Fans go over the events of the game loudly speculating. Usually takes place in a local bar or restaurant.
K
Kakkostilanne= Runner on second: a team has a runner on 2nd base (2-situation).
Kakkos-kolmostilanne= Runners on 2nd and 3rd base.
Kaksoiskosketus= “Double hit”: the ball touches the bat twice, and it is a foul hit.
Kolmostilanne= Runner on third (3-situation)
Kopparit= the Fielders: players in the back field. The “border patrol” of the defensive team.
Koppi= A catch: either a feat of the defensive team or a batter’s blunder. A tactical catch is an act of finesse caused by the tactical blunder of the defensive team. “Koppi” may also refer to the players’ dressing room..
Kotiutuslyönti= Scoring hit: a hit that brings a runner back to home base. The hit usually lands in between the stops and the fielders.
"Kovat ja korkeat heitot!"= “Throw high and hard!”: a shout from the audience to the visiting team. It is intended to “encourage” the visitors to bad throws.
Kumura, kumuri= High Drive: a ball aimed at the outfield. When it hits the ground it bounces hard and high, usually over the fielders.
"Kuolee, kuolee!"= (literally: “he’ll die, he’ll die!”) “Out for sure, out for sure!”: a common shout at the home games of Sotkamo’s Jymy.
Kunnari, kunniajuoksu= Home run: A player reaches 3rd base on their own batting.
Kärki= The point: a player or players whose job is to run. Point runners are usually very fast runners.
Kärkietenijä= Point runner: the runner furthest on the running route.
Kärkkyä= to sneak: a runner attempts to move as close as possible to the next base before the batting, and get a flying start.
Kärpänen= Catch a thief: a situation where the pitcher puts out the sneaking runner, or delivers an intentional bad pitch and thus lures the runner to leave the base.
L
Laikka= one name for the manager’s “fan” (used to call plays, or direct the players).
Laiton= Out-of-bounds: a hit is out-of-bounds if it lands or falls outside the field area or hits a runner or the home base. A hit is a foul also when the ball touches the bat twice.
Liimanäppi= Sticky fingers: a player who can catch any ball. Opposite: butter fingers.
Lukkari= Pitcher
Lyöjäjokeri= Batter joker: a joker who is a powerful batter and specializes in scoring hits.
Lähilaiton= one type of foul hit: a hit that lands on the home base.
Läpilyönti= Clearout hit: a hit that first hits the field and then bounces off and out of it. Players aim their clearout hits behind 2nd and 3rd base, through the front field sidelines, above the stops near the lines, or at the outfield. A successful clearout hit usually results in a home run.
M
Maila= Bat: the bat is the weapon for frightening the pitcher, the dreaded tyrant of the pesäpallo field.
Mailamies= Bat man: a person who will drop a bat in a scoring situation to signal a runner on 3rd base to forward.
Menolippu= One Way Ticket: a song played to the losing team before they go home.
Merkki= Signal: a team decides on a signal according to which the batter and the runner act.
Merkkivirhe= Signal failure: the batter, runner or the manager misunderstands the signal or has forgot it. Usually results in one or several outs.
N
Napamies= “Front man”: a front player, particularly the first baseman in a back-loaded field.
Nollatilanne= Empty field: No runners on the field.
Näppi, näpäys, näpy= Snap hit: a hit that falls and stops near the home base. It usually has such a strong twist that after it hits the ground it bounces off over the lines. A common hit in a run-on play.
O
Optikkoliike= Optician’s: a place to buy glasses at.
"Osta mopo!"= “Buy a moped!”: a shout from the audience, meant for a slow runner who has been put out near the base.
P
Pajatson tyhjennys= Jackpot: it is full force play, the batter hits a clearout hit that enables all the runners to reach the home base, including the batter. Every player’s dream.
Pelinjohtaja= Manager: the person in charge of tactics, who signals the players with a colourful fan.
Pesäkilpa= Contested base: A contest about who was first on base, the ball or the runner.
Pihka= Sap: a substance offered to a player who cannot catch the ball. The sap is supposed to go into the mitt.
Pihkala, Lauri Tahko= Tahko Pihkala: the father, mother, and grandpa of pesäpallo.
Piikkarit= Track shoes: they are considerably more practical in a ball game than e.g. Wellington boots.
Pomppo, pomppu= Bouncer: a hit where the ball lands almost directly into the ground and bounces off high above the field players. A common hit in a run-on play.
Pystymaila= Crossbat hit: a hit where the bat is nearly vertical.
Q
Qatre mains= (possibly quatre mains) an ideal ball-catching style. The name comes from French, and means “four-handed”.
R
Riskilyönti= “Risk hit”: a successful risk hit may lead to a clearout hit, a failure may lead to one or more outs. It is usually the last hit of a run-on play.
Räppäkäpälä= Butter Fingers: a field player who fumbles the ball without getting it anywhere.
