When a player who has come up to hit reaches first base.

the byname of George Herman Ruth, Jr., also called the Bambino and the Sultan of Swat, (born February 6, 1895, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.—died August 16, 1948, New York, New York), American professional baseball player. Largely because of his home-run hitting between 1919 and 1935, Ruth became, and perhaps remains, America’s most celebrated athlete.

sports teams or individual athletes that travel to various locations, usually small towns, to stage exhibition matches.

When a player is able to advance to first after four pitches that are balls

A fly ball hit to the outfield

This player lines up behind home plate and catches the ball thrown by the pitcher.

A breaking pitch that has more movement than just about any other pitch. It is thrown slower and with more overall break than a slider, and it is used to keep hitters off-balance. When executed correctly by a pitcher, a batter expecting a fastball will swing too early and over the top of the curveball.

A double play occurs when two offensive players are ruled out within the same play.

The average of runs a pitcher allows per nine innings. This is one of the most commonly used statistics to evaluate pitchers.

Any run scored against the pitcher

the study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history; the origin of a word and the historical development of its meaning.

A game in which the result does not interfere with a team’s winning or losing record. These games are played for either entertainment or training purposes.

A historical neighborhood in San Francisco located to the southwest of Nob Hill, west of Market Street, and north of the Mission District.

dignity, seriousness, or solemnity of manner.

when a batter strikes the ball within fair territory and is able to advance to either first, second, or third base.

Occurs when a batter hits the ball within fair territory (most commonly into the stands) and can advance to all the bases, then back into home plate to score a run for the team.

First Baseman (1B), Second Baseman (2B), and Third Baseman (3B): These players line up near their respective bases on the baseball diamond and try to get out base runners. The 1B and 3B in particular, must have quick reflexes to try to catch balls that are hit along the foul lines. The third base is often referred to as "the hot corner" and first base is "the other hot corner."

In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" and the "bottom". In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other team playing defense.

The first Black-owned nightclub in the Fillmore District neighborhood, where Toni Stone met Captain Aurelious Pescia Alberga.

A word used as an insulting and contemptuous term for a black person.

An American professional baseball pitcher who played in Negro league baseball and Major League Baseball. His career spanned five decades and culminated with his induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

a dated term to refer to a person with one white and one Black parent.

A Major League Baseball team in the National League that began play in the 1883 season as the New York Gothams and were renamed in 1885. They continued as the New York Giants until the team relocated to San Francisco, California after the 1957 season, where the team continues its history as the San Francisco Giants.

Left Fielder (LF), Center Fielder (CF), and Right Fielder (RF): These players will line up farthest from the batter, in the grassy outfield to catch fly balls (balls hit high in the air). The CF is generally the fastest and most agile because he has to cover the gaps in the center of the field.

The player who throws or "pitches" the ball towards the catcher with the goal of striking out the batter. He is often considered the most important defensive player. There are starting pitchers (those that begin and throw for a majority of the game) and relief pitchers (those that enter the game after the first pitch to relieve the starting pitcher).

An idiomatic, offensive, ethnic slur referring to a lazy Black person.

These pitchers enter the game strategically, late in the game, after the starting pitchers start to get fatigued. There are a few different types of relief pitchers including:

Closer (CL): Usually the team's best relief pitcher, who specializes in getting batters out in the final innings.

Setup Relief Pitcher: A pitcher who regularly pitches after the starting pitcher and before the closer. This is usually the second-best relief pitcher, and may get promoted to closer.

Middle Relief Pitchers: A pitcher who will relieve the starting pitcher to play a few innings and will likely be relieved by another relief pitcher. He may continue to pitch for some of the later innings if the game is not close.

Left-Handed Specialist: This pitcher throws left-handed and specializes in pitching to left-handed batters. He may also throw to poor right-handed batters.

Long Reliever: A pitcher who enters the game in an early inning if the starting pitcher must leave the game early.

A run is scored when a player crosses home plate while their team is hitting. The team with the most runs at the end of nine innings wins.

A batter is credited with an RBI in most cases where the result of his plate appearance is a run being scored.

A save is awarded to the relief pitcher who finishes a game for the winning team.

the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions

when the pitcher pitches the entire game for a team and does not allow the opposition to score.

The percentage of times a player advances to the bases by getting a hit

a menswear brand of shoes, suits, sleepwear, underwear, sportswear, and jewelry, with an emphasis on urban fashions, including styles resembling modern zoot suits and more casual hip-hop clothing.

In TONI STONE, the mention of Stacy Adams refers to shiny shoes.

These pitchers throw for a long portion of the game and require rest between games, so there are usually 4-6 starting pitchers so that they can be rotated throughout the season. The best starting pitcher is called the ace.

when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat.

Someone who can hit from either side of home plate when they are up to bat.

Occurs when a pitcher throws four non-strikes to a batter, allowing them to advance to first base without a hit.

An American sociologist, socialist, historian, and Pan-Africanist civil rights activist. Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up in a relatively tolerant and integrated community, and after completing graduate work at the University of Berlin and Harvard University, where he was the first African American to earn a doctorate, he became a professor of history, sociology, and economics at Atlanta University. Du Bois was one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909.

The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an American League (AL) East division member club. They are one of two major league clubs based in New York City, the other is the National League (NL)'s New York Mets. The team was founded in 1903 when Frank Farrell and Bill Devery purchased the franchise rights to the defunct Baltimore Orioles (no relation to the current team of the same name) after it ceased operations and used them to establish the New York Highlanders. The Highlanders officially renamed the New York Yankees in 1913.