Several years ago, baseball broadcasters started using the phrase "walkoff home run," or "walkoff" for short. The term was used to describe a home run hit by a batter which ended a game.
The walkoff is exciting for several reasons, foremost, the home run is often an epic hit whenever it comes in a baseball game. Sometimes the homer is a huge shot that escapes the stadium. Sometimes, it's a shot that just barely clears the wall, a shot that the fielder is almost able to make a play on, but not quite. Either of these is epic.
Another reason is that the walkoff to end a game can only come in the bottom of the final inning, whether the ninth or in extra innings. In either of these cases, the game will be tied or the home team will be behind. With the home team down, the crowd will be sitting on the edge of their collective seats, this adds to the drama.
To see a recent walkoff, follow this link for Alex Gordon's walkoff against the Orioles last night.
Finally, the entire reason to use the word "walkoff" is that after hitting a home run, the batter doesn't have to run, he can walk around the bases as the opposing team walks off the field.
Now, for the abuse of the term...
After a couple of years, the term "walkoff" was so beloved that it has begun to be used for any hit to to end a game coming in the bottom of the final inning. But here's the problem with this, if the hit is not a home run, the batter, the base runners, and the fielders had better be hauling their tails. They had better be hustling. They had better not be walking off. The history of baseball is filled little quirky endings that would have been different if someone had hustled.
Hence, only a home run (or a bases loaded walk, but that's not quite the same) can be a walkoff. That's it. Please, broadcasters everywhere, please reel in your use of the term "walkoff." If it's not a homer, it's just "a game winning hit" which is pretty good on its own merits.
You may now return to your regularly scheduled broadcast.
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