Rules Question: Stealing Home

[DonnyUnitas]

Hey guys, care to help me settle a discussion from the bar the other night with a buddy of mine?

Take the following hypothetical:

From third base, a runner attempts to steal home upon the release of the pitch. The pitch is thrown, and the catcher is unable to handle it, resulting in the ball going off, and allowing the runner to score.

So basically, we have a runner stealing home and a wild pitch at the same time.

Statistically speaking, does the credit for the steal go to the runner WITH the demerit of throwing a WP going to the Pitcher, or, as a result of the WP, is the runner not credited with a stolen base?

[bikiniarmstrong]

It would be the same as if someone were stealing second and the catcher throws it into centerfield. They credited with a stolen base. If other runners advance due to the throw then an error will also be given. If there is nobody else on base when this guy steals home and the pitch is wild, it will be only be a stolen base. Does this help? I'm pretty sure that is how it is scored.

[nadecir]

Hey guys, care to help me settle a discussion from the bar the other night with a buddy of mine?

Take the following hypothetical:

From third base, a runner attempts to steal home upon the release of the pitch. The pitch is thrown, and the catcher is unable to handle it, resulting in the ball going off, and allowing the runner to score.

So basically, we have a runner stealing home and a wild pitch at the same time.

Statistically speaking, does the credit for the steal go to the runner WITH the demerit of throwing a WP going to the Pitcher, or, as a result of the WP, is the runner not credited with a stolen base?

From the Official MLB rule book:

Rule 10.07 Stolen Bases And Caught Stealing

The official scorer shall credit a stolen base to a runner whenever the runner advances one base unaided by a hit, a putout, an error, a force-out, a fielder's choice, a passed ball, a wild pitch or a balk, subject to the following:

(a) When a runner starts for the next base before the pitcher delivers the ball and the pitch results in what ordinarily is scored a wild pitch or passed ball, the official scorer shall credit the runner with a stolen base and shall not charge the misplay, unless, as a result of the misplay, the stealing runner advances an extra base, or another runner also advances, in which case the official scorer shall score the wild pitch or passed ball as well as the stolen base.

So in your scenario, the runner gets a stolen base, and the pitcher does not get a wild pitch.

[bikiniarmstrong]

Sounds like I was right on the money.

[gallden]

Sounds like I was right on the money.

Way to toot your own horn *fistbump*