Earned run or not?

Yes, Score it a K----a wild pitch----and an earned run! It is an earned run because it was a wild pitch and not a passed ball. Makes no difference if it was the third strike.
Fungo

Is the missed 3rd strike always entered as a wild pitch?

I've always been told..IT DEPENDS ON THE SCORE KEEPER!?

If it was a catchable ball, it's a Pass Ball; If it's an uncatchable pitch, it's a wild pitch.

I hope that muddies the water!?

Back to original question: A run scoreing on a wild pitch is an Earned Run.

Linear, has noting to do with pitch sequence. But a "curveball in the dirt" will almost always meet the critera of a wild pitch.

quote:

A wild pitch shall be charged when a legally delivered ball is so high, or so wide, or so low that the catcher does not stop and control the ball by ordinary effort, thereby permitting a runner or runners to advance. (1) A wild pitch shall be charged when a legally delivered ball touches the ground before reaching home plate and is not handled by the catcher, permitting a runner or runners to advance. (b) A catcher shall be charged with a passed ball when he fails to hold or to control a legally pitched ball which should have been held or controlled with ordinary effort, thereby permitting a runner or runners to advance.

quote:

Yes, Score it a K----a wild pitch----and an earned run!

Lord, I love baseball!

If it is a catcher's error it is an unearned run with 2 out. A caught ball ends the inning.
many pitchers hit the dirt in front of the plate and at the back. It is a judgment call and I generally do hot like a CB that hits the dirt as a 3 strike pitch especially with a guy on 3rd. The catcher had better be an experienced guy who can block very well.

KCBaseball as the father of a pitcher I know how frustrating it can be when a pitcher makes a hitter look foolish with a cb in the dirt only to have the ball get by the catcher. As the father of a catcher I also know how frustrating it can be to hear someone criticize a catcher for allowing a ball to get by. I say put the curveball in the dirt, strikeout the batter, and let’s win this ball game! Players have to learn to ignore criticizm and stats and go out to win ball games.
Fungo

In the dirt, wild pitch, earned run.

Fastball at the knees, on the corner, tips off the catchers glove to the screen, passed ball, unearned run.

Unless of course the scorekeeper is biased.

Did anyone pay attention to mlb scoring last summer, and worse yet, ESPN explanations of it.

Horrendous. They act like "hit" is the default and error only if obvious. Like giving a hit is no big deal. Helps hitter. Hurts no one else.............except the pitchers earned run average.

More talking heads. Tony LaRussa made a big deal out of it here in St.Louis. I'm not a Tony fan.....(warming up to him but disgree on his philosophy) but he is dead right on this issue.

OK.. Maybe I should have said a little more... the catcher called for a low CB and the ball went between his legs. The pitch hit the dirt behind the plate. I know the rule about wild vs. pass ball. At the college level I think it's a pass ball. But my son was pitching.. so maybe a little bias here. The scorekeeper scored it a wild pitch earned run.

Passed Ball in that case. Easily blockable.

There are two different litmus tests on a low pitch, either of which will qualify it as a wild pitch. It does NOT have to touch the ground before reaching home plate although that definitely qualifies it as a wild pitch.(see #2)

The rules state....#1. A wild pitch shall be charged when a legally delivered ball is so low that the catcher does not stop and control the ball by ordinary effort. This rule says nothing about having to touch the ground. I might add that ordinary effort is whatever the official scorer determines to be ordinary effort.

......OR.......

#2. A wild pitch shall be charged when a legally delivered ball touches the ground before reaching home plate and is not handled by the catcher. Bottom line the official scorer is the one that determines whether or not the pitch was a wild pitch or a passed ball. In this case it is a wild pitch because the official scorer deemed it so. Normally any ball that hits dirt before it hits the catchers mitt will be scored a wild pitch.
Fungo

Catcher calls for the ball down and gets it there - he better be able to block it. Good catchers are only good if they can block and give the pitcher confidence to throw the ball down.

Baseballdad1228,
I don't think anyone is arguing the merits of having a good catcher or a good pitcher. This has to do with the ruling on passed ball and wild pitches. Passed balls are the fault of the catcher and wild pitches are the fault of the pitcher and are indicated as such in the score book. A good catcher will do everything he can to help the pitcher record the out but should not be held accountable for wild pitches (and isn't). By the same token a pitcher is not held accountable for passed balls (and isn't). Let's not try to falsify the scorebook or sway the opinion of the fans to protect either the catcher or the pitcher.
Fungo

Fungo,

If a catcher is expecting a breaking ball down, should we not expect him to keep it in front of him if the pitcher throws it there? Should we not hold the catcher to a competitive standard, especially if he calls the pitch down? We are in the subjective world of passed ball vs. wild pitch here, but the catchers are also accountable, as much as the pitcher.

quote:

should we not expect him to keep it in front of him

Baseballdad1228,
I'm not arguing whether or not "we" should hold him accountable, but the question is should the offical scorekeeper hold him accountable and the answer is NO. Just like the pitcher that throws a fastball past the catcher's ear when he called for the curveball down, the offical scorkeeper records it as a passed ball as he should. "We" know the pitcher missed his sign but the offical scorekeeper sees it as a very catchable ball and faults the catcher. It's part of the complex game inside the game that has no scorebook.
Fungo

Earned not earned it is on the board.

Fungo,

I see what you mean. Good example.

MJM

It’s a wild pitch, earned run. Same thing happened to my son in a hotly contested HS game for the conference title (1st game of 3) with a young catcher lacking defensive experience (the kid has one heck of a bat). My son came into a tie game relieving the starting pitcher with a man on first, no outs. Fast forward to man on third 2 outs. Curve ball in the dirt, behind the plate, a real thing of beauty, starting chest high and outside to a right handed batter, dropping off the table 11-5, skips through the catcher’s legs, runs to the back stop, play at the plate, run scores to take the lead, top of the next inning to answer, could not, game over. Should the catcher have blocked the “wild” pitch with a man on third in a tie ballgame? IMHO you bet, but that’s baseball. Work on blocking and get it next time. My son felt like he let his team down. He was the goat of the day. We won the next game of a DH and Jr. got the win in the rubber match 3 days later (different cather). It’s tough behind the dish with some of these kids, the balls moving all over the place. I gave up catching my son just before the start of his sophomore year. My wrist and arms couldn’t take the beating and my wife wanted to put a stop to all the dimples in the garage door, won’t take the yellow plastic flexible drainage hose off the chain-link fence though…..

There is not a score keeper that would have scored it any different.

Two great quotes by Fungo:

quote:

Let's not try to falsify the scorebook or sway the opinion of the fans to protect either the catcher or the pitcher.

quote:

It's part of the complex game inside the game that has no scorebook.

...with the emphasis on Winning.

MOUNDMASTER---

Are you whining?

have seen many hot shots to the SS and the ball gets through the hole. 1 scorekeeper gives an error and another a hit.

The first scorekeeper was the pitcher's dad, the second scorekeeper was the SS's dad.

PAmom,

Not whining at all. Just wanted to see who's sons were catchers and whos' were pitchers LOL
Besides I usually have a little cheese w/ my whine.! I never once mentioned cheese in my post! LOL

If I'm scoring, I don't know what pitch is called and I have to assume it was a bad pitch so it's a wild pitch, that's just me though.

MM---

quote:

I never once mentioned cheese in my post!

SAY WHAT??? I never mentioned "cheese" in my post, either. But it goes well with any whine.......