wild pitch

American  

[wahyld pich] / ˈwaɪld ˈpɪtʃ /

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.

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wild pitch Idioms  

1. 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]

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Etymology

Origin of wild pitch

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70

Compare meaning

How does wild-pitch compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• passed ball vs. wild pitch

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

wild pitch

Evans ran to third on a wild pitch, but Tinsley worked out of the jam with a groundout that she fielded herself and a lineout to Aleena Garcia at shortstop.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2026

But the key play was in the fifth inning in what appeared to be a wild pitch with the bases loaded for Westlake.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026

The Braves loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh, then scored two runs on a wild pitch and added a third on James Clark’s single.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 2, 2026

A wild pitch from McLean left Venezuela with runners on second and third base and on the next pitch Kansas City Royals slugger Maikel Garcia's sacrifice fly allowed Perez to score.

From Barron's ● Mar. 18, 2026

A wild pitch is a ball thrown by the pitcher out of the fair reach of the catcher, and on which a base-runner gains a base.

From Base-Ball How to Become a Player by Ward, John M.