Passed Ball or Wild Pitch?

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Jun 27, 2018
291
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You must be the pitchers Dad writer was referring to. I have daughters that pitch and catch. The problem with catchers is that they get lazy and don’t “sell out” and hit their knees on low pitches in the dirt. They are supposed to get in front of the ball and block it that is a big part of their job.
I understand they have equipment on, and it’s hot and cumbersome but that’s the position they chose.
Too much “bull fighter” mentality out there I’ll just try and backhand the ball without moving to get in front of it. They wear all that equipment for a reason. Get in front of the ball and block the damn thing!!!
Now one thing that shouldn’t be the catchers responsibility is running down to 1st in full gear to back-up throw to 1st. Crazy to expect that from catcher. Let right fielder get a little exercise and back-up 1st base. Makes so much more sense.

I agree with RF backing up throw. Makes much more sense! My daughter is a pretty good blocker. Honestly I think as a catcher it’s her strongest asset. I noticed that she seems to drop and block and move in the dirt a little more than I notice other catchers. It seems almost every low pitch she’s dropping. (Her catching coach drilled this into her at an early age-Do not backhand it! Do not be lazy.) I was starting to wonder if she’s dropping her knees too much. Apparently not. The result is no passed balls. She doesn’t throw much. She says it’s because she doesn’t have to.


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Mar 28, 2014
1,081
113
Lol, you completely ignore the part that proves you are wrong!!! ha ha ha.

It clearly states that The official scorer shall charge a pitcher with a wild pitch when a legally delivered ball touches the ground or home plate before reaching the catcher and is not handled by the catcher

Nothing to do with ordinary effort. Forget that part. Just look at the above. Geezus
Annnnnnndddd now MadBandit is a ghost. When faced with undeniable evidence that he is wrong, instead of manning up and admitting that he is wrong, he vanishes.
 
May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
I agree with RF backing up throw. Makes much more sense! My daughter is a pretty good blocker. Honestly I think as a catcher it’s her strongest asset. I noticed that she seems to drop and block and move in the dirt a little more than I notice other catchers. It seems almost every low pitch she’s dropping. (Her catching coach drilled this into her at an early age-Do not backhand it! Do not be lazy.) I was starting to wonder if she’s dropping her knees too much. Apparently not. The result is no passed balls. She doesn’t throw much. She says it’s because she doesn’t have to.


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Both F9 and F2 should be backing up an IF play to 1B, unless there are runners on base. F9 covers balls that get past F3 toward the OF. F2 covers balls that bounce away from F3 towards home plate. An important note for F2 is not to trail the path of the runner, but to take a line more towards the fence.
 

ArmyStrong

Going broke on softball
Sep 14, 2014
87
8
Pacific NW
14 y/o daughter plays catcher for her travel team (HS division) and I keep stats on GameChanger for the coaches. During a recent game a pitch hit the edge of the plate. Catcher tried to block but it bounced away and the runner on 3rd scored. Coach in the dugout yells that she has to block that. After the game I was talking to the coach and said that it was a bad pitch. The pitcher’s dad heard and said that EVERY pitch should be blocked and that every coach calls for pitches to be in the dirt. He said that I just give wild pitches to the pitchers so my daughter doesn’t get the passed ball. DD tries to block every pitch that she can’t catch but sometimes this pitcher throws 5-6 an inning that are in the dirt near the plate. My questions are 1. When should it be a passed ball and when should it be a wild pitch. 2. Do coaches often call for pitches that are in the dirt with runners on third?

DD is a catcher who also pitches in a pinch. Used to be primarily a pitcher. We stopped worrying about whether the ball was a wild pitch or a passed ball. Catcher already knows whether the pitch was wild. Don't need to see it in stats. Worrying about those things divides the battery. Had to learn this the hard way...
 
