Wild pitch versus passed ball

[whiporee]

Is there a concensus about this? Obviously anything uncatchable -- over the head, wide on either side, pitch hits the bull -- are wild pitches. But what about the pitch that hits the plate, or the ground at the catcher's mitt? What's the assumption about a pitch outside of the strike zone that's the difference between wild and passed?

 

[Traps71]

From the NCAA softball scoring rules...

SECTION 27—WIlD PITCH A wild pitch is charged to a pitcher when the pitch is so high, wide or low that the catcher cannot handle the ball with ordinary effort and at least one runner advances. Any pitch in the dirt is wild (emphasis added). Only one wild pitch is recorded regardless of the number of runners who advance or the number of bases advanced. A third strike not handled by the catcher because it was wild, when the batter reaches first base safely, is scored as both a wild pitch and a strike-out. No wild pitch is charged if a runner stealing on the pitch advances only one base. A wild pitch is not an error.

SECTION 28—PaSSED Ball A passed ball is charged to the catcher when she fails to stop or control a pitch with ordinary effort and at least one base runner advances. Only one passed ball is recorded regardless of the number of runners who advance or the number of bases advanced. A third strike not handled by the catcher that could have been handled with ordinary effort, when the batter reaches first base safely, is scored as both a passed ball and a strikeout. No passed ball is charged if a runner stealing on the pitch advances only one base. A passed ball is not an error

 

[quincy]

I do not think so.

I am going to show my age but Phil Nekro threw in an all star game for an inning. Struck out 4 or 5 batters in an inning.

Best batters in the world, ump, C, batter had no idea were ball was going. Lot of balls ended at backstop.

Wild pitch or error?

 

[Laphoneman]

It depends on wether the book keeper is the pitchers mom or the catchers mom

 

[canyonjoe]

It if bounces it's a WP. It's like a throw from in IF to first. Now that doesn't mean I don't blame the C for not blocking of think the 1B should scoop the throw but it still on the thrower.

 

[Lobster Birch]

The tricky part is defining "ordinary effort".

 

[cnardone]

The tricky part is defining "ordinary effort".

+ 1
about a year ago we had a very similar thread. Someone was arguing that it was ordinary effort for a catcher to cleanly pick a bounced pitch.

 

[Lightning]

If it's in the dirt, it's a WP.

I've argued this with DD's team's scorekeeper. DD is a pitcher, scorekeeper's kid is a catcher. If coach calls for a pitch in the dirt, and DD bounces it, and C doesn't block it, he'll call it a passed ball every time. He believes that if the catcher is expecting a pitch in the dirt and DD puts the ball where it's called, then there's no excuse for the catcher to let the ball past her. I disagree, but I'll never win with him when it comes to his kid.

 

[CoachJD]

If it's in the dirt, it's a WP.

I've argued this with DD's team's scorekeeper. DD is a pitcher, scorekeeper's kid is a catcher. If coach calls for a pitch in the dirt, and DD bounces it, and C doesn't block it, he'll call it a passed ball every time. He believes that if the catcher is expecting a pitch in the dirt and DD puts the ball where it's called, then there's no excuse for the catcher to let the ball past her. I disagree, but I'll never win with him when it comes to his kid.

Let him know that this actually isn't up for interpretation. Any ball in the dirt is a wild pitch. That's not an opinion. As Traps said above, it's written that it's a wild pitch (and no scorekeeping rule set says otherwise).

A note on passed balls: While they're not errors, they can lead to unearned runs.

 

[Crabby_Bob]

Another source is the ATEC guide by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.

1. A wild pitch is charged to the pitcher when the pitcher throws so high, wide or
low that the catcher can not handle the ball with ordinary effort and at least one
runner advances.
a - Any pitch in the dirt which advances a runner is deemed wild.
b - Only one wild pitch is scored regardless of the number of runners
who advance or the number of bases advanced.
c - A third strike that is not handled by the catcher because it was
wild, where the batter makes first base safely, is charged to the
pitcher as a strikeout and also as a wild pitch (KWP).
d - No wild pitch is scored if a runner was stealing on the release of
the wild pitch and only one base is advanced.
2. A passed ball is charged to the catcher when she fails to catch a pitch which
could have been caught with ordinary effort and at least one baserunner advances.
a - A bobbled pitch (not dropped) where a runner advances is scored
as a stolen base, not a passed ball, even if the runner decides to
advance after seeing the bobble.
b - Only one passed ball is charged regardless of the number of
runners who advance or the number of bases advanced.
c - A third strike that is not handled by the catcher and which should
have been with ordinary effort, and the batter reaches first base
safely, is charged to the catcher as a passed ball and the pitcher as a
strikeout (KPB).
d - No passed ball is scored if a runner was stealing on the release of
the pitch that got away and only one base is earned.