P's UPDATE, a program to update common knowledge in the baseball world, is now available on the official YouTube site of PERSOL Pacific League TV. The theme of the December 22nd (Monday) broadcast was "The Boundaries of Error." Guests included Chunichi OB Masahiro Araki, Chiba Lotte Marines coach Takeshi Nishioka and former NPB recorder and Central League records manager Shigeo Ishii, The panelists delved deeply into the topic of "Errors.
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Along with "Hits/Errors," "wild pitch / passed ball" is a judgment that can be easily divided into two categories: "Hits/Errors" and "Errors. Mr. Ishii, who has been a recorder for many years, said, "In the case of one bounce, it is often judged as wild pitch." He also said that the decision in the case of a ball going astray due to a wrong sign depends on the situation at the time.
As we watched the video of a game that was actually judged as wild pitch or passed ball, we could see that this judgment was extremely difficult, as Mr. Araki and Mr. Nishioka said, "This one looks like it could be caught," "This one can't be caught," "It's difficult ......," and so on.
When asked again about the criteria for judging, Mr. Ishii replied, "Basically, one bounce. There are things that can be caught even if they are one bounce, but you have to put a scale somewhere," explaining that the axis of judgment is based on whether or not they are one bounce.
In such a situation, there must be many exquisite plays that can be taken either way, but in such cases, Mr. Ishii said, "It is related to ERA of pitcher," so he judged the play as passed ball if anything. Mr. Araki also seemed to have realized this from his working days, saying, "I had a vague feeling that it was more or less passed ball.
What are the criteria for determining a "passed ball or wild pitch" that even Masahiro Araki complained was "difficult"?
Pacific League Insight
2025.12.23(火) 10:00