Räpylä, räpsä, ränsä= Mitt: an item used to catch a ball.
S
Silmälasit= Glasses: after an unclear contested base, people suspect the umpire may have left his or hers at home home.
Sisävuoro= Offensive inning, or batting turn.
Sieppari= Catcher: a field player, and a moving target for the offensive team.
Sumputus= Closing-in: a fielding tactic where the defensive team attempts to eliminate the supposed run-on hits of the offensive team by active movement. However, closing-in may cause gaps in the field and therefore enable clearout hits also.
Supervuoro= Super inning: this inning is played if the game is a tie after two periods. The team who wins the super inning wins the game by 2-1, and receives two championship points. The losing team receives one point.
T
Takapesät= “Back bases”: 2nd and 3rd base.
Takapesät täynnä= Back-loaded field: 2nd and 3rd base have runners.
Taktinen väärä= Intentional bad pitch: the pitcher gives a foul pitch, which aims to confuse the offensive team or lure a runner out of the base.
Terva= Tar: does the same as sap.
Tolppa= Pole pitch: a very high pitch aimed to make batting difficult.
Tontti= Lot: a lot is a patch of game field which a player “leases”. The best lots are in Vimpeli, where the river is just next door.
Tuomari= Umpire: the only man on the field who is always wrong.
Tuplajuoksu= Double run: the home run batter stays on 3rd base to wait for scoring.
U
Ulkovuoro= Defensive inning, or catching turn.
V
Vaihtolyönti= Run-on hit: the purpose of a run-on hit is to help a runner onto the next base.
Vaihtopelaaja= Substitute player: a player who replaces an injured player, or replaces a player who does not measure up to expectations.
Vaihtopenkki= “Substitutes’ bench”: a bench next to which the players’ bats, mitts and drinks are. It is also the substitute player’s position.
Vapaa lyönti= Free hit play: a hit in a situation where the signal is off.
Vapaataival= Walk: the furthest runner on the field may freely advance to the next base if the pitcher gives the batter two bad pitches. If the bases are empty, one bad pitch earns a walk for the batter.
Varsilyönti= Slow hit: a hit that looks like a hard hit, but instead the ball touches the bat near the handle, and lands on infield.
Viuhka= Fan: a colored fan used to give and show signals.
Vuoronvaihto= Change of inning
Vuoropari= Inning: during an inning, both teams play one offensive and one defensive turn.
Välilyönti= “Hit in the middle”: a hit that lands in-between the stops and the fielders.
Välipalo= “Tail out”: the defensive team puts out the tailing runner behind the point runner.
Väärä syöttö= Bad pitch: a pitch that
a: does not land on the plate
b: is too low
c: is technically faulty
NB! If a player gets a poor hit or misses entirely, they may try to make themselves look better by claiming that the pitches they got were a+b+c.
Väärät pois -komento= “fouls off” command: a batter will not hit nor will the runner advance if the manager calls this command.
W
Wanhat Hyvät Ajat= Good Old Days: the name that older pesäpallo players have given to a time when every strike was a hit, the ball was always caught, brains were used, and games were won. There were no gaffes in those days, and pesäpallo was perfect.
Wimbledon= same as Vimpeli, as far as we are concerned.
X
X= the mark that appears on scoreboard when a runner is put out.
Y
Ykköstilanne= Runner on first, or 1-situation: runner on 1st base.
Ykkös-kakkostilanne= Front loaded field: runners on 1st and 2nd base.
Ykkös-kolmostilanne= “Runners on 1st and 3rd”
Yliheitto= Wild throw above the head: if done perfectly, a major gaffe. The longest wild throw happened around the radio towers in Lahti: the 3rd baseman’s throw went over the catcher; the ball crossed the fence around the field, bounced down a slope and ended up in the corner of Rautatienkatu street.
Z
"Zoviraksia", pyysi Pöllö-Pieti kun sai pesäpallon huuleensa. = ”Need Zovirax,” said Loony Larry when a ball hit him on the lip.
Å
”Åka skidor” (=to ski), said a Swede when he arrived at a pesäpallo game on skis.
Ä
Äly= Intellect: sometimes stays home with the brains to rest.
"Ääntä!"= “Noise!”: the offensive team gives a joint shout to inform the runner about where the ball is going. “Ääntä!” is the call to the shout.
Ö
Örebro= The centre of Swedish pesäpallo (boboll), and our only foreign threat. Luckily for us, the Örebro tourism board has stepped in and forbidden the carrying of a bat over the shoulder in public places, as tourism had suddenly dropped to zero.
"Örisee ja pieree, niinkuin Sukka-Pepen vespa sateella", tiesi sieppari
kertoa vierasjoukkueen tykkilyöjästä. = “Grunts and farts like Sukka-Pepe’s vespa scooter during rain,” the catcher knew about the visitor’s superbatter.
Sources:
Veikkaaja-lehden pesisliite, 1994
Isästä poikaan, 1972.
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