GUIDES · BETSLIP DOCTOR
How is a balk different from a wild pitch that advances a runner?
A balk is an illegal pitching action under Rule 6.02, while a wild pitch is a legally delivered ball that the catcher cannot control with ordinary effort and that permits advancement. A balk does not always require a pitch to be thrown.
For Bettors and cappers learning to read baseball records · Updated
A balk concerns the pitcher’s action
With a runner on base, Rule 6.02 lists several balk actions, including starting a motion naturally associated with a pitch and failing to deliver. Other balks involve illegal throws, motions or pitches. The call is about the action under the rule, not simply whether the runner moved.
The balk penalty generally awards runners a base, subject to the rule’s play-continuation exception when the batter reaches and all runners advance. Do not reduce every balk play to a thrown pitch or a single scoring description.
A wild pitch is a legal delivery that permits advancement
Rule 9.13 charges a pitcher with a wild pitch for a legally delivered ball that is too high, wide or low for the catcher to control with ordinary effort, or that hits the ground or plate before reaching the catcher and is not handled, when a runner advances.
The same runner can gain the same base after either event. To read the record, identify the pitcher’s action first, then the delivery and the scorer’s ruling.
Two fictional advances from first to second
Hypothetical balk: with a runner on first, the pitcher begins a motion naturally associated with a pitch but stops without delivering; the umpire calls a balk and the runner advances under the rule. Hypothetical wild pitch: the pitcher legally delivers a ball that bounces past the catcher, and the runner advances; the official scorer may charge a wild pitch. The runner reaches the same base, but one play is an illegal pitching action and the other is a misplayed legal pitch.
Related questions
Does a balk always include a delivered pitch?
No. Rule 6.02 includes balk actions such as beginning a pitching motion and failing to deliver. Other balk actions can involve a throw or illegal pitch.