caught looking
Called third strike
Caught looking is a baseball term for a batter who takes a called third strike—standing motionless while a pitch crosses the plate for the final out: He was caught looking at a fastball down the middle.
The phrase captures the passivity of watching opportunity pass without swinging.
Outside baseball, it describes being caught off guard or failing to act when action was needed.
- strikeoutBatter retired on pitches
- batterUncooked cake mixture
- batter's boxHitter's designated standing zone
- pitcherPouring vessel or hurler
- unpreparednessLacking readiness beforehand
baseball · stare · hesitation · indecision · mental lapse · failure to act · asleep at the wheel · umpire · inattentiveness · misjudgment · surprise · overthinking · curveball · full count · home plate · frozen · fastball · focus
caught lookingbase hit
Successful at-bat reaching first
home run · grand slam · walked · hit by pitch · single
caught lookingswing and miss
Failed attempt to hit
swinging strike · whiff · swung for the fences · foul ball · checked swing
caught, looking, catches, catching, catcher, catchy, look, looks, looked