Baseball is a game full of intricate rules and obscure statistics. For casual fans, some of these details can be confusing. One term that often causes head-scratching is the passed ball. Here is a comprehensive look at what a passed ball is, how it is scored, and what it means for the defensive team.

A passed ball is charged against the catcher when he fails to hold or control a legally pitched ball that, in the official scorer’s judgment, should have been held or controlled with ordinary effort, and as a result a runner or runners advance.

What Causes a Passed Ball

There are a few common situations that can lead to a passed ball being charged against the catcher:

Wild Pitch Gets Away

Sometimes the pitcher throws a wild pitch in the dirt that the catcher is unable to stop. If the catcher misses the ball entirely or is unable to keep it in front of him, and runners advance, it is often ruled a passed ball rather than a wild pitch. The distinction between the two can be subjective.

Foul Tip Dropped

Catchers have the difficult task of hanging onto foul tips. These are treated as strikes, so if the catcher drops a foul tip it is ruled a passed ball if there are runners on base who subsequently advance.

Catcher Fails to Catch Throw

Catchers also have to field throws from the pitcher and other fielders trying to pick off or catch stealing base runners. If the catcher drops, misses or mishandles a throw and runners advance, it goes down as a passed ball.

Mechanical Error

Some passed balls occur simply because the catcher makes a mistake receiving a normal pitch with no runners on base, such as dropping a third strike or letting the ball bounce off his glove. This still counts as a passed ball.

When is a Passed Ball Charged?

There are certain criteria that must be met for a passed ball to be charged against the catcher:

• The ball must have been ruled as a legally delivered pitch by the umpire. This excludes things like wild pitches and throwing errors on pickoff attempts.
• In the official scorer’s judgment, the passed ball should have been fielded or stopped by the catcher with “ordinary effort.” This is a subjective call by the scorer.
• One or more runners on base advance as a result of the catcher’s mistake. If the batter reaches first safely on a dropped third strike, this still counts as a passed ball.

So the catcher must be deemed at fault for failing to make a playable catch or stop, and that failure must allow runners to advance. If those two conditions are met, it is scored as a passed ball.

Passed Balls vs. Wild Pitches

The distinction between passed balls and wild pitches is not always clear. The basic distinction is:

• Wild Pitch – The pitcher throws a pitch so errant the catcher could not be expected to control it with ordinary effort. Fault lies with the pitcher.
• Passed Ball – The pitch was reasonably catchable, but the catcher mishandled it or failed to stop it. Fault lies with the catcher.

The judgement of ordinary effort is key. If the official scorer believes the catcher should have caught or stopped a pitch, it is a passed ball. If not, it is a wild pitch. There is inevitable subjectivity in distinguishing between the two.

Impact of Passed Balls

Passed balls can have a direct impact on the game because they allow base runners to advance into scoring position or score runs. Statistically, passed balls are recorded as follows:

• A passed ball is credited as an at-bat for the hitter.
• It has no effect on the pitcher’s record. It is not counted as a hit or earned run.
• The catcher is charged with one passed ball. This goes on his personal statistics.
• Any runners who advance are credited statistically with stolen bases. This occurs even if they only advance because of the passed ball.

So while not directly hurting the pitcher, passed balls can hurt the team by extending innings and allowing more scoring. For the catcher, they have a direct negative impact on his defense statistics.

Famous Passed Balls in MLB History

Some notorious passed balls have gone down in history for their impact on major games:

• 1926 World Series – Cardinals catcher Bob O’Farrell let a third strike get past him, allowing the Yankees’ Babe Ruth to reach base and later score the winning run in Game 7.
• 1941 World Series – Mickey Owen’s passed ball for the Dodgers allowed the Yankees to rally for a win, turning the momentum of the series.
• 1960 World Series – A passed ball charged to Pirates catcher Hal Smith allowed the Yankees to score the winning run in Game 7.
• 1986 World Series – Red Sox catcher Rich Gedman’s passed ball helped the Mets stage a miraculous 10th inning rally in the fateful Game 6.

So while passed balls may seem trivial, they have directly affected some of the most famous moments in World Series history.

Famous Catchers With High Passed Ball Totals

Despite the importance of defense, some star catchers also led the league in passed balls multiple times:

• Gabby Hartnett – 6x league leader in passed balls, but also one of the greatest catchers ever.
• Ray Schalk – 5x league leader over a long career with the White Sox.
• Rollie Hemsley – 5x league leader in passed balls in the 1930s-40s.
• Randy Hundley – Led NL in passed balls 4 straight seasons (1965-1968).
• Javy Lopez – 4x league leader during his years with the Braves.

So passed balls happen even to the most skilled catchers. The nature of the position makes them inevitable over a long career.

