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wild pitch

wild pitch

5 6.3
In baseball, a pitch the catcher cannot catch that lets a base runner advance
  • noun
  • /waɪld pɪtʃ/
  • Jargon
translation icon : lanzamiento descontrolado
  • A wild pitch on a 0-2 offering to Jean Segura allowed both runners to move up ninety feet.
  • threw a wild pitch
  • scored on wild pitches
  • uncorked a wild pitch

Examples

  • Then the Blue Sox pitcher threw a wild pitch, and the runner moved to second.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Lofton doubled, stole third, and gave us a three-run lead on a wild pitch.

    Blog text (2)
  • - We keep playing like this, we're gonna lose 8 to 7 on nothing but wild pitches.

  • Morgan took third on the wild pitch.

    Blog text (24)
  • The first thing Logan did was throw a wild pitch that allowed the second Twins' run to score.

    Blog text (19)
  • The only excitement for the tribe provided by Rick Vaughn, who set an American League record by throwing four wild pitches in one inning.

  • In his first playoff game, he lasted two innings after throwing five wild pitches in one inning, tying a major league record.

    Blog text (15)
  • Pedro Beato threw a wild pitch that brought the tying run home.

    Blog text (33)
  • After Jackson advanced to second on a wild pitch, Mike Ahmed (Holy Cross) grounded a single past Forgione's dive that scored Robbins.

    Blog text (5)
  • The runner advanced to second base after the pitcher threw a wild pitch that went over the catcher's head.

How Catchable

pitchable
4.4
wild pitch
  • Jargon
5 6.3

Surface Forms

wild pitch singular
wild pitches plural

Morphology

wild + pitch

The noun phrase 'wild pitch' is directly and transparently compositional: 'wild' (uncontrolled) + 'pitch' (a throw) yields the meaning 'an uncontrolled/erratic throw'. While the full baseball implication (that the catcher cannot reasonably catch it and a runner may advance) is sport-specific, the basic sense is immediately inferable by a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

The baseball term wild pitch describes a pitch thrown so wild that the catcher misses it and the ball goes past him, so a runner can 'advance a base'. That's why it means a bad throw that lets a runner move forward.