Baseball Shorts: Duck Fart

There are many references to birds in baseball. Take the Dying Quail or Ducks on the Pond for example. In today’s episode, there is another expression referring to a bird:

Duck Fart. 

The term Duck Fart is baseball slang for a bloop single or a hit that drops in just behind the infield. The term was introduced by Chicago White Sox announcer Ken Harrelson who came with an alternate term as the term Duck Fart wasn’t a good fit for television. Allegedly, the bloop single would make a sound like a duck fart when it comes off the bat, instead of a solid crack that you will hear when the ball is hit well. Thanks to its feathers, the flatulence of a duck would be pretty muffled and soft, much like a bloop single.

Other expressions for a Duck Fart are the aforementioned Dying Quail, Duck Snort (invented by Ken Harrelson), Texas Leaguer, or  Blooper.