Like tongue-twisters and Yogi Berra’s malaprops, baseball puns are a comedic literary device employed by people around the world wanting to take the extra bag.

According to Merriam-Webster, a pun is “The usually humorous use of a word in such a way as to suggest two or more of its meanings or the meaning of another word similar in sound.”

A great example of the former is, “The baseball fell in the sewer; it was a foul ball.”

See? “Foul ball” can mean either an out-of-bounds pill or a really, really stinky baseball.

Let’s look at another example of a baseball pun:

“Chewbacca made it to the big leagues. He even won Wookie of the Year.”

It’s funny because Chewbacca would run into blaster fire before he would ever participate in a team sport. It’s also funny because “Wookie of the Year” rhymes with “Rookie of the Year.”

Now, sit back and enjoy the rain delay, and let’s slide into something even punnier.

Basic Baseball Puns

Next time you’re in line waiting for a $15 hot dog at the ballpark, try out some of these one-liners:

1. I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.
2. The baseball scout asked the pitcher if he had a good curveball, and he wanted a straight answer.
3. Coal diggers never show up in Major League baseball because they all play in the miner leagues.
4. There are so many statistics in baseball that the players are now running around databases.
5. A baseball came through my window today; it really hit home.

You’ll have your audience groaning and wanting to get straight back to waiting out the rain delay.

Everyday Puns Turned Baseball

The next time you want to throw your ballpark seat neighbor a curveball, take an ordinary phrase and put a baseball spin on it:

6. Asleep at the pitch.
7. All good swings come to an end.
8. A little mitt off.
9. A love/plate relationship.
10. Float like a butterfly, swing like a bee.

You’ll have your new friend groaning and wanting to ignore you for the rest of the rain delay.

Punny Baseball Dad Jokes

It may be cliché, but it ain’t over till it’s over, and the best category of baseball puns is upon us — the Dad Joke:

11. Why did the scarecrow become a baseball player? Because he was outstanding in his field!
12. What did the baseball glove say to the ball? Catch you later!
13. Did you hear the one about the fast pitch? Never mind. You just missed it.
14. Why is Yankee Stadium the coolest place to be? It’s full of fans.
15. Which takes longer to run: from first to second base or from second to third base? From second to third base because there is a shortstop in the middle.

These might actually make a rain delay fun; swap jokes back and forth and see who actually laughs first.

Pitch These Clever Baseball Puns to Your Friends

Whether you’re adding some flavor of the field to an everyday conversation or slicing up your baseball banter, we have a pun for you. Go ahead and use them at will, or make your papa proud and drop your favorite baseball pun in the comments!