We also might tell the person that “three strikes and you are out.” But someone who “hit a home run” or “hit it out of the park” did something extremely well.

Sometimes I have to give information quickly, without time to think it over. Then I would say something “right off the bat.”

If someone is doing an extremely good job and is very successful, you might say he or she is “batting one thousand.”

If I say “I want to touch base with you,” I will talk to you from time to time about something we plan to do.

I might say “I touched all the bases” if I did what is necessary to complete a job or activity. And if I “covered my bases,” I was well prepared. However, someone who is “way off base” did something wrong or maybe even dishonest or immoral.

A person with strange ideas might be described as “out in left field.”

Citi Field in New York, Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Let us say I want to sell my car but I do not know exactly how much it is worth. If someone asks me the price, I might give “a ballpark figure” or “a ballpark estimate.”

If someone offers me an amount that is close to my selling price, I might say the amount is “in the ballpark.” However, if I say “we are not in the same ballpark,” I mean we cannot agree because my ideas are too different from yours.