Glossary
Wild pitch (WP)
A wild pitch (WP) is a pitch so high, low or wide that the catcher cannot stop it with ordinary effort, and a runner moves up because of it. The wild pitch is charged to the pitcher, so a run that scores on it is earned.
A wild pitch needs two things: a pitch the catcher had no fair chance to handle, and a runner who takes a base because of it. A curveball in the dirt that skips past, a fastball that sails over the catcher's head and a changeup that bounces a foot in front of the plate and caroms to the backstop are wild pitches if a runner moves up and the scorekeeper determines that the catcher could not have fielded the pitch with ordinary effort. With the bases empty, or with nobody moving, nothing is scored; it is just a ball.
The scorer's question is whose fault it was. If the catcher should have caught or blocked the pitch with ordinary effort, it is a passed ball (PB), charged to the catcher. If the pitch was out of reach, it is a wild pitch, charged to the pitcher. The line between them is a judgment call, and youth scorekeepers tend to give the catcher the benefit of the doubt on anything in the dirt.
On the score sheet, write WP on each runner's line to the base they reached. If two runners move on the same pitch, both get WP. A runner who was already stealing gets the stolen base rather than the wild pitch, and an extra base taken after the ball was back under control is scored on whatever happened then.
The letters matter at the end of the game. A wild pitch counts against the pitcher, so a run that scores on one is earned and goes into the ERA; a run that scores on a passed ball is not. The batter gets no RBI either way. For a coach, wild pitches in the pitcher's line and passed balls in the catcher's are worth tracking separately: the first points to command, the second to blocking practice.
Examples
- Runner on second, a curveball bounces past the catcher to the backstop and the runner takes third: WP.
- Runner on third, a pitch sails over the catcher's head and the runner scores: WP, and the run is earned.
- Runners on first and second, a pitch in the dirt gets by and both move up: WP for each runner.
- Runner on first, a fastball at the knees goes off the catcher's glove and the runner takes second: PB, not WP.
Put it on a card: Score sheets.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a wild pitch and a passed ball?
Who is at fault. A wild pitch is a pitch the catcher could not handle with ordinary effort, charged to the pitcher. A passed ball is one the catcher should have caught or blocked, charged to the catcher.
Is a run that scores on a wild pitch earned?
Yes. The wild pitch is the pitcher's mistake, so the run is earned and counts in the ERA. A run that scores on a passed ball is unearned.
Is it a wild pitch if nobody moves up?
No. A wild pitch is only scored when a runner advances because of it. Otherwise the pitch is just a ball or a strike.
Can a batter reach first on a wild pitch?
Where the league allows a batter to run on an uncaught third strike, yes: the batter is credited with a strikeout and reaches on the wild pitch (K-WP). Whether and when a batter may run on strike three is a league rule, so check your league's rulebook.
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