4 Wide Ones

The 4 wide ones are a term in baseball used when a pitcher throws four consecutive deliberately wide pitches in the strike zone.

What are 4 Wide Ones?

The 4 wide ones happen when the pitcher intentionally pitches the ball far from the batter or a little off from the strike zone for four consecutive times. The hitter must not hit or swing on all four pitches. After the fourth pitch, a base on the ball or a walk is given to the batter.

The strike zone is where a ball is pitched to the batter. It is the area above the home plate determined by the arms and knee of the batter. It is an imaginary rectangular area where the pitcher must pitch the ball.

After doing 4 wide ones, an intentional base on the ball or a walk is given. This is when the batter is entitled to walk to the first base without being put out.

To do 4 wide ones, both the hitter and the pitcher must be highly skilled. The pitcher displays superb control of the ball by executing a narrow miss in the strike zone, while the hitter proves to have a quick eye to recognize a pitch - a strike or a ball, therefore, knowing when to swing or not.

Why Walk a Hitter?

It baffles non-baseball enthusiasts as to why the defensive team would do 4 wide ones. Basically, a batter from the opposing team is allowed to walk to the first base without any opposition. A base on the ball or the walk is in reality strategy, a defensive maneuver. Defensive teams do it to bypass a particular hitter. This is when the defensive team believes that the hitter can potentially score a home run for the team in offense. An intentional walk can also be part of a plan for a double play or to force the next batter out.

What Changed in MLB?

Before the 2017 season, in Major League Baseball (MLB), teams need to do 4 wide ones for them to walk a batter. Now, the manager can request for an intentional walk from the dugout at any time during a plate appearance.