wild pitch

[ wahyld pich ]

noun

, Baseball.

1. a pitched ball that the catcher misses and could not be expected to catch, allowing one or more base runners to advance one or more bases.

Word History and Origins

Origin of wild pitch¹

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70

Idioms and Phrases

A careless statement or action, as in Calling comic books great literature—that's a wild pitch . This term comes from baseball, where it signifies a pitched ball so far off target that the catcher misses it, enabling a base runner to advance. [Mid-1900s]

Example Sentences

There were wild pitches and fielding errors, and when the Sox won it was — at least for us fans — like the end of a great movie, where you hope they’re going to win but you don’t know if they can pull it off.

From Vox

In the sixth, Turner led off with an infield single but was stranded after reaching second on a wild pitch.

From Washington Post

The sequence after the wild pitch was cutter, sinker, cutter, cutter, with the last one clipping the low-and-outside corner as Arenado swung through it.

From Washington Post

One cannot attain any wild pitch of hilarity among bolts and bars and Winchester rifles.

From Project Gutenberg

The next man to the bat got a hit and on a wild pitch managed to reach third.

From Project Gutenberg

It seemed to rouse him from his dreamy state, and awakened him to a wild pitch of excitement.

From Project Gutenberg

Lindsay pressed a finger against his nose, which had been broken in youth by a wild pitch.

From Project Gutenberg

A wild pitch, the only one of the game, advanced Mylert a base.

From Project Gutenberg