Nov 18, 2015
1,585
113
Both F9 and F2 should be backing up an IF play to 1B, unless there are runners on base. F9 covers balls that get past F3 toward the OF. F2 covers balls that bounce away from F3 towards home plate. An important note for F2 is not to trail the path of the runner, but to take a line more towards the fence.
And then of course there's the over-eager RF, who charges towards 1B, forgetting that their first responsibility is to back up the 2B that just decided there was no way she was getting in front of that hard hit ground ball that's now rolling to the OF fence.

10U - where the teachable moments never cease...
 
Nov 18, 2013
2,255
113
You must be the pitchers Dad writer was referring to. I have daughters that pitch and catch. The problem with catchers is that they get lazy and don’t “sell out” and hit their knees on low pitches in the dirt. They are supposed to get in front of the ball and block it that is a big part of their job.
I understand they have equipment on, and it’s hot and cumbersome but that’s the position they chose.
Too much “bull fighter” mentality out there I’ll just try and backhand the ball without moving to get in front of it. They wear all that equipment for a reason. Get in front of the ball and block the damn thing!!!
Now one thing that shouldn’t be the catchers responsibility is running down to 1st in full gear to back-up throw to 1st. Crazy to expect that from catcher. Let right fielder get a little exercise and back-up 1st base. Makes so much more sense.


Watch a college game. Most catchers back up first. The really good ones get there before the batter!
 
Nov 18, 2013
2,255
113
People should really read the rules before ripping on others for not knowing the rules. A side note, don't look up MLB rules and come on here acting like you're smarter than everybody else!

NFHS (& PGF)
SECTION 6 PITCHER’S RECORD
ART. 1 . . . A wild pitch (F.P.) shall be charged to the pitcher when a ball legally delivered to the
batter is so high, or so low (including any pitch which touches the ground in front of home base),
or so far away from home base that the catcher does not stop or control it with ordinary effort and
the batter-runner advances to first base or any runner advances a base.

NCAA
SECTION 28—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.

USSSA
WILD PITCH. A wild pitch is a pitch that cannot be handled by the catcher with
ordinary effort.

ASA
WILD PITCH: A legally delivered pitch that the catcher cannot catch or stop and control
with ordinary effort.
 
Mar 28, 2014
1,081
113
People should really read the rules before ripping on others for not knowing the rules. A side note, don't look up MLB rules and come on here acting like you're smarter than everybody else!

NFHS (& PGF)
SECTION 6 PITCHER’S RECORD
ART. 1 . . . A wild pitch (F.P.) shall be charged to the pitcher when a ball legally delivered to the
batter is so high, or so low (including any pitch which touches the ground in front of home base),
or so far away from home base that the catcher does not stop or control it with ordinary effort and
the batter-runner advances to first base or any runner advances a base.

NCAA
SECTION 28—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.

USSSA
WILD PITCH. A wild pitch is a pitch that cannot be handled by the catcher with
ordinary effort.

ASA
WILD PITCH: A legally delivered pitch that the catcher cannot catch or stop and control
with ordinary effort.
Nothing here is different than what has been stated numerous times in this thread.
 
Nov 18, 2013
2,255
113
Nothing here is different than what has been stated numerous times in this thread.

Its VERY different if you take time to read them. You'll also see that NONE are the same as the MLB definition you provided.

USSSA and USA/ASA if a catcher doesn't catch or block the ball with ordinary effort its a wild pitch.

NCAA any pitch that hits the dirt is wild. Not a judgement call on ordinary effort if that's the case.

NFHS and PGF any ball hitting the ground in front of the plate is automatically wild. If it hits the ground right in front of the catcher, ordinary effort comes back into play.
 
May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
USSSA and USA/ASA if a catcher doesn't catch or block the ball with ordinary effort its a wild pitch.

This statement ^^^ doesn't align with the text of the rules you posted. It would seem that we need a clarification on what "ordinary effort" means for a catcher in regards to the action of blocking (dropping to your knees and using your body to stop the ball).

Like a competent F3 being able to pick bounced throws, blocking is expected skill for a competent catcher. However, like F3, if the ball gets through, the mistake should not get credited to the receiving end of the equation.
 

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