Willie Smith hits a long, fly-ball to the centerfielder, Matty Alou. There were 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th inning, Willie Smith was batting for the Cubs, and the Cubs were down 2-1. The date was September 13, 1970, and the Pittsburgh Pirates were playing the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Bob Prince was an announcer for the Pirates from 1948-1975, but there was one play in particular where people believe he helped popularize the term “can of corn”. Pittsburgh Pirates Announcer Bob Prince Popularized the SayingĪnother theory as to how the phrase “can of corn” made it into baseball’s language is that Bob Prince popularized the saying while he was an announcer for the Pittsburgh Pirates. One can take a guess that because the outfield had the nickname “cornfield”, it wasn’t that far of a stretch to say that outfielders, who are in the cornfield, are catching cans of corn. For a great visual example, check out the quick clip below from the Field of Dreams. In this movie, a baseball field is located on a farm and the outfield uses a cornfield for a fence. Probably the best example of this type of baseball field can be seen in the movie Field of Dreams. So the outfield received the nickname “cornfield”. In fact, some of the outfields were lined with a cornfield instead of a fence. In the very early days of baseball, the outfield of some baseball fields was played on a farm. The Outfield Was Known as a CornfieldĪnother reason people believe the phrase “can of corn” made it into the baseball language is that the outfield had the nickname of the cornfield. This phrase later went on to describe a task that is easily accomplished, such as catching an easy fly-ball in the outfield. In order to reach these cans of corn, grocers used a stick with a hook on the end of it to fetch the cans from high up on the shelves and catch them, either in their hand or in their apron.Ĭatching a can of corn was such a routine task for grocers that it was considered an easy catch. In the early 1900s, cans of corn were such a popular vegetable that grocers would have these cans stocked on higher shelves. The phrase “can of corn” originated from grocers actually getting cans of corn from high shelves. Probably the most popular theory for why the phrase “can of corn” exists in baseball is that the phrase originated from grocers getting cans of corn from high up on store shelves. “Can of Corn” Refers to Grocers Getting Cans of Corn From Shelves Although it is difficult to pinpoint exactly how the phrase came to exist in baseball, there are a few theories around how the phrase came into existence. Many people do not associate the word “corn” with baseball, but the phrase “can of corn” has been a saying in baseball for decades. Baseball was founded in 1869, so this means the phrase “can of corn” was not a phrase in baseball for at least the first 61-66 years of baseball’s existence (but most likely it wasn’t used until much later). The History of a Can of Corn in BaseballĪccording to, the phrase “can of corn” was first recorded somewhere between 19. This is a routine catch for an outfielder and is typically a guaranteed out. The batter hit the ball directly to the outfielder and they hit it in such a way that there is very little movement to the baseball and not that much velocity behind it. On the other hand, when an outfielder gets hit a “can of corn”, the outfielder doesn’t generally have that far to run to get in position to catch the ball. If the batter hits a very high fly-ball to an infielder, players will sometimes call it a “Major League” pop-fly, which means the ball took a long time to come down. When an infielder gets an easy pop-fly, players typically say that the ball is a lazy fly-ball, a bloop, or just simply call it an easy catch. There is a slight distinction between an easy fly-ball that is hit to an infielder and an easy fly-ball that is hit to an outfielder. And more specifically, a can of corn is how players refer to an easy pop-fly to the outfield. But in baseball, a can of corn is another way of saying that a hit is an easy pop-fly. When people think of a can of corn, they typically think about the food. “Can of Corn” is an Easy Pop-Fly to the Outfield What Baseball Announcers Say “Can of Corn”?.Pittsburgh Pirates Announcer Bob Prince Popularized the Saying.“Can of Corn” Refers to Grocers Getting Cans of Corn From Shelves.The History of a Can of Corn in Baseball.“Can of Corn” is an Easy Pop-Fly to the Outfield.
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