Baseball Shorts: Bullpen

Bullpen. The area where relief pitcher wait until it is their turn to pitch and the area where these relief pitchers warm up. But where does the name bullpen (in baseball) come from?

In the late 19th century latecomers to ball games were cordoned off (put behind a cord) into standing-room areas in foul territory. Because the fans were herded like cattle, this area became known as the “bullpen”, a designation which was retained when those areas became the spot where relief pitchers would warm up.

The earliest recorded use of the term bullpen was in a Cincinnati Enquirer article published on May 7, 1877. Writer O.P. Caylor, using the original meaning, noted in a game recap: “The bull-pen at the Cincinnati grounds with its ‘three for a quarter crowd’ has lost its usefulness. The bleacher boards just north of the old pavilion now hold the cheap crowd, which comes in at the end of the first inning on a discount.”

Nowadays, most, if not all, bullpens are located outside the field of play, behind the outfield walls. At some ballparks, both bullpens are located next to each other with one a tad higher than the other.