A beanball is a pitch that is intentionally thrown at a batter’s head by the pitcher. The term comes from “bean,” which was old slang for a person’s head. While getting hit by a pitch is a normal part of baseball, a beanball is specifically meant to scare, intimidate, or punish the hitter. Because it is extremely dangerous and can cause serious injury, beanballs are strictly forbidden and usually result in the pitcher being kicked out of the game immediately.
In the history of baseball, pitchers have sometimes used beanballs as a way of “sending a message” if they think the other team is playing unfairly or if a hitter celebrated a home run too much. However, because a baseball is hard and thrown at nearly 100 miles per hour, hitting someone in the head is never seen as a clean play. Umpires watch for this closely; if they believe a pitcher threw at a batter on purpose, they will issue a warning to both teams or eject the pitcher. Today, players wear high-tech helmets with jaw guards to protect themselves from these types of pitches, but the beanball remains one of the most controversial and disliked parts of the game’s “unwritten rules.”
Example: The umpire ejected the pitcher after he threw a dangerous beanball at the star hitter’s head.
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