Stolen base or wild pitch?
If the runner was going before the pitch, I'm giving him the stolen base. The wild pitch or passed ball only goes in the book if he takes an extra base because the ball got away, or if another runner moves up.
I’ve watched a lot of scorekeepers get this play wrong over the years. The runner on first is going on the pitch. The pitch bounces, kicks off the catcher’s shin and rolls toward the dugout. He goes into second standing up, and the scorekeeper writes “WP.”
That’s a stolen base.
If the runner started for the next base before the pitch, he gets credit for stealing it, even if the pitch gets away. The wild pitch or passed ball doesn’t go in the book, because it didn’t help him. He was going anyway.
It can be both, of course. Let’s say he steals second on the pitch, sees the ball rolling away and keeps going to third. Now it’s a stolen base for second and a wild pitch (or a passed ball) for the extra base. The ball getting away is what got him to third.
The same goes for a different runner moving up on the play. Say the runner on third scores while the runner from first steals second on a ball in the dirt. You’d score it a stolen base for one and a wild pitch for the run.
A bad throw from the catcher works the same way. The runner steals second, and the throw sails into center field. If he stops at second, it’s a stolen base and no error. But if he goes on to third because of the throw, it’s a stolen base plus an error on the catcher.
The steal belongs to the runner.
He made the decision, he got the jump and he was going to make it — a pitch in the dirt doesn’t get to take that away from him. As scorekeepers, we only charge the misplays for what they actually caused.
So how do you know he was going? He was off the bag and running when the pitcher released the ball. If he only takes off after he sees the ball get away, he wasn’t stealing, so it goes down as a wild pitch or passed ball. I explain how to tell those two apart on another card.
How does your scorekeeper handle this one?
Which rulebook? Official Baseball Rules 9.07(a): when a runner starts for the next base before the pitch, and the pitch is what would normally be a wild pitch or passed ball, credit a stolen base and don't charge the misplay, unless the runner advances an extra base or another runner advances. Then score both. 9.07(b) treats a catcher's wild throw on the steal the same way.
Your starting second baseman re-enters the game. Where can he go?
Still have a question? Ask Coach Fungo.
“Give that runner the steal. He was going before the ball ever got away.”
Does the umpire have to call the infield fly?
The infield fly only counts if the umpire actually calls it. If he didn't, the batter isn't out, no matter how right the situation looked.
“Line drives and bunts don't count, and a pop-up that lands untouched in foul ground is a foul ball.”
Foul tip vs. foul ball: is a foul tip a strike?
A foul tip goes off of the bat sharp and direct to the catcher, and he has to catch it before it touches the ground. The difference between a foul ball and foul tip matters.
“If the catcher holds onto a foul tip, the ball is live, and a runner who's stealing is free to keep going.”
The rules quiz
Ten questions, two minutes. Would you have gotten the call right?
New cards land on Instagram and Threads first. Follow along there.
Be the first to comment