What’s a Passed Ball in Baseball?

A passed ball is a play in baseball in which a pitch is not caught by the catcher despite the fact that the catcher was in position to do so.

Definition of a Passed Ball

In baseball, a passed ball is a statistic awarded to a catcher when a batter or baserunner advances one or more bases due to the catcher’s defensive lapse. A passed ball is not charged to the pitcher.

What is a passed ball?

In baseball, a passed ball is charged against a catcher who fails to hold a legally pitched ball or who allows the ball to get by him. A runner is awarded one base if he was on first base when the pitch was thrown; if the runner was on second or third base, he is awarded second base. A passed ball can also occur when a pitcher throws wild pitch.

What is not a passed ball?

A passed ball is not the same thing as a wild pitch. A wild pitch is when the catcher does not catch the ball and it goes by him, allowing runners to advance. A passed ball is when the catcher catches the ball but does not cleanly stop it, and runners are able to advance.

Rule of a Passed Ball

In baseball, a passed ball is a pitch that the catcher fails to catch, typically because it moves a significant distance or goes to the backstop. Passed balls used to be treated like wild pitches, but they are now separate events with their own rules. If a batter reaches first base on a passed ball, any runners who were already on base may advance to the next base.

Official baseball rule

In baseball, a passed ball is the act of a defensive player allowing a legal pitch from the pitcher to enter the strike zone without being struck by the batter, resulting in a dead ball and allowing runners to advance.

A passed ball is different from a wild pitch in that a wild pitch is considered to be the fault of the pitcher, while a passed ball is not.

Unofficial baseball rule

An “unofficial baseball rule” is a guideline that is not included in the official rules of baseball, but is widely accepted by those who play the game. Some unofficial rules are so widespread that they are often mistakenly believed to be official rules.

One such unofficial rule is the “passed ball” rule, which states that a runner cannot advance to the next base on a passed ball, unless the batter-runner also advances. This rule is not actually part of the official rules of baseball, but is widely accepted and followed by most players and teams.

Examples of a Passed Ball

In baseball, a passed ball occurs when a pitch is not caught by the catcher and allows a baserunner to advance. A passed ball is not charged to the pitcher, but it is counted as a time of opportunity for the baserunners. There are a few ways that a passed ball can occur. Let’s take a look at a few examples.

Passed ball in real game situations

In baseball, a passed ball is a statistic credited to a catcher when a pitch he is catching, despite his best efforts to stop it, ends up in such a location that the runner or runners on base can advance. In order for a runner to be eligible to advance on a passed ball, he must be attempting to steal a base or there must be less than two outs in the inning. A passed ball is not charged to the pitcher.

Passed ball in practice

Let’s take a look at an example of how a passed ball might occur during a baseball game. In this scenario, the catcher is trying to throw out a runner stealing second base. The pitcher throws a fastball in an attempt to make it difficult for the runner to steal second base. However, the ball gets by the catcher, who was not expecting the pitch to be thrown so fast. The runner easily steal second base. As a result of the play, the catcher is charged with a passed ball.

Conclusion

In baseball, a passed ball is a ball that a catcher does not catch that is thrown by the pitcher. A runner or runners on base are allowed to advance one or more bases on a passed ball. A passed ball is not the same as a wild pitch.

Summary of what a passed ball is

In baseball, a passed ball is charged against a catcher who fails to cleanly catch a pitch that, in the opinion of the official scorer, was catchable by an average major league catcher. A wild pitch is usually scored as a passed ball. A passed ball does not refer to a ball thrown by the catcher to another player; instead it refers only to balls thrown by the pitcher.