Why is a walk off homer called a walk off homer? Where did it start?
Why is a walk off homer called a walk off homer? Where did it start?
HUBBA A man who knows everything,just can't remember it all at one time.
I'd imagine because the minute it goes yard, everyone walks off the field because the game is over.Originally Posted by Hubba
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I knew why it was called a walk-off, but didn't know about Eck.
According to Wikipedia:
Walk-off home run
A walk-off home run is a term coined by famous relief pitcher Dennis Eckersley to signify a home run that immediately ends the game, so named because after the run is scored, the players can "walk off" the field. In order for this to happen, a member of the home team must hit a home run in the bottom of the last inning to either come from behind or break a tie.
I believe it is a relatively recent term. I remember reading an article about a year ago that said people treated it as a common term but it wasn't even widely used until about 10 or so years ago. Who's the word columnist, is that William Safire? i think it might have been one of his.
edit: Oh well, there you go, thanks NJReds.
A-ha!
halfway down:
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/edit.../08/2003253712
Maybe this is why the Eck coined the term...
I don't know about how it started, but it needs to stop. It's just one of those things that really annoys me.
Like the hop.
Go Gators!
In Latin America the opposite term is used.
The visiting team that loses in the bottom of the ninth (or in Extra Innings) is said to have been "left on the field" (dejado en el terreno).
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it."
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Thanks all and VP
HUBBA A man who knows everything,just can't remember it all at one time.
I hated it at first, but got used to it. Very descriptive IMO. It started being widely used around 99 or 2000 if memory serves me correct. When ESPN started using it a lot is when it caught on.
I just remember a couple of years ago I had never heard of the term and suddenly ESPN was using it seemingly every night on Baseball Tonight thanks to a string of game winning hits and homers. Now they use it relentlessly - and other media outlets have picked up on it. I don't mind "walk off homer" but when I hear like tonight Chris Welsh using "Walk off Bunt" or "walk off single" it starts to grate.
Why would you hate "walk-off" anything. It is what it is. An EdE double in the 9th to end the game is still a walk off whether it left the park or not.
But my favorite made up word by ESPN: Trickeration; occurs when a football team, most likely, does a trick play like a flea-flicker or a WR pass play. Doesn't get much better.
But how could EdE have hit a "walk off double"? I thought a game-ending hit was always either a single or a home run, because there is no way to determine how many bases the hitter would have gained due to defensive indifference once the run scores.
Ground rule maybe?
HUBBA A man who knows everything,just can't remember it all at one time.
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