bottom of the ninth

noun

The second part of the ninth and final inning; the end of the game.

“Hitting a home run with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth let the home team finish ahead of the visitors.”

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Meanings

noun
  1. ball gamesThe second part of the ninth and final inning; the end of the game.

    Hitting a home run with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth let the home team finish ahead of the visitors.

  2. idiomaticBy extension, any last chance or final opportunity.

Origin

Bottom, from the home team's location below visitors on the scoreboard; ninth from the number of innings in a baseball game.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

bottom of the ninth. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bottom%20of%20the%20ninth

MLA

“bottom of the ninth.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bottom%20of%20the%20ninth. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bottom of the ninth,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bottom%20of%20the%20ninth.

Source: bottom of the ninth on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.