batting average

noun

1. Baseball. a measure of the batting ability of a player, obtained by dividing the number of base hits by the number of official times at bat and carrying out the result to three decimal places. A player with 100 base hits in 300 times at bat has a batting average of 0.333.
2. Informal. a degree of achievement or accomplishment in any activity.

Word History and Origins

Origin of batting average¹

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70

Example Sentences

On a team that remained in the playoff hunt until the season’s final weeks, only Matt Kemp posted a higher batting average.

From Los Angeles Times

McCullum's career may well have been extended by giving up the gloves but his batting average was just 29.76 after doing so.

From BBC

A batting average of 25.44 with no centuries and only five fifties in red-ball cricket is also likely to draw scepticism at his selection.

From BBC

They held the Yankees to four runs and a .171 team batting average.

From Los Angeles Times

Yet, he can still dominate with a fastball that, even after dropping a few ticks to a 95.9 mph average this season, was hit for just a .189 batting average by opponents.

From Los Angeles Times