Have any of you been in a 'hotbox' in baseball ?
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Have any of you been in a 'hotbox' in baseball ?
When I started playing youth baseball in St. Louis in the 1950's if you were a runner and got trapped between bases with fielders making throws back and forth to get you out , you were deemed in a 'hotbox' . My father and grandfather both used that term with me.
It wasn't til moved to Wisconsin in early 60's that I no longer heard 'hotbox' but then ' pickle' . Seems kids there always used the pickle term and never heard of 'hotbox'. Of course now when you watch games on TV , a runner trapped between bases is said to be in a 'rundown' . Have not hear Chip nor other announcers ever say pickle nor hotbox.
Anyone else on CT who played little leauge ball in the 1950's use 'hotbox' term for a rundown play ?
Wonder what years the terms changed . BTW My father was born in 1915 so played his teen ball in early 30's and legion ball in 40's in st. Louis.
It wasn't til moved to Wisconsin in early 60's that I no longer heard 'hotbox' but then ' pickle' . Seems kids there always used the pickle term and never heard of 'hotbox'. Of course now when you watch games on TV , a runner trapped between bases is said to be in a 'rundown' . Have not hear Chip nor other announcers ever say pickle nor hotbox.
Anyone else on CT who played little leauge ball in the 1950's use 'hotbox' term for a rundown play ?
Wonder what years the terms changed . BTW My father was born in 1915 so played his teen ball in early 30's and legion ball in 40's in st. Louis.
Re: Have any of you been in a 'hotbox' in baseball ?
Yep, we always called it a hotbox.
Re: Have any of you been in a 'hotbox' in baseball ?
Unlike kids today, if we only had 3-4 kids, we’d play hotbox.
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Re: Have any of you been in a 'hotbox' in baseball ?
Yes. hotbox it was called. Need only three people. Like the rest of you, we were so good, we had to throw the ball away just to let the runner try and go.
Then there was Stick ball, Indian ball, left field ball, wall ball, wiffle ball, street ball, just to name a few.
Quite the resume.
Then there was Stick ball, Indian ball, left field ball, wall ball, wiffle ball, street ball, just to name a few.
Quite the resume.
Last edited by sikeston bulldog2 on 29 Apr 2025 12:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Have any of you been in a 'hotbox' in baseball ?
My friends and I always called it hotbox here in STL back in the mid 80s to mid 90s.
Re: Have any of you been in a 'hotbox' in baseball ?
When I played ball as a youth in the 60's, we used the term "hotbox" mostly, but some did call it being in a "pickle". I played in the Metro East and in Texas.
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Re: Have any of you been in a 'hotbox' in baseball ?
I’m thinking pickle came along about the time of the emergence of woman’s softball. I never heard it referred to as a pickle till mid nineties.
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Re: Have any of you been in a 'hotbox' in baseball ?
I think I remember it called a cooter too. Gettin caught up in a cooter. Man they got that one right.
Re: Have any of you been in a 'hotbox' in baseball ?
Heard the term pickle used by our coach early 1970's high school
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Re: Have any of you been in a 'hotbox' in baseball ?
We called it a hotbox in the 70s in softball. Anyone ever play a tourney where you went to bat with a 3 ball 2 strike count, foul ball was considered strike 3. If I remember each team batted through 3 outs, cleared the bases, did 3 more and 3 more. Then you went on defense. Tournament was over so quick we weren't sure what happened. 8 teams, 2 fields, double elimination.
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Re: Have any of you been in a 'hotbox' in baseball ?
It was called a ”pickle” when I was growing up in central IL. Hotbox was rarely used as a baseball term, but it was used.sikeston bulldog2 wrote: ↑29 Apr 2025 12:56 pmI’m thinking pickle came along about the time of the emergence of woman’s softball. I never heard it referred to as a pickle till mid nineties.

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Re: Have any of you been in a 'hotbox' in baseball ?
Always called a "hotbox" in South City during the 60's.ramfandan wrote: ↑29 Apr 2025 12:29 pm When I started playing youth baseball in St. Louis in the 1950's if you were a runner and got trapped between bases with fielders making throws back and forth to get you out , you were deemed in a 'hotbox' . My father and grandfather both used that term with me.
It wasn't til moved to Wisconsin in early 60's that I no longer heard 'hotbox' but then ' pickle' . Seems kids there always used the pickle term and never heard of 'hotbox'. Of course now when you watch games on TV , a runner trapped between bases is said to be in a 'rundown' . Have not hear Chip nor other announcers ever say pickle nor hotbox.
Anyone else on CT who played little leauge ball in the 1950's use 'hotbox' term for a rundown play ?
Wonder what years the terms changed . BTW My father was born in 1915 so played his teen ball in early 30's and legion ball in 40's in st. Louis.
Re: Have any of you been in a 'hotbox' in baseball ?
Played it all the time as a kid. At the time it was fun. Not so much now a days. LOLramfandan wrote: ↑29 Apr 2025 12:29 pm When I started playing youth baseball in St. Louis in the 1950's if you were a runner and got trapped between bases with fielders making throws back and forth to get you out , you were deemed in a 'hotbox' . My father and grandfather both used that term with me.
It wasn't til moved to Wisconsin in early 60's that I no longer heard 'hotbox' but then ' pickle' . Seems kids there always used the pickle term and never heard of 'hotbox'. Of course now when you watch games on TV , a runner trapped between bases is said to be in a 'rundown' . Have not hear Chip nor other announcers ever say pickle nor hotbox.
Anyone else on CT who played little leauge ball in the 1950's use 'hotbox' term for a rundown play ?
Wonder what years the terms changed . BTW My father was born in 1915 so played his teen ball in early 30's and legion ball in 40's in st. Louis.
Re: Have any of you been in a 'hotbox' in baseball ?
in the 70's growing up it was always hotbox --- in a pickle i didn't hear until 'the sandlot' came out.