Going for the downs

Posted by Bob on May 20, 2005

In Reply to: Going for the downs posted by Garett on May 19, 2005

: Does anyone know the origin of the phrase "Going for the downs" as used in baseball. A statement like "He was going for the downs with that swing" is common in the game and I know it's refering to trying to hit a home run or hit the ball hard, but I was curious where the phrase came from. Any help would be great. Thanks!

I really doubt it's common. I've never heard it, and I've followed baseball closely for too many decades to mention. Maybe some quirky announcer somewhere?