wild pitch

noun

Updated on: 12 Apr 2018

Definition of wild pitch

: a baseball pitch not hit by the batter that cannot be caught or controlled by the catcher with ordinary effort and that enables a base runner to advance — compare passed ball

See wild pitch defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of wild pitch from the Web

Odubel Herrera lined a double, advanced on another wild pitch and scored on Nick Williams' single to cut it to 3-2.

— rob maaddi, chicagotribune.com, "Marlins spoil Jake Arrieta's debut, beat Phillies 6-3," 8 Apr. 2018
Three saved wild pitches by catcher Yan Gomes in the ninth inning, blocking pitches in the dirt.

— terry pluto, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Indians open at home with sense of urgency -- Terry Pluto," 7 Apr. 2018
However, in the bottom half of the inning, Dean scored on a wild pitch and Austin Stoddard crossed the plate on an error to tie the game again.

— pat mashburn, NOLA.com, "Pearl River 4, Salmen 3: Chance Lombard and Rebels win series from Spartans," 6 Apr. 2018
Then on a wild pitch that got past Orioles catcher Caleb Joseph, Gregorius ran home.

— charlotte carroll, SI.com, "Watch: Didi Gregorius Slides Home Head First in Extra Innings, Called Out," 6 Apr. 2018
In the top of the sixth, O'Connor scored on a wild pitch that cut the lead to four.

— jorge ramos, azcentral, "Pinnacle baseball rolls through Sandra Day O'Connor," 6 Apr. 2018
Ohtani actually came to the plate with bases loaded, but Tomlin threw a wild pitch to score a run one pitch before Ohtani's blast.

— usa today sports, USA TODAY, "Shohei Ohtani hits first major-league homer in debut at Angel Stadium," 3 Apr. 2018
After two perfect innings, Beer's lone hiccup came in the third inning when Pasadena's Robert Olivades singled, moved to second on a throwing error, to third on a wild pitch and scored on a two-out single from Jacob Green for the Bulldogs' run.

— andrew j. campa, latimes.com, "Beer Ks 14, drives in 3 as Crescenta Valley wins league opener," 28 Mar. 2018
Trey Ochoa opened the inning with an infield single, followed by a wild pitch and a four-pitch walk to Andrew Fregia.

— richard dean, Houston Chronicle, "College Classic: Coach Matt Deggs ejected in Sam Houston State's loss to Mississippi State," 4 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wild pitch.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.