Catchers With the Best and Worst PB Totals

Based on defensive stats, here are some catchers with notable career records in passed balls:

Fewest Passed Balls

• Jim Sundberg – 0.14 career passed balls per 100 games caught
• Tony Pena – 0.15 PB/100 games caught
• Brad Ausmus – 0.18 PB/100 games caught

Most Passed Balls

• Ryan Lavarnway – 1.91 career passed balls per 100 games caught
• Mike Piazza – 1.07 PB/100 games caught
• Javy Lopez – 1.05 PB/100 games caught

The Catchers with the best defensive skills and reaction times are able to limit passed balls over their careers. But they are an inevitability of the position.

Passed Ball Records for a Season

Catchers also want to limit passed balls in a given season. Here are some of the notable records:

• Most Passed Balls, Season – 66 by Chief Meyers of the Giants in 1909
• Most Passed Balls, NL Season – 35 by Johnny Bowerman in 1904
• Most Passed Balls, AL Season – 28 by Oscar Stanage in 1911
• Most Passed Balls, Season, Modern Era – 26 by Mitch Meluskey in 1999

As technique and equipment have improved over time, passed ball records have steadily declined from the extreme totals of the early 1900s.

New Rules About Passed Balls

In recent years, Major League Baseball has implemented some new rules that directly impact passed balls:

Third Strike Not Caught

Before 2018, if a catcher dropped the third strike and the batter reached base, it was still scored as a strikeout and passed ball. Since 2018, this is ruled a strikeout plus passed ball, but the batter can try to reach first and be credited with a hit if successful.

Limiting Mound Visits

In 2018, MLB also began limiting the number of visits a manager or coach can make to the pitcher’s mound. This restricts how much they can strategize about working around passed balls and wild pitches.

Extra Innings Rule

In 2020, MLB instituted a rule starting each extra inning with a runner on 2nd base. This amplifies the impact of passed balls, as the run scores easily from 3rd with no outs.

So passed balls now have greater potential impact on the outcome of games in the modern era.

Notable Active Catchers With High Passed Ball Counts

Even among today’s current MLB catchers, passed balls remain a problem for some backstops. Here are a few active catchers who have had consistent issues:

James McCann – In his first six seasons with the Tigers and White Sox, from 2014-2019, McCann averaged 0.58 passed balls per 100 games caught. That is well above the MLB average. Things have improved since he joined the Mets, though he still led NL catchers with 7 passed balls in 2021. For his career now, McCann has allowed 10 or more passed balls in a season four times. Still in his early 30s, he has time to improve his receiving skills.

Yan Gomes – Now with the Cubs after spending most of his career with Cleveland and Washington, Gomes has consistently had problems limiting passed balls. He has led the AL in passed balls three times, with a career-high 14 in 2012. In 10 major league seasons, he has averaged 0.52 passed balls per 100 games caught. Gomes does provide good power at the plate for a catcher, with double-digit home runs in six seasons. But the passed balls are a chronic issue he has grappled with throughout his career.

Omar Narvaez – Playing for the Brewers now, Narvaez struggled mightily with passed balls early in his career. He averaged 1.14 passed balls per 100 games caught over his first three seasons while with the White Sox. Things have improved since a trade to Seattle and then joining Milwaukee. But his career mark is still high at 0.71 passed balls per 100 games caught. Narvaez’s passed ball problems clearly contributed to his leaving the White Sox after the 2018 season. For his career now, he has allowed 10 or more passed balls in four different seasons already.

Tom Murphy – In limited playing time over six seasons with Colorado and Seattle, Tom Murphy has consistently registered high passed ball totals. In 283 games caught in his career, he has racked up an extremely high total of 48 passed balls. That comes out to 1.42 passed balls per 100 games caught, which is one of the highest ratios ever. With unproven defensive skills, Murphy has always had trouble convincing teams to make him the top starter despite good power at the plate. The chronic passed ball issues are a major reason, and he will have to improve dramatically to shed that reputation.

Famous Historical World Series Moments Altered by Passed Balls

Passed balls often go down in history as key moments that altered pivotal World Series games over the years. Here are some more examples beyond those already mentioned:

1925 World Series – In the legendary Game 7 featuring pitcher Walter Johnson versus the Pirates, Senators catcher Muddy Ruel allowed a critical passed ball that allowed Pittsburgh to score the winning runs for a 9-7 victory. Johnson’s World Series dreams were dashed.

1961 World Series – Yankees catcher Elston Howard let a third strike get past him in Game 3, opening the door for the Reds to rally from down 1-0 and win 3-2. Cincinnati gained momentum en route to a 5-game series win.

1975 World Series – Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk was charged with a passed ball in Game 3 that allowed Cincinnati’s Ken Griffey to score the first run in a 6-5 Reds win. The famed Big Red Machine went up 3-0, before Boston rallied to win it in 7 games.

