five and fly

n. (baseball) a five-inning pitching performance followed by a withdrawal (in order to qualify as the winning pitcher without finishing the game); (military academies) combined education and service lasting no more than the required five years. Subjects: English, Baseball, Education, Military, Jargon

Editorial Note: Often attributive.

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Citations: 1978 Richard Dozer Chicago Tribune (Mar. 27) “Roberts has start of something good ” p. D3: “I’m not a five-and-fly guy,” Roberts said. This is his term for pitchers who go five innings to get a win, then look to the bullpen. 1986 Ed Sherman Chicago Tribune (June 11) “Fisk, James Spark Sox Win” p. 1: Sox starter Neil Allen (3-0) did his part, shutting out California for five innings. But he gave up two runs in the sixth, and LaRussa brought in Gene Nelson. “I hope I’m not a “five-and-fly’ pitcher,” Allen said. 1990 Joel Bierig Chicago Sun-Times (Mar. 25) “‘Three-and-flee’ larceny at core” p. 13: Normally, a pitcher must work five innings to earn a victory. Pitchers who make a living off five-inning victories are only slightly more respected than convicted felons. “Five and fly,” the saying goes. “Three and flee” is out-and-out larcenous. 1990 Keith C. Epstein @ Washington, D.C. Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio) (Apr. 5) “Academies hid expenses, audit reveals”: Hamm, of the Air Force Academy, countered that the attitude of quitting after the required five years—known as “five and fly”—was “a minority view.…One of the reasons for the exodus now is the airlines’ hiring.” 2001 Arun Venugopal Rediff.com (India) (Apr. 3) “An Ounce of Bronze in an Ocean of Snow”: People seemed to agree with the outspoken professor, whose campaign slogan, Five and Fly, became a state catch phrase (“You come here for five years, rip us off and fly away”). 2003 David Weich Powells (Aug. 6) “After Four Years at West Point, David Lipsky Still Wants More”: As West Point’s academic reputation has improved, more and more graduates are serving their mandatory five years, then leaving the army: five-and-fly, as it’s known. In essence, the government is spending incredible sums of money to train intelligent and capable soldiers through this four-year university program, but increasingly the return is only five years of service. 2006 Sporting News (St. Louis, Missouri) (Mar. 11) “U.S. team gets fresh start in WBC” (in Scottsdale, Arizona): “We were hoping he’d pitch an inning, but it was five and fly,” Macha said, referring to the U.S. team’s quick win Friday. “There’s a little bit of concern there.” 2006 Sheldon Ocker Akron Beacon Journal (Ohio) (May 4) “Indians break out the big bats”: In his last start, Byrd (4-2, 7.10 ERA) did a five and fly, giving up two runs, five hits and only one walk in a 15-3 win over Boston. 2006 [Ryan] Let’s Go Tribe (Cleveland, Ohio) (May 11) “Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes”: But the run prevention problems aren’t caused entirely by the bullpen; when starters aren’t able to go six or seven innings, they make the underbelly of the bullpen pitch with the game on the line. Last season, with a deep and effective bullpen, the Indians could win games when their starters went the “five and fly” route. This season, it’s much more problematic if the bullpen has to pitch three or four innings.

Posted 31 May 06 | Permalink | Tell a Friend

Reader comments:

A variant, in both baseball and military usage, is five and dive.

by Ben Zimmer 01 Jun 06, 0652 GMT