Welcome back to Game Day Glossary with your host Sugar & Sports! This week’s featured phrase: “Around the Horn”
Around the horn is a phrase used in baseball to describe a double play in which the ball is first caught by the third baseman, then thrown to the second baseman, and finally to the first baseman. In this scenario, the second and first basemen would both be catching the ball before the runners reach their respective plates, which means they are both out. This play can happen either when the ball is hit to the third baseman or as an exercise after a strikeout, in which the catcher throws the ball to the third baseman. Got to make sure everyone is looking alive out there!
It turns out there is a lot more to throwing the ball around the horn than just a sneaky double play or simple mid-game exercise. The tradition of doing so began in the early days of baseball when the ball was much softer and would easily become misshapen during the game. To avoid this from happening, fielders would pass the ball to one another between pitches in an effort to counteract the wear and tear, keeping it in good condition. Nowadays, even though the ball is of much higher quality, the practice has continued as a way to keep players engaged and, more importantly, represents the teamwork and brotherhood associated with the sport.
The phrase “around the horn” was originally used to reference sailors who had to travel all the way around Cape Horn, located at the southern tip of South America, to get around the continent before the Panama Canal was built. Though it is not confirmed that this is the origin of the baseball term, the story goes that people started using it to describe the ball going about the horn the same way sailors would have to.
Here is an example of an around the horn play from a Cleveland Indians vs Philadelphia Phillies game. Notice how the ball is passed around to each Indians baseman.
Beginning as an effort to keep playing equipment usable, the exercise has evolved into a much-loved tradition meant to keep everyone engaged. There is often more to certain sports traditions than meets the eye, and throwing the ball around the horn is no different!
For more of our baseball-related content, check out this blog about the differences between softball and baseball, or this one about various categorizations of minor league baseball.