<P> `` Out of left field '' is American slang meaning `` unexpectedly '' , `` odd '' or `` strange '' . The phrase came from baseball terminology referring to the area covered by the left fielder who has the farthest throw to first base . According to mlb.com there is another meaning : `` The term ' way out in left field ' is taken to mean ' crazy . ' '' Cook County Hospital ( by the West Side Grounds , the Chicago Cubs first location under what is now the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine ) had a mental institution behind left field , The bottom line is , patients could be heard yelling and screaming things at fans behind the left field wall . ' '' Variations include `` out in left field '' and simply `` left field '' . </P>
where does the phrase out of left field come from
from baseball terminology referring to the area covered by the left fielder who has the farthest throw to first base