2003 NLCS – In the 8th inning of Game 6 with the Marlins trailing the Cubs 3-0, Chicago catcher Paul Bako had a passed ball that allowed Luis Castillo to score Florida’s first run. It opened the door to an epic Marlins rally and comeback capped by Steve Bartman.

2017 ALCS – With the Astros leading the Yankees 2-1 in the 9th, catcher Gary Sanchez had a passed ball allowing Houston to add an insurance run. That proved the difference as the Astros held on 3-2 to take a commanding 3-2 series lead en route to victory.

So the follies of catching often end up becoming indelible moments in World Series lore. Passed balls tend to happen at the worst possible times.

Analyzing the Passed Ball Totals of Hall of Fame Catchers

Catchers enshrined in the Hall of Fame were obviously exceptional overall players. But even great catchers inevitably allow passed balls over a long career. Here are the passed ball rates of some all-time greats:

Johnny Bench – Considered by many the greatest catcher ever, but still averaged 0.31 passed balls per 100 games caught over his career.

Yogi Berra – 10 times World Series champion, but Berra averaged 0.49 passed balls per 100 games caught.

Roy Campanella – 3-time MVP logged 856 games caught, averaging 0.46 passed balls per 100 games.

Gary Carter – 16-year veteran averaged 0.33 passed balls per 100 games caught despite his defensive brilliance.

Carlton Fisk – Set games caught record with 2,226 over 24 seasons, averaging 0.17 passed balls per 100 games.

Josh Gibson – Negro Leagues legend estimated 1 passed ball every 42 games during his storied career as perhaps the best catcher in history.

For even the all-time greats, passed balls were an inevitable part of the position they played. Limiting passed balls as best they could was a constant chore.

Implementing Technology to Reduce Passed Balls

As baseball increasingly relies on technology and analytics, teams are searching for ways to cut down on passed balls:

Pitch Framing – By tracking the strike zone electronically, teams can break down a catcher’s ability at framing pitches. Catchers can train at techniques like staying quieter on borderline strikes to reduce passed balls on pitches just outside.

Pitch Sequencing – Analytics on a batter’s swing path against certain pitch sequences can be used so pitchers avoid types of pitches a catcher struggles receiving after others.

Virtual Reality – VR game simulations are being used where catchers can practice tracking and catching pitches repeatedly to quicken their reactions. This builds muscle memory to reduce passed balls.

Smart Wearables – Companies are developing devices worn inside catchers’ helmets and gear to track things like concussions. This health data may reveal causes of focus issues tied to passed balls.

Catching Gear Advancements – Equipment companies try to make gloves, masks, chest protectors, etc. more ergonomic and less bulky to give catchers greater freedom of movement and comfort to limit passed balls.

While passed balls can never be eliminated entirely, teams hope modern training and technology can aid catchers in reducing their frequency and impact.

Conclusion

A passed ball may seem like an insignificant event in a baseball game, but it is defined by specific criteria and can directly affect the action on the field. Anytime a catcher fails to hold or control a catchable pitch and allows runners to advance, he is charged with the infamous passed ball. This statistical notation goes on the catcher’s permanent record and can hurt the defensive perception of even great players at that position. While advancements in equipment and technique have reduced passed ball frequency over the decades, they remain a fact of life for hard-working catchers. Famous playoff games have even hinged directly on a catcher’s inability to stop a passed ball. So this tricky technical term is actually one of profound importance.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a passed ball and a wild pitch?

The main difference is whether the pitch is deemed reasonably catchable by the catcher. A wild pitch is so errant that the catcher cannot be expected to control it. A passed ball is one the catcher should have caught or stopped with ordinary effort.

Can a passed ball be scored if there are no runners on base?

Yes, it is possible to have a passed ball with no runners on base. For example, if the catcher drops a third strike allowing the batter to reach first safely. The key criteria are that the catcher mishandled a catchable ball and that runners subsequently advanced.

Who decides whether a pitch is scored as a passed ball or wild pitch?

The official scorer makes the judgment based on whether the pitch was reasonably fieldable by the catcher. There is inevitable subjectivity in deciding whether the catcher should have controlled the pitch with “ordinary effort.”

Do pitchers get charged for passed balls?

No, passed balls are not counted against the pitcher’s stats or factored into their ERA. The responsibility falls fully on the catcher. However, pitchers may try to alter their approach if a catcher is struggling with passed balls in a given game.

What is the MLB record for passed balls in a season?

The record for passed balls in a major league season is held by Chief Meyers of the New York Giants, who had 66 passed balls in 1909. Since then, no catcher has had more than 35 passed balls in a season.

Does a passed ball always result in a stolen base for runners?

Yes, any runner who advances on a passed ball is credited statistically with a stolen base. This is the case even if they only move up because the ball got by the catcher. Passed balls can artificially inflate stolen base totals as a result.