snuff out

三月に控えるWBC（World Baseball Classic）に向け，昨日，国際強化試合として日本はキューバと対戦しました。相手は本調子ではないにしろ，ピッチャー陣の活躍で得た勝利だったと思います。記事のsnuffは名詞で「ろうそく[ランプ]の心の焦げた部分，価値のないもの」，動詞で「[ろうそくなどの]心を切り取る，（心を切って）ろうそくなどを消す，（俗）殺す」などの意味を持つ言葉です（『新英和中辞典』，初版，旺文社）。太字のsnuff outは１球でビシッととキューバ打者を仕留めたようすを表してると思います。また，一般的に野球では“打者を打ち取る”ことをretireで表現します。（GP）
Fukuoka Softbank Hawks lefty Kenji Otonari struck out three of the six batters he faced in two innings. Hiroshima Carp right-hander Kan Otake struck out the first two batters he faced and got four easy groundouts before giving way to Hanshin Tigers lefty Kazuya Tsutsui.
"I was able to pitch my kind of game," Otonari said. "In my heart, I know I made a case for making the (WBC) roster."
Tsutsui, one of just four players over 30 on the Japan roster, retired two batters, the second on a hard liner to left, before Cuba got its first base runners on back-to-back singles. With two on and two out, Hiroshima Carp setup man Takeru Imamura snuffed out the threat with an easy fly to right. Imamura became the third pitcher to retire six straight, and was rotated out after two innings.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/sb20121117o1.html