[Ads-l] "heat" = fastball (1967)

[Ben Zimmer]

Paul Dickson's Baseball Dictionary has an example of "heat" referring to a
pitcher's fastball from the Nov. 1974 issue of Baseball Digest. Here are a
couple of antedatings.

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https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108675569/heat-fastballs/
Boston Globe, Nov. 30, 1967, p. 41, col. 2
[Tony Conigliaro:] "When we get going I'm going to have some of our guys
give me some heat (fastballs), and I'll know then if I'll have any
problems."
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https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108675982/seaver-heat/
Newsday, Apr. 23, 1970, p. 44, col. 1
He was protecting a count of one ball, two strikes, and he knew the
fastball was coming. "I knew he [Tom Seaver] was going to give me his
heat," [Al] Ferrara said, "because he was really bringing it."
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OED, as is the case for so many baseball terms, has zero coverage for
"heat," "heater," "high heat," etc.

--bgz

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