Sep 07 2009
Baseball Terms 101: Ducks on the Pond
The phrase “ducks on the pond” refers to having runners on base. Some people use it to refer to a situation where there is only one runner on base, but the phrase isn’t “duck on the pond” so I say they’re wrong.
The term probably derived from duck hunters preferring to shot a duck on a pond than one flying (easier target). A batter coming up with a runner (or runners) in scoring position will have an easier time of getting an RBI and just a runner on first or if the bases are empty.
“Ducks on the pond” was first used by the announcer Arch McDonald, who also first used the phrase “right down Broadway” and gave the great Joe DiMaggio his nickname, the Yankee Clipper. Arch McDonald was a good old country boy from Arkansas and (I guess) at least familiar with duck hunting. He announced for both the Washington Senators and the New York Yankees.
