checked swing

American  

[chekt swing] / ˈtʃɛkt ˌswɪŋ /

Also check swing

noun

Baseball.

1. a swing of the bat in which the batter holds back just after starting to swing, thereby avoiding swinging into a strike.

   It looked like a checked swing to me, but the umpire called him out, saying he swung for the third strike.

---

Etymology

Origin of checked swing

An Americanism dating back to 1925–30; originally as half-checked swing

Example Sentences

Trayce Thompson strained his oblique on a checked swing Saturday and will likely go on the injured list, according to Roberts.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2023

Ryan Brasier retired three straight batters for his first save since June 17, 2019, ending a 4-hour game by getting Aaron Hicks on a full-count checked swing strikeout called by third base umpire Jim Reynolds.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 15, 2022

That included a checked swing from Mitch Garver that turned into a groundball hit against a shifted infield.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 28, 2022

But Adam Duvall popped out to first, and Travis d’Arnaud was unable to stop his bat on a 2-2 pitch, striking out on a checked swing.

From New York Times • Oct. 29, 2021

The Flores checked swing, in other words, gets at the question that stretches across much of innovation: Just because we could, does that mean we should?

From Washington Post • Oct. 15, 2021