A barrier or fence behind home plate in baseball that stops balls from going wild, or anything that serves as a final prevention.
Compound of 'back' + 'stop' (Old English 'steppan'). Originated in baseball terminology in the 1800s as games needed structures to contain errant pitches.
The backstop is essentially an insurance policy in baseball—without it, a catcher's job would be impossible, and games would constantly lose equipment to wild pitches!
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