beanball

American  

[been-bawl] / ˈbinˌbɔl /

Or bean ball

noun

Baseball.

1. a ball thrown by a pitcher purposely at or near the head of the batter.

---

Etymology

Origin of beanball

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

And in Major League Baseball, brushback pitches, beanballs and brawls are part of the sport’s lore, and are excused as apt punishment for breaking the game’s unwritten rules.

From Washington Post

The fans, however, can be forgiven if they see the pitch thrown at them as beanballs.

From Los Angeles Times

After a beanball, you act as if it never happened because brawling is unthinkable.

From Washington Post

Instead of watching pitchers play beanball against the Asterisks* on a daily basis, all we have are our Twitter and Instagram jokes until real baseball starts, which doesn't appear to be anytime soon.

From Golf Digest

Opponents openly mock them on social media now, and you wonder if pitchers will soon express their disgust with beanballs.

From New York Times