shortstop

plural shortstops

1. ball gamesThe infield defensive player that stands between the second baseman and the third baseman.

   The shortstop ranged deep into the hole to make the stop.

   2 more examples

   “Your father was the best baseball player anyone had ever seen.” Excited but halting, her voice ran on past all obstacles. “We watched him play shortstop, and my father said he was the best, and my brothers too. The Cardinals sent a man down to talk to him about one of their teams.” Like an ancient marineress, she would not let go. She meant the St. Louis Cardinals’ farm teams.

   2016, Mike Westphal, Cloud of Expectation; Book One: The In America Series, Xlibris, →ISBN

   Cam Smith bounced to shortstop on a 100 mph fastball, and Jacob Melton also grounded out on an 86.9 mph curveball.

   2025 June 11, “White Sox pitching prospect Grant Taylor makes jump from Double-A to perfect major league debut”, in Associated Press, archived from the original on 12 Jun 2025

2. figurativelyA nimble defender.

   I'll play shortstop when we make our proposal.

3. gamblingA player who is short of money.

   The shortstops and desperados were not permitted to play in this marker crap game.

   1981, Sam Grafstein, Dice Doctor

present singular third person shortstops · participle present shortstopping · participle past shortstopped · past shortstopped

1. alternativeAlternative form of short-stop (to play shortstop).

   He shortstopped for a few years for the Houston Astros when they won the World Series twice in a row.

   2017, Susan Forest, Lucas K. Law, Juliet Marillier, The Sum of Us: Tales of the Bonded and Bound

   2 more examples

   He captained the Tecumsehs of London, Ontario, (International Association) in 1878; shortstopped for Cincinnati in 1879; stayed out of baseball in 1880; and finished as shortstop for Boston (NL) in 1881.

   2012, Robert L. Tiemann, Mark Rucker, Joseph M. Overfield, Nineteenth Century Stars, page 20

   Managed and shortstopped by George Wright and full of league stalwarts—Joe Start, Paul Hines, and Jim O'rourke—they also had 1-year-old phenom Monte Ward as primary moundsman (teams now generally used multiple pitchers).

   2017, Brandon Isleib, Playing for a Winner, page 77

2. alternativeAlternative form of short-stop (to cause to stop short).

   They will be shortstopped in the port for lease by the government, then continue their journey by military train.

   1978, Carol D. Jori, “Container Revolution in Bremerhaven”, in Sealift, page 18

   2 more examples

   In the polymerization of BD by Ti-, Co- and Ni-based catalyst systems the polymerization has to be shortstopped at a specific monomer conversion in order to avoid the formation of gel.

   2006, Oskar Nuyken, Neodymium Based Ziegler Catalysts - Fundamental Chemistry, page 64

   Although he successfully shortstopped the assault on his two teammates, the enemy soldiers now concentrated their fire directly on him.

   2008, Gary Linderer, Phantom Warriors, page 148