# Why do they say "boot" for "commit an error" in baseball? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 22, 2005, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-say-boot-for-commit-an-error-in-baseball/318135 "2005-08-22T16:44:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-say-boot-for-commit-an-error-in-baseball/318135/1 "2005-08-22T16:44:06Z")
Every time I hear the verb “to boot” in this context it is transitive, but the object is always “it.” One never booted the ball or the play, one simply “booted it.” I can only imagine that this refers to a play where a fielder runs towards a ball and kicks it out of his own reach before he picks it up. But I’ve never seen that actually happen. ---
**Author:** ![JerH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bb73d2/32.png) [@JerH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerH)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-say-boot-for-commit-an-error-in-baseball/318135/2 "2005-08-22T17:21:57Z")
I’ve never heard that phrase - maybe it’s a speech peculiarity of the particular announcer you’re listening to? ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-say-boot-for-commit-an-error-in-baseball/318135/3 "2005-08-22T17:25:59Z")
I have heard “booted it”, “booted that one” and “booted the play”. I always assumed it originated with an actual kicked ball, and came to be used for any error. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-say-boot-for-commit-an-error-in-baseball/318135/4 "2005-08-22T17:27:32Z")
> [@JerH](#): > > I’ve never heard that phrase - Ditto, except for cases where the ball is actually booted… ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-say-boot-for-commit-an-error-in-baseball/318135/5 "2005-08-22T17:28:36Z")
> [@JerH](#): > > I’ve never heard that phrase - maybe it’s a speech peculiarity of the particular announcer you’re listening to? No, it’s common and widespread. I’ve always assumed it was from the case where a fielder accidently kicks a ball out of reach, which has been extended to other kinds of plays. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-say-boot-for-commit-an-error-in-baseball/318135/6 "2005-08-22T17:29:34Z")
> [@JerH](#): > > I’ve never heard that phrase - maybe it’s a speech peculiarity of the particular announcer you’re listening to? Ever since I was 10 years old I’ve heard this phrase to describe an error as often as I’ve heard “fly ball” to describe a high hit to the outfield. If you Google “\” booted you will get thousands of hits. ---
**Author:** ![Ezstrete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ea924/32.png) [@Ezstrete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ezstrete)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-say-boot-for-commit-an-error-in-baseball/318135/7 "2005-08-22T17:37:22Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > Every time I hear the verb “to boot” in this context it is transitive, but the object is always “it.” One never booted the ball or the play, one simply “booted it.” > > I can only imagine that this refers to a play where a fielder runs towards a ball and kicks it out of his own reach before he picks it up. But I’ve never seen that actually happen. As one who played a lot sandlot ball back there in the very early thirties I have seen the ball kicked by a player in the act of retrieval. 's’amatter of fact I’ve done it myself. And it was the type of boo-boo that made many a single into a double! So-I agree that that’s where the term started. EZ ---
**Author:** ![Balle\_M](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/13edae/32.png) [@Balle\_M](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balle_M)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-say-boot-for-commit-an-error-in-baseball/318135/8 "2005-08-22T18:02:09Z")
One boots a bround ball. One muffs a fly ball. ---
**Author:** ![Ezstrete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ea924/32.png) [@Ezstrete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ezstrete)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-say-boot-for-commit-an-error-in-baseball/318135/9 "2005-08-22T18:24:37Z")
> [@Balle\_M](#): > > One boots a bround ball. > > One muffs a fly ball. AMEN ---
**Author:** ![Balle\_M](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/13edae/32.png) [@Balle\_M](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balle_M)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-say-boot-for-commit-an-error-in-baseball/318135/10 "2005-08-22T18:37:57Z")
> [@Balle\_M](#): > > One boots a bround ball. Or even a ground ball… ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-say-boot-for-commit-an-error-in-baseball/318135/11 "2005-08-22T19:57:29Z")
The term in baseball is cited first in 1913, and was a general term used to refer to a fielder’s error, no matter the position. I know that doesn’t answer the ‘why’ of your question. To _boot a person_ in 1877 meant to kick him. So, perhaps kicking the ball was the origin. _Muff_ to indicate an error goes back to the mid-1800’s. There was even a column on a score sheet for “muffs.”