Overview
A passed ball is charged when the official scorer determines the catcher should have handled a pitch with ordinary effort but failed to do so. Unlike a wild pitch, the catcher bears responsibility, and the resulting runs do not count as earned runs for the pitcher. Passed balls serve as one measure of a catcher's defensive ability; catchers with few passed balls over a season earn high regard as reliable backstops. With the rise of pitch framing, the ability to handle borderline pitches has gained even greater importance. In NPB, blocking technique for bounced breaking balls is considered an essential catcher skill, especially when paired with forkball specialists.