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Jake Brentz wild pitch


McMike
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The other day, Jake Brentz threw what's being called the worst pitch ever.  Basically he spiked it into the dirt in front of him and it skeetered off to the side.

This made me wonder about rules and scoring.  Does it count as an official pitch if it never reaches home plate?  (In which case, it's a called a ball, and it's a live ball).  Therefore, the act of trying to deliver a pitch makes it a pitch, no matter where it goes, as long as he releases it from his hand in the general direction of the batter?

If he loses his grip and drops it before his arm comes forward, I assume that's a dropped ball, not a pitch?  So there is some cutoff point in his motion where it becomes a pitch?  I.e. what if he flings it straight up in the air?

Or does it have to somehow reach home plate to be considered a pitch?  So it's a no-pitch?

If there is a runner on base, is it a balk, since it never reached the plate?

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From the 2017 Jaksa/Roder manual and then the actual rule (p. 146):

slip (as opposed to a pitch or throw) is a released baseball, intended to be a pitch or throw, but that lacks both aim and momentum. Any intended pitch that slips out of a pitcher’s hand and crosses (or, if it is touched, would have crossed) a foul line is a ball. An intended pitch that slips and does not cross a foul line is a balk if there is a runner, and no pitch if there is not a runner. (6.02b Comment) An intended pickoff throw (in-contact) to first or third base that slips is a balk if it does not reach the foul line or a fielder within reach of a tag attempt at the base. However, it is not a balk if a pitcher drops the ball or allows it to slip after a step to second base, which does not require a throw.

2021 OBR Rule 6.02(b) Comment: A ball which slips out of a pitcher’s hand and crosses the foul line shall be called a ball; otherwise it will be called no pitch. This would be a balk with men on base.

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7 minutes ago, Senor Azul said:

From the 2017 Jaksa/Roder manual and then the actual rule (p. 146):

slip (as opposed to a pitch or throw) is a released baseball, intended to be a pitch or throw, but that lacks both aim and momentum.

Thanks for that.  I've never heard the term.  I just googled the term "slip" with Jake Brentz and cannot find a single article online that discusses the actual ruling on the pitch itself.  Most articles call it a "wild pitch."

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