Baltimore chop

A short downward swing intended to make the ball rebound off the home plate or the packed dirt immediately in front of the plate. The goal is to produce a bounce high enough so that, even if it can be fielded by an infielder the batter will have time to reach first for a base hit. This was a tactic of the Baltimore Orioles of the National League in the 1890s, who frequently attempted this kind of hit purposely. John McGraw is supposed to have had the earth in front of home plate intentionally compacted for this purpose. When it happens in the modern game, and so named, it is more often simply a result of poor contact that just happens to aid the batter-runner.