ghost runner: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Low (specific to particular sports and related contexts)Sports journalism, informal sports commentary, technical sports rules
Quick answer
What does “ghost runner” mean?
In baseball or softball, a runner who is placed on base, usually second, to start an extra inning in order to speed up the game and create scoring opportunities. The runner is not a player from the batting order but is usually the player who made the last out in the previous inning.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
In baseball or softball, a runner who is placed on base, usually second, to start an extra inning in order to speed up the game and create scoring opportunities. The runner is not a player from the batting order but is usually the player who made the last out in the previous inning.
A procedural or artificial agent introduced to facilitate progress in a system, competition, or simulation, often to bypass a static or slow phase. It can also refer to a 'phantom runner' in other sports or training contexts, and metaphorically to any temporary placeholder used to advance a situation.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Virtually non-existent in British English as a sports term (the concept is specific to American baseball/softball). In American English, it's a well-known term in baseball circles.
Connotations
In American sports context: pragmatic, game-management, sometimes controversial. In possible metaphorical UK use, it might imply a simulated or placeholder element.
Frequency
High frequency in American sports media during extra-inning games; extremely low to zero in general British English.
Grammar
How to Use “ghost runner” in a Sentence
[Team/Inning] starts with a ghost runner on [base].The ghost runner was placed on second.They scored the ghost runner with a sacrifice fly.Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “ghost runner” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The system will ghost-run a simulated transaction before the real one. (possible computing metaphor)
American English
- The league decided to ghost-run a runner in extra innings to prevent marathon games.
adjective
American English
- The ghost-runner rule has changed the strategy of extra-inning play.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare. Could metaphorically describe a placeholder figure in a financial projection or a simulated participant in a market test.
Academic
Very rare outside sports studies or papers on game theory and rule modification in sports.
Everyday
Uncommon unless discussing specific baseball/softball rules.
Technical
Specific term in baseball/softball rulebooks and official game commentary.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “ghost runner”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “ghost runner”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “ghost runner”
- Using 'ghost runner' to describe a very fast or stealthy runner (a 'phantom' runner in track).
- Thinking it applies to other sports like cricket or rounders without the specific rule context.
- Capitalizing it as a proper noun (unless starting a sentence).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is a procedural designation. A real player (usually the last batter out) is nominated to be the runner, but they are 'placed' on base without having reached it by a hit, walk, etc.
No. It has been adopted by Major League Baseball for regular season extra innings and by many amateur and international leagues, but it is not used in Major League Baseball postseason games or in some traditional leagues.
Yes. Once placed on base, the ghost runner is treated like any other baserunner and can be picked off, caught stealing, or forced out.
A pinch runner is a real substitute player who replaces another player on the bases. A ghost runner is not a substitution but a rule-based placement of an already-in-the-lineup player on a base to start an inning.
In baseball or softball, a runner who is placed on base, usually second, to start an extra inning in order to speed up the game and create scoring opportunities. The runner is not a player from the batting order but is usually the player who made the last out in the previous inning.
Ghost runner is usually sports journalism, informal sports commentary, technical sports rules in register.
Ghost runner: in British English it is pronounced /ˈɡəʊst ˌrʌnə/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈɡoʊst ˌrʌnər/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a ghost (an invisible, artificial entity) being placed on the bases to 'haunt' the field and force the game to a quicker end.
Conceptual Metaphor
PROCEDURAL EFFICIENCY IS AN ARTIFICIAL AGENT; A RULE IS A PLACEHOLDER ENTITY.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the term 'ghost runner' most accurately and commonly used?