passed ball
noun
: a baseball pitch not hit by the batter that passes the catcher when it should have been caught and allows a base runner to advance
one of his trick pitches shot by his catcher for a passed ball—
John Drebinger
compare wild pitch
John DrebingerExamples of passed ball in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Fulton Weaver reached on a 1-out passed ball on a third strike for Country Day (20-1 overall, 5-0 conference) and went to third on a 2-base error on the throw to first.
—Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Apr. 2026
But Wrobleski didn’t allow another hit in his five innings and only three more baserunners (two walks and a third strike passed ball by Rushing).
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 7 Apr. 2026
In last week's loss to Duke, passed balls and mental lapses on defense doomed A&M.
—Zoe Collins Rath, Austin American Statesman, 20 Feb. 2026
After San Francisco scored its only run off Ryan on a Smith passed ball in the fourth, Ryan struck out Mike Yastrzemski with a 95-mph cut-fastball with runners on second and third to end the inning.
—Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2024
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Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Apr. 2026
But Wrobleski didn’t allow another hit in his five innings and only three more baserunners (two walks and a third strike passed ball by Rushing).
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 7 Apr. 2026
In last week's loss to Duke, passed balls and mental lapses on defense doomed A&M.
—Zoe Collins Rath, Austin American Statesman, 20 Feb. 2026
After San Francisco scored its only run off Ryan on a Smith passed ball in the fourth, Ryan struck out Mike Yastrzemski with a 95-mph cut-fastball with runners on second and third to end the inning.
—Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for passed ball
Cite this Entry
“Passed ball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/passed%20ball. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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