In baseball, a line drive is a type of batted ball, sharply hit, and on (or slightly above) a level trajectory. The threshold between a line drive (also sometimes called a liner or frozen rope) and a fly ball can be subjective.
Line drives can be dangerous to baseball players and spectators. For example, on July 22, 2007, Tulsa Drillers first base coach Mike Coolbaugh was killed in a line drive accident at an away game with the Arkansas Travelers.
On August 18, 2012, Boston Red Sox pitching prospect Brian Johnson (at the time playing for Lowell Spinners) broke multiple orbital bones when he was struck by a line drive in a game at Fenway Park.
Famous quotes containing the words line and/or drive:
“I thank heaven for a man like Adolf Hitler, who built a front line of defense against the anti-Christ of Communism.”
—Frank Buchman (1878–1961)
“They shoulda called me Little Cocaine, I was sniffing so much of the stuff! My nose got big enough to back a diesel truck in, unload it, and drive it right out again.”
—Little Richard (b. 1932)