Bullpen Dictionary: Bullpen
The world of baseball has a language all its own to describe, compliment, and complain in equal measure. To an outsider observer, the vocabulary of ballplayers can be impenetrable. That’s why we want to decipher the code, and let everyone in on the linguistic shenanigans. -T
Bullpen, noun.
(bull-pen) (bUl-pen)
Definition — 1. The designated area in which relief pitchers typically remain during the early innings, while the starter attempts to handle the bulk work of the contest. Once the need for a reliever to enter the game arises, a call from the manager in the dugout is made to the bullpen, where a coach instructs one or a few players to start getting hot. After achieving hotness, the pitcher enters from the bullpen, usually to an accompanying music of their choice and varying levels of fanfare, and takes their place on the mound.
2. Collectively, all of the relief pitchers on the 26-man roster are referred to as, “the bullpen.”
Synonym — The Pen
Origins — The term’s genesis have long been a matter of mystery with no one person ever able to pin down either the first usage or exact reasoning behind its inception. However, there are a number of theories that have come to prominence in the intervening years.
First and foremost, the beginnings of “bullpen” appear to trace back to the Civil War prison-of-war camp, Andersonville. The conditions within the camp were so terrible that residents felt it was more fitting for animals than the 10,000 men forced to live there. Probably didn’t think we’d start this far back?
Well, along this line of thought, the bullpen seems to have first been applied to baseball for a very particular section of fans. These fans could be equally applauded for their dedication to spectatorship and thriftiness, as the frugal few waited until after first pitch to buy tickets at a drastic price cut. However, your ticket wasn’t for a seat, but instead a standing room only view of the game from roped off areas along the foul lines.
According to the Oxford Dictionary, sportswriter O.P. Caylor drew the comparison of the amenities (or lack thereof) between the two in the Cincinnati Enquirer on May 7th, 1877. He referred to those who were housed in this location as the “three for a quarter crowd,” if that gives you any idea of how the public viewed the earliest adopters of Groupon. Later, the get-what-you-pay-for spots were replaced by bleacher seats, allowing the foul territories to be used for pitchers to warm up, after the advent of relief pitching near the dawn of the century. Even though the occupants changed, it seems the name stayed the same.
Another theory posits that “bullpen” was derived from the massive, and nearly ubiquitous Bull Durham Smoking Tobacco ads that were positioned along the outfield wall. These signs, adorned with a giant bull, are, perhaps, now best remembered for the aptly-titled film, “Bull Durham.” They provided much needed shade during the hot summer months filled with nothing but day games. It seems that relief pitchers would warm up in the shade to avoid overheating.
The last theory that I feel like sharing comes from the terse and hilarious Casey Stengel, known as much for his ultra-successful tenure managing the Yankees as his so-plain-spoken-they’re-actually-witty turns of phrase. When asked why it was called a bullpen he replied it’s because all relief pitchers do in there is sit around and bullshit.
