beanball

or bean ball

[ been-bawl ]

noun

, Baseball.

1. a ball thrown by a pitcher purposely at or near the head of the batter.

Word History and Origins

Origin of beanball¹

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, Schiff has been hitting big league pitching in Washington for years, including nasty spitballs hurled by Donald Trump, who loves to throw beanballs at opponents’ heads.

From Los Angeles Times

And in Major League Baseball, brushback pitches, beanballs and brawls are part of the sport’s lore, and are excused as apt punishment for breaking the game’s unwritten rules.

From Washington Post

Sure, violence erupts from time to time in other sports — the consequence of a beanball pitch or an inadvertent collision in the heat of competition.

From Los Angeles Times

The fans, however, can be forgiven if they see the pitch thrown at them as beanballs.

From Los Angeles Times

After a beanball, you act as if it never happened because brawling is unthinkable.

From Washington Post