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Introduction
There are many technical aspects to sports that are not known to the average audience or first-time viewers. For example, baseball games have a scenario of a passed ball and a wild pitch. Looking at just words, it becomes hard to land at any conclusion, and it might occur in the reader’s mind that it must be related to balling style, but hold a minute, it is just partially true. Many other related terms should be used with the bowling style for calling it a passed ball or wild pitch, and this article elaborates on these terms with their full knowledge. Let us discuss about Passed ball vs Wild pitch and the situation during the empty base in this article.
Passed ball vs Wild pitch
The wild pitch is somewhere related to fastballs. Well, in baseball, it happens when the pitcher throws the ball at a different angle, which leads to the catcher missing the ball, and at that moment, the runner who is standing there moves ahead and scores a point. A passed ball refers to a scenario where the catcher misses the ball and the runner advances one base in that time. There are many other things associated with both. the following will compare Passed ball vs Wild pitch.
A Wild Pitch
Readers can now see the definition and get an idea of what can be called a wild pitch. Let us understand the full scenario of a wild pitch. Both “passed ball” and “wild pitch” refer to a mistake that is either made by the thrower of the ball or by the catcher. If the pitcher of the ball throws the ball at the runner or the person who is batting in such a way that the ball cannot be caught by the catcher, as stated earlier, both refer to mistakes made by either person.
The pitcher makes the error of throwing the ball in such a way that it passes the runner but cannot be caught by the catcher, and the runner runs a base during this entire sequence. In this scenario, at this point, the runner must run and score a point. If a score is not added, then it is not considered a wild pitch.
Passed ball
This is a different scenario, but from the outside, it appears to be a wild pitch. In this scenario, when the pitcher pitches a ball and it gets passed through the runner but the catcher misses the ball, As discussed above, each situation refers to a mistake, so in this scenario, the mistake lies with the catcher. He could have caught the ball with ease but missed it, eventually leading to the runner making a score in that time. In both situations, runners must make a score; otherwise, it is not considered a wild pitch or passed ball.
This is the main difference between a passed ball and a wild pitch. Many other things follow this, such as scores, how much a runner can run and cover bases, or how a passed ball or wild pitch can be avoided.
The scoring system for a passed ball and wild pitch
The scoring system details are eventually important in both scenarios because that is the factor that determines who wins the match and who loses it. So, during a wild pitch where a runner has scored, the run that is scored is referred to as an “earned” run, and the team gets an additional point. The person batting at that moment does not associate that run with that person.
When a runner has scored another base, then the run that is scored is not referred to as an “earned” run, and there is one more thing that adds to a passed ball. If the base is empty and the catcher missed a ball, and the runner can cover 2 bases in that time, then 2 runs are added to the team’s score point. The scores do not get added to the runner’s total score.
The situation during the empty base
The important thing to remember is that a wild pitch and a passed ball are both considered when the runner scores. If the base is empty and the runner is standing at any other position and the catcher misses a ball due to a wild pitch, it is considered a wild pitch when a single base is covered or more than 2 are covered.
On a passed ball, the runner can cover as many bases as he can in the time when the catcher does not have the ball.
How can the pitcher and catcher avoid the wild pitch or passed ball?
During the situation of a wild pitch or a passed ball, at the last, the runs that are covered and points that get added to the opposite team. So it becomes essential to minimize these occurrences.
The scenario of a wild pitch and a passed ball occurs when the pitcher and catcher do not have a proper understanding of each other, which means that the catcher expects the ball at a different location and the pitcher pitches the ball at a different location, eventually resulting in the ball being missed. This can happen due to a power pitcher, in which the pitcher suddenly increases his pace in throwing a ball and it is missed by the catcher, so both must have enough
Conclusion
A wild pitch and a passed ball are two of the most confusing things while watching baseball. Technically, both are the same thing, but with a slight difference. A wild pitch is a situation when a catcher misses a ball thrown by the pitcher in the wrong way, and during the miss, the runner covers a base and scores, whereas, in the case of a passed ball, the ball thrown by a pitcher is missed due to a catcher’s mistake.
FAQ
1. How many bases can a runner cover during a wild pitch or passed ball?
There is no absolute answer to this, as it completely depends on how much time the catcher takes to find the ball and return to its position. In a normal Mach 3, all bases have been covered up to now.
