passed ball
noun
: a baseball pitch not hit by the batter that passes the catcher when it should have been caught and allows a base runner to advance
one of his trick pitches shot by his catcher for a passed ball—
John Drebinger
compare wild pitch
John DrebingerExamples of passed ball in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Washington took advantage of three walks, one intentional, and a run-scoring passed ball charged to catcher Drew Romo in the inning.
—Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
Despite falling behind by five runs on Thursday — hard contact off Ryan and a Jeffers passed ball led to three unearned runs in the second inning — the Twins didn’t wilt as bad teams often do.
—Dan Hayes, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2026
Fulton Weaver reached on a 1-out passed ball on a third strike for Country Day (20-1 overall, 5-0 conference) and went to third on a 2-base error on the throw to first.
—Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Apr. 2026
But Wrobleski didn’t allow another hit in his five innings and only three more baserunners (two walks and a third strike passed ball by Rushing).
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 7 Apr. 2026
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Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
Despite falling behind by five runs on Thursday — hard contact off Ryan and a Jeffers passed ball led to three unearned runs in the second inning — the Twins didn’t wilt as bad teams often do.
—Dan Hayes, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2026
Fulton Weaver reached on a 1-out passed ball on a third strike for Country Day (20-1 overall, 5-0 conference) and went to third on a 2-base error on the throw to first.
—Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Apr. 2026
But Wrobleski didn’t allow another hit in his five innings and only three more baserunners (two walks and a third strike passed ball by Rushing).
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 7 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for passed ball
Cite this Entry
“Passed ball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/passed%20ball. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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