rake

v. in baseball, to hit well. Subjects: English, United States, Baseball, Sports & Recreation, Jargon

Editorial Note: Probably related to to rake ‘to sweep or traverse with shot’ and influenced by to rake ‘to win at gambling’ and rake ‘money earned from gambling.’

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Citations: 1990 Larry Whiteside Boston Globe (May 29) “Go East, Young Man…And Return In A Powerful Way—That Was Cecil Fielder’s Route” p. 43: He rakes pitches like that because he’s a low-ball hitter. His power is to right and right-center. They can come inside, but he has the strength like Jim Rice to fight it off. And if they make a mistake…. 1992 Rick Hummel @ Atlanta, Ga. St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Aug. 22) “Atlanta—One Of The Great Mysteries In” p. 1C: Jose didn’t exactly rake the ball but he sent his single over the infield, raising his righthanded average to .404. 1996 Tim Keown San Francisco Chronicle (California) (Apr. 6) “For a Big Star, Barry Was Bush League” p. B2: One guy who can really rake: Scott Brosius. 1996 Jim Street Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Wash.) (May 15) “Gooden Enough! Outcast Pitcher Tosses No-Hitter” p. C1: You have to tip your hat to Doc. To no-hit a team that can flat-out rake the ball is pretty unbelievable. 2002 Howard Bryant Record (N.J.) (Feb. 20) “The Yanks 2002 Edition Gets A Workout” p. S3: “He can really rake that ball to right field,” [Joe] Torre said. “He’s got a swing that’s tough to teach. To cover the ball and yank it to right field is something, and we have a very inviting right field.” 2003 Todd Wills Dallas Morning News (Texas) (June 9) “Here’s what scouts look for when they grade prospects and their ‘tools’” p. 18: It’s as big a part of Baseball 101 vernacular as “that outfielder has a hose,” (a strong throwing arm), “the kid can really rake” (swing that bat) and “he can mash the ball” (hit for power). 2004 Tim Sullivan @ St. Louis, Mo. San Diego Union-Tribune (California) (Oct. 28) “Boston’s long wait finally comes to end”: After almost a century in which anguish has accumulated like autumn leaves, New England wakes up this morning toasting a team that, in the current baseball parlance, really “rakes.”

Posted 29 Oct 04 | Permalink | Tell a Friend