# Appropriate way to describe batter's count (grammar help) **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [May 8, 2018, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/appropriate-way-to-describe-batters-count-grammar-help/813827 "2018-05-08T20:30:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2018, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/appropriate-way-to-describe-batters-count-grammar-help/813827/1 "2018-05-08T20:30:26Z")
Baseball layman here: Would one say “Shohei Ohtani is now down 0-2 in the count” when he is batting and has no balls and two strikes, or “is now 0-2 in the count”, or use some other grammatical structure? ---
**Author:** ![Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d9b06d/32.png) [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boozahol_Squid_P.I)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2018, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/appropriate-way-to-describe-batters-count-grammar-help/813827/2 "2018-05-08T20:53:06Z")
Either one of your examples work. Saying a batter is “down” in the count just signifies that the pitcher has the advantage based on the ball-strike count. You would never say “Ohtani is down 3-0 in the count” or even “down 1-1 in the count” but you can use the more netural phrasing o matter what the count is. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2018, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/appropriate-way-to-describe-batters-count-grammar-help/813827/3 "2018-05-08T21:24:17Z")
Both are fine. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2018, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/appropriate-way-to-describe-batters-count-grammar-help/813827/4 "2018-05-08T21:26:22Z")
Also common to phrase it as “oh and two” in speech, if that’s important to you, but the “and” can be omitted. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2018, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/appropriate-way-to-describe-batters-count-grammar-help/813827/5 "2018-05-08T23:42:27Z")
Ok thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/appropriate-way-to-describe-batters-count-grammar-help/813827/6 "2018-05-10T22:43:47Z")
Thanks - now, also, if a pitcher balks, has he “committed” a balk, “pulled a balk,” or just “balked?” ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/appropriate-way-to-describe-batters-count-grammar-help/813827/7 "2018-05-10T22:59:29Z")
“Committed a balk”, or “balked”. Or “that was a balk”. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/appropriate-way-to-describe-batters-count-grammar-help/813827/8 "2018-05-11T00:08:34Z")
Similarly, a “passed ball” (a pitch gets away from the catcher, but it’s the catcher’s fault, as opposed to a wild pitch, which is the pitcher’s fault) would be “he committed a passed ball” or “that’s a passed ball,” never “he passed the ball.” ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/appropriate-way-to-describe-batters-count-grammar-help/813827/9 "2018-05-11T11:52:53Z")
And players never “pass” the ball to each other, as in other sports. They throw it (overhand) or flip it (underhand, for short throws). I hear kids say “Pass it to me” all the time and I correct them. It’s another insidious way that soccer is ruining American youth.