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passed ball vs. wild pitch

passed ball

[past bawl] / ˈpæst ˌbɔl /

noun

Baseball.

a pitched ball that the catcher can reasonably be expected to catch but misses, allowing one or more base runners to advance one or more bases.

wild pitch

[wahyld pich] / ˈwaɪld ˈpɪtʃ /

Baseball.

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.