On-deck

An on-deck circle at Coca-Cola Field in Buffalo, New York

In baseball, on deck refers to being next in line to bat. In a professional game, the batter who is on deck traditionally waits in a location in the foul territory called the on deck circle.

Being on deck only guarantees the batter will get a chance to bat in the inning if there are fewer than two outs, and the number of outs plus the number of baserunners adds up to fewer than three (unless a double or triple play occurs). Additionally, the manager reserves the right to pull the on-deck hitter for a substitute at his discretion.

Significance in save situations

A relief pitcher who comes in to pitch when his team is ahead can earn a save if the tying run is either on base, at bat, or on deck, and he then finishes the game without giving up the lead.

On-deck circles

There are two on-deck circles in the field, one for each team, positioned in foul ground between home plate and the respective teams' benches. The on-deck circle is where the next scheduled batter, or "on-deck" batter, warms up while waiting for the current batter to finish his turn. The on-deck circle is either an area composed of bare dirt; a plain circle painted onto artificial turf; or often, especially at the professional level, made from artificial material, with the team's logo painted onto it.

According to Major League Baseball rules, there are two on-deck circles (one near each team's dugout). Each circle is 5 feet in diameter, and the centers of the circles are 74 feet apart. A straight line drawn between the centers of the two on-deck circles should pass 10 feet behind home plate.

Diagram of on-deck circles (shown in pink)

Origin

Both on-deck and in-the-hole were originally naval aircraft carrier terms. In-the-hole is the designated spot where the pilot would wait before going "on the flight deck". For safety and to avoid confusion this "hole" was below the level of the flight deck. On older carriers, it may have been an actual pit or just a designated off-the-flight-deck spot the pilot would await. So the sequence of a pilot was to be "in-the-hole" until he boarded his plane on the flight deck ("on-deck"). He was then taxied to the catapult where he was launched.

Baseball concepts

Field	Backstop Baseball diamond Batter's box Batter's eye Bullpen Dugout Foul territory Foul pole Infield On-deck circle Outfield Warning track

Equipment	Ball Bat Batting cage Batting glove Batting helmet Cap Doughnut Glove (defense) Pitching machine Protective cup Shin guard Stirrups Uniform Uniform number

Game process	Batting order Extra innings Innings On-deck Out Run Seventh-inning stretch

Batting	At bat Baltimore chop Chinese home run Batting count Bunt Checked swing Cleanup hitter Designated hitter Double Double switch Foul ball Foul tip Grand slam Ground rule double Hit Hit and run Hit by pitch Hitting for the cycle Home run Infield hit Inside-the-park home run Leadoff hitter Lefty-righty switch Line drive Moonshot Plate appearance Platoon system Pull hitter Sacrifice bunt Sacrifice fly Single Slap bunt Strikeout Strike zone Sweet spot Triple Walk Walk-off home run

Pitching	Balk Beanball Breaking ball Brushback pitch Changeup Curveball Fastball Full count Inside pitching Knuckleball No-hitter Passed ball Perfect game Pitch count Pitchout Quick pitch Shutout Slider Spitball Strikeout Striking out the side Time of pitch Wild pitch

Baserunning	Balk Bases loaded Caught stealing Contact play Left on base Safe Scoring position Slide Small ball Squeeze play Stolen base Tag up

Fielding	Appeal play Assist Catch Defensive indifference Double play Error Fielder's choice Force play Fourth out Hidden ball trick Infield shift In-between hop Pickoff Rundown Tag out Triple play Unassisted triple play Wall climb Wheel play

Miscellaneous	Bench jockey Bench-clearing brawl Blocking the plate Dead ball Golden sombrero Ground rules Baseball jargon In flight Infield fly rule Interference Pepper Shagging Slump Uncaught third strike

Outline Glossary Category