Passed Ball

A passed ball (PB) is a pitch that the catcher should have been able to catch with ordinary effort but failed to control, resulting in one or more baserunners advancing. It is charged to the catcher in the scorebook.

Passed Ball vs. Wild Pitch

The official scorer determines whether a missed pitch is a passed ball or a wild pitch based on whether a catcher using ordinary skill could have stopped it:

• Passed ball (PB): The pitch was catchable. The catcher failed. Charged to the catcher.
• Wild pitch (WP): The pitch was not reasonably catchable. Not the catcher's fault. Charged to the pitcher.

This is a judgment call. A pitch that bounces low and in the dirt but not dramatically out of reach could be called either way depending on the scorer's assessment. The distinction matters because it affects which player's statistics are affected.

What Happens on a Passed Ball

When the catcher fails to control a pitch, the ball becomes live. Runners may advance at their own risk. The catcher must recover the ball and either field it or allow runners to take bases.

In youth baseball, passed balls are extremely common, especially with younger catchers learning the position. This is normal. Teaching catchers to block low pitches early in their development reduces passed ball rates significantly.

Impact on Statistics

For the catcher:

• Passed balls are tracked in catching statistics (PB)
• Unlike errors, passed balls do not prevent earned runs, a run scored on a passed ball can still be earned against the pitcher
• Passed ball rate is one metric used to evaluate catchers at advanced levels

For the pitcher:

• A run that scores on a passed ball is still an earned run for the pitcher (unless it follows an error earlier in the inning that would have ended the inning)

Teaching Blocking

The primary skill that prevents passed balls is blocking: the catcher's technique for keeping low pitches in front of their body. Blocking involves:

• Dropping to the knees on pitches in the dirt
• Angling the body forward and cupping the chest protector downward to funnel the ball
• Keeping the chin tucked to protect the throat while maintaining vision on the ball

Young catchers who learn to block early develop confidence behind the plate and give pitchers the freedom to throw breaking balls and sinkers in the dirt without fear of runners advancing.