bottom of the ninth

bottom of the ninth

English

Etymology

Bottom, from the home team's location below visitors on the scoreboard; ninth from the number of innings in a baseball game.

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Noun

bottom of the ninth

1. In baseball, the second part of the ninth and final inning. The end of the game.

   Hitting a home run with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth let the home team finish ahead of the visitors.

2. (idiomatic) By extension, any last chance or final opportunity.

See also

• Wikipedia article on baseball.
• Wikipedia article on innings.