Brushback pitch

In baseball, a brushback pitch is a pitch (typically a fastball) thrown high and inside the strike zone to intimidate the batter away from the plate on subsequent pitches.

[1] It differs from the beanball in that the intent is not to hit the batter, nor does it target the batter's head.

The hitters hope that the pitcher will be scared to throw inside because they might hit the batter.

The brushback helps a pitcher to "reclaim" the corners of the strike zone by forcing the batter to stand further away.

While the brushback can be an effective part of pitching, the home-plate umpire may warn or eject a pitcher if he feels they are intentionally trying to hit the batter.