Below, you will find what I hope will wind up as the be all, end all of lists for alternative names for home runs. I'm going to get the list started, but reader interaction is crucial. If you've heard someone, anyone, call a home run by another name, leave a comment and we'll add it to the list.

This is yet another great time-wasting exercise spawned from the comments. This is, by far, my favorite part of writing this blog.

Here we go, in stream-of-consciousness order...

  1. Bomb
  2. Tater
  3. Long ball
  4. Round-tripper
  5. Salami (grand slam, still counts)
  6. Dinger
  7. Souvenir
  8. Gopher ball
  9. Shot
  10. Blast
  11. Poke
  12. Dong
  13. Homer
  14. Upper-decker
  15. Moon shot
  16. Four-bagger
  17. Going yard
  18. Goner (as in, it's a goner)
  19. Chinese home run (hit so high that when it barely gets out, it scrapes the back of the fence)
  20. Job (As in one-run job, two-run job, etc.)
  21. Jack (As in two-run jack,)
  22. Cranked one out
  23. Clout
  24. Touch 'em all
  25. Jack-shot
  26. No-Doubter
  27. Big fly
  28. Laser
  29. Wallop
  30. A-bomb
  31. High-riser
  32. Tape-measure shot
  33. Quadruple
  34. Put it on the board (ChiSox announcer)
  35. See ya (Yankees announcer)
  36. Missile
  37. Ding dong
  38. About face
  39. Walk off
  40. Go homer (walk off)
  41. Hasta la vista, baby (ESPN announcer in Taiwan)
  42. Cuadangular (en Espanol)
  43. Jonron (ditto)
  44. Bambinaz (Mexico)
  45. Volva cuerca (Venezuela)

Check the list and leave any we may have missed in the comments below.







[April 30, 2008 12:34 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Cardinal70 said

Going yard?
Goner? (As it, it's a goner!)

[April 30, 2008 12:53 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Brian replied to Cardinal70

Got 'em. They're on the list.

[April 30, 2008 12:46 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Jack Cobra said

Chinese home run (hit so high that when it barely gets out, it scrapes the back of the fence).

[April 30, 2008 12:52 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Brian replied to Jack Cobra

Really? Alright, on the list it goes.

[April 30, 2008 1:25 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Mike replied to Jack Cobra

Huh! Never heard that one before.

[April 30, 2008 1:11 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Alex K. said

"Cranked one out?" Not a word but phrase for home run.

"Jack". "Two-run jack." Or like the Sportscenter guy when a guy hits one "Bartender.. JACK!"

[April 30, 2008 1:17 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Brian replied to Alex K.

Nice. On the list they go.

[April 30, 2008 1:12 PM]  |  link  |  reply
PistonsNation said

#12 isn't one I've heard before LOL.

[April 30, 2008 1:18 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Brian replied to PistonsNation

Really? I think dong and bomb are probably the two I use the most often.

[April 30, 2008 1:26 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Mike said

How bout clout?

[April 30, 2008 1:27 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Brian replied to Mike

Got it, 23 and counting.

[April 30, 2008 2:18 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Mike replied to Brian

Wallop!

[April 30, 2008 1:37 PM]  |  link  |  reply
bigern said

How about a "touch em all"

[April 30, 2008 2:07 PM]  |  link  |  reply
The GM said

Jack-shot!

and not so much a name, but an exclamation, thanks to Kenny Mayne...YAHTZEE!!!

[April 30, 2008 2:19 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Prezs2ReprsntMe said

Laser (line drive homer)

No-Doubter (one of those arod behind the bullpen ones when you know as soon as they makke contact its gone)

[April 30, 2008 2:32 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Cam said

Well, I'm glad my little proclamation that I will now use dong (thanks to Jack Cobra) to describe a home run has sparked this discussion. I can not think of anything else though. Every time a word pops in my head, it's already on the list. Maybe we should start using other languages. If the Spanish (Mexican? Not sure where he's from) yells GOOOOOAAAAALLLLL when they score in soccer, they must use something for a home run, no?

[April 30, 2008 7:32 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Brian replied to Cam

Anyone know the Japanese translation?

[April 30, 2008 2:34 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Cam said

Just thought of one. Although I hate to borrow from John Sterling, an A-bomb can technically be used for anyone, not just A-rod.

[April 30, 2008 2:34 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Rickhouse said

High-riser?

[April 30, 2008 4:18 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Joe said

tape measure shot, quadruple

Ruthian is an adjective I hear. Not sure if there is a coin term there...

[April 30, 2008 4:28 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Brian replied to Joe

Nice. They're added.

[April 30, 2008 4:42 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Cam said

What about a "Put 'em on the board" in honor of Hawk Harrelson? Surprised Rick wasn't pushing for that one already :).

[April 30, 2008 5:01 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Brian replied to Cam

I wasn't going to use announcers' calls, but I did say comprehensive, so up it goes. Also, "See ya," from Michael Kay.

[April 30, 2008 5:04 PM]  |  link  |  reply
tom said

a missile ... if you start a list for strikeouts dont forget to include the callaghan

[April 30, 2008 5:12 PM]  |  link  |  reply
tom said

dear jack cobra a chineese homerun is a ball the goes over the fence foul behinde the plate not one that scrapes the wall !

[April 30, 2008 5:23 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Brian replied to tom

You're wrong, tom. Confirmation.

[April 30, 2008 7:03 PM]  |  link  |  reply
sam said

what about "ding dong"?

you have dong and dinger alone but this one is pretty common in my circles...

[April 30, 2008 7:13 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Brian replied to sam

Good call. It's up there.

[April 30, 2008 7:24 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Nick said

about face

[April 30, 2008 10:08 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Russ said

It only applies to a game-ending dinger, but it's a gem:

Go-Homer

[May 1, 2008 12:51 AM]  |  link  |  reply
Raven said

Hasta la vista, baby!
by the ESPN announcer in Taiwan.

[May 1, 2008 1:18 PM]  |  link  |  reply
stopmikelupica said

Awesome list, Brian.

In Spanish, the correct translation for home run is "Cuadangular" (4-baser, basically).

However, the most common word, used by Latino broadcasters, is "jonron" (literally the Spanish spelling of "Home Run"), thanks to the Puerto Rican influence. You'll see it in NYC spanish newspapers (El Diario) spelled like that.

Announcers also have regional dialects: Mexicans sometimes say "Bambinaz", and Venezuelans sometimes say "Volva cuerca" (spelling may be wrong; it means "fly over fence").