frozen rope

[ froh-zuhn rohp ]

Baseball Slang.

1. a remarkably straight and hard-hit line drive:

   Mitchell’s frozen rope sailed right through the gap in left field, giving him an easy stand-up double.

2. a powerfully thrown ball traveling in a straight line, especially from the outfield:

   A frozen rope from Ichiro in right field retires the runner at third base, and the fans are going wild!

Word History and Origins

Origin of frozen rope¹

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

Bohm’s homer was a 109.2 mph frozen rope that barely cleared the left field fence, while Marsh’s narrowly made it over the right-field fence.

From Washington Times

In an 18-12 loss to Los Alamitos on April 13, Walsh hit such a frozen rope, Hayward said, that the shortstop jumped to try to catch a ball that landed over the fence.

From Los Angeles Times

He retrieved the ball in a clearing, turned and fired a frozen rope — Ichiro style — to cut down poor, unsuspecting Rosalie at the plate.

From Seattle Times

It's not a frozen rope, it's a freaking comet trail deep in outer space.

From Golf Digest

Collinsworth did get his wish when Mahomes avoided a 15-yard sack on third-and-18, darted down the right sideline and fired a 27-yard frozen rope to Byron Pringle for the touchdown to put KC ahead 10-7 early in the second quarter.

From Seattle Times