So it is with hockey on the brain that we mention the five-hole.
The five-hole refers to the space between the goalkeeper's legs. In other words, he is responsible for blocking the puck from entering five holes: above and below his stick, above and below his glove, and between his legs. That's the five-hole.
The term occasionally creeps into the baseball world too.
Writes the New York Post about last weekend's Subway Series:
You let a ground ball from Brett Gardner somehow go five-hole on you, without getting a glove, calf or shoe on it. "The moment I threw it, hard sinker, I'm thinking, 'Be ready, he may hit it right back at you,' and I still can't get a hand on it. Frustrating," Pelfrey said.
Protect that five-hole, Billy B!
And what's just a wee bit better--or .5 better, if you're scoring at home--than the five-hole?
The 5.5 hole, of course, as the space between the third baseman (#5, in scoring numerology) and the shortstop (#6) is known.
Tony Gwynn was known as a master of hitting it through the 5.5 hole.
Had he played against Mike Pelfrey, Gwynn probably would've racked up a few hits through Pelf's long legs too.