Etymology

Chinese home run

Today it means: A home run hit to the minimum distance possible, usually just over the outfield fence closest to home plate. Full definition →

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The story

Either from the supposed tendency of early 20th-century Chinese immigrants to the United States to perform minimally acceptable work for minimal compensation, or a possible corruption of Chaney's home run from such a hit by a batter with the same name that ended a game when the ball could not be found.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.