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Wild Pitch/Passed Ball

With a runner already on base, the pitcher goes into the stretch, delivers a pitch, and the catcher doesn't catch it. Maybe it bounces in the dirt, and caroms off towards foul territory somewhere. Maybe it's just a bad pitch, and misses the catcher by a country mile. Whatever the case, the baserunners realize there’s an opportunity, and take off.

What’s happening here is either going to be called a wild pitch or a passed ball. Both of these things are similar, in that they are pitch results that allow a baserunner to advance without a stolen base. A wild pitch is a pitch that is, well, wild— so wild that the catcher doesn’t have a good chance at catching it. A passed ball is a pitch that a catcher should have been able to field cleanly, but for whatever reason, didn't. The distinction is made by the scorekeeper; generally if the ball is way off target, or if it bounces before it gets to the plate, or to the catcher, then it’s going to be a wild pitch, charged to the pitcher. If the catcher just whiffs, it’s going to be a passed ball, charged to the catcher.

A pitch only counts as a passed ball or wild pitch if a baserunner attempts to advance because of it. If the baserunners don't move, it’s just another pitch, albeit one that didn't work as well as it could have. Either way, the pitch still counts in terms of the current plate appearance; if the batter swings and misses, it’s a strike, and if they don’t swing, it’s a ball¹. If they do swing, and it’s strike three, then one of baseball's weirder rules is invoked; the batter can attempt to run to first, though this depends on if first base is occupied already, and the number of outs involved.