Definition

Noun: 1. A defensive baseball play: A specific maneuver in baseball where a fielder, typically the pitcher or catcher, throws the ball quickly to a baseman to tag out a runner who is leading off or has strayed too far from a base.

Usage

• The term is used exclusively in the context of baseball to describe this specific defensive out.
• It is a compound noun, often hyphenated as "pick-off" or written as "pickoff."

Examples

• The pitcher's perfect pick-off to first base caught the runner napping.
• The game turned on a crucial pick-off at second base in the eighth inning.
• Managers often call for a pick-off attempt to keep a speedy runner close to the base.

Advanced Usage

• As a strategic tool: A pick-off is not just a reaction but a planned strategic move to control base runners, disrupt timing, or record a critical out.
• "Pick-off move": Refers specifically to the pitcher's deceptive motions and throw to a base in an attempt to pick off a runner.
  • The left-handed pitcher has a devastating pick-off move to first base.

Variants and Related Words

• Pickoff (noun): A common alternative spelling without the hyphen.
• To pick off (phrasal verb): While related, this phrasal verb has a broader meaning of targeting and eliminating something/someone selectively (e.g., ). In baseball, it describes the action of executing a pick-off.
  • The catcher tried to pick off the runner at third.

Synonyms

• Caught stealing (related but distinct): This occurs during an attempted steal, while a pick-off happens before a steal attempt.
• Put-out (general): A put-out is the act of recording an out; a pick-off is one method of achieving a put-out.

Notes

• A pick-off is distinct from a "caught stealing." A pick-off involves catching the runner off the base before a steal attempt, whereas "caught stealing" is called when the runner is tagged out while attempting to steal a base.
• This is a highly specialized sports term with little to no figurative use outside of baseball contexts.

Noun

1. a baseball play in which a base runner is caught off base and tagged out