touch base
touch base 是摸到垒包？ base 除了垒包之外，也有「基础；基底」的意思，也就是了解基本的状况，常用来表示跟某人聊聊，借此了解对方的近况，或跟对方谈谈以得知他对某事的想法。
A: Oh, my! We haven’t seen each other since the class reunion 60 years ago!
B: Yeah! I never expected that this car accident would actually give us a chance to touch base with!
A: 噢！天啊！我们从 60 年前的那次同学会后就再也没见到面了耶！
B: 对呀！我从没料到这场车祸居然让我们有机会可以好好聊聊。
A: Sorry, but I don’t have time to touch base with you because I have to feed my cat. Maybe tomorrow?
B: But …Spring Festival comes tomorrow…and I need you to confirm something with me.
A: 抱歉啦，我现在没时间跟你多谈，因为我要回去喂猫了，或许明天啰？
B: 可是…明天就是春节了耶…我需要跟你确认一件事。
set up to the plate
这里的 plate 是指「本垒」的意思，而在投手要投球时，打者便会踏上本垒板，准备打击。所以 set up to the plate 就是「开始着手某事」，同义片语还有 get the ball rolling 或 embark on sth.。
The new city government set up to the plate to overhaul the cityscapes.
新的市政府开始全面整治市容。
come out of left field
left field 是指球场的左外野，因为左外野离一垒最远，所以如果打者已经将球打向左外野，却还是在到达一垒之前出局的话，就真的是让人料想不到的结果，因此便衍伸为「出乎意料之外」。
The announcement of her retiring from acting really came out of the field. After all, her career had just begun to take off.
她会宣布退出影坛真的很让人意外，毕竟她的事业才刚起步。
(right) off the bat
这个片语直翻是「(当球) 离开球棒」，球离开球棒后就会飞出去，而打者便要马上跑向一垒，这些事都是在一瞬间发生的，所以(right) off the bat 的意思就是「马上；立刻」。
Even when it was his first time seeing the sheet music, the violin prodigy was able to play the hard piece of music elegantly right off the bat.
即使是第一次看到高难度的乐谱，那个小提琴神童也可以马上优雅地演奏。
go to bat for sb.
go to bat for sb. 可不是要拿着球棒去打架！在棒球比赛中，这个片语有「代打」的意思，所以这就衍伸为「支持某人；为某人出力；帮某人一把」。
During the large scale strike, the labor union and the legislators went to bat for those who were ripped off.
在罢工期间，劳工工会和立法委员大力支持那些被剥削的人民。
play ball with me
如果有人跟你说 play ball with me，他可不是要你陪他一起打棒球或踢皮球！他的意思其实是「互相帮忙；彼此合作」，像是在跟对方谈条件时，你就可以说 If you play ball with me, I will play ball with you.
The police pretended to play ball with the drug dealers in order to arrest the drug lord.
警方假装跟那些毒贩合作，以逮捕毒枭老大。
