can of corn
An easily caught fly ball.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The outfielder easily caught the can of corn.”
“I catch the can of corn to end the long inning.”
“The young player drops a simple can of corn during practice.”
“The batter hit a high, lazy fly ball that was a simple can of corn for the center fielder.”
“The pitcher felt relieved when the power hitter finally sent a high can of corn straight into the shortstop's waiting glove.”
“Even though the sun is bright today, the left fielder should have no trouble tracking that slow can of corn.”
“The fans started cheering early because they knew the high, weak hit would be a can of corn for the player waiting near second base.”
“With the game on the line, the final out proved to be nothing more than a routine can of corn for the veteran outfielder.”
first recorded 19th c.
First attested in 1896, the phrase stems from the grocer’s method of retrieving stock from a high shelf using a long stick. A can of corn would be nudged from its position to fall toward the grocer, who would catch it in his apron or hands. The Seattle Post Intelligencer, via the Sports Answer Guy, notes this practice as the likely origin for the ease of the catch.
Last updated August 10, 2026