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Can of Corn

Posted by Sue Cap on May 22, 2000

This expression is used in American baseball to indicate a ball that's hit and easily caught in the outfield. A c"Can't miss" catch is called a can of corn. I've heard it comes from old general stores that would stack canned foods high against the wall behind the cash register. When retrieving a can for a customer, the shopkeeper would softly lob the can so it could be easily caught. Corn is used instead of another food because the outfield is sometimes called the "cornfield". I don't know if I believe this explanation of origin. Any ideas?

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