# List of Major League Baseball career passed balls leaders

In baseball, a catcher is charged with a passed ball when he fails to hold or control a legally pitched ball that, with ordinary effort, should have been maintained under his control, and, as a result of this loss of control, the batter or a runner on base advances. A runner who advances due to a passed ball is not credited with a stolen base unless he breaks for the base before the pitcher begins his delivery. A passed ball may be scored when a runner on first, second, or third base reaches the next base on a bobble or missed catch by the catcher, or when the batter-runner reaches first base on an uncaught third strike (see also Strikeout).
The list of career leaders is dominated by players from the 19th century, when fielding equipment was very rudimentary; baseball gloves only began to steadily gain acceptance in the 1880s, and were not uniformly worn until the mid-1890s, resulting in a much lower frequency of defensive miscues. Other protective equipment for catchers was also gradually introduced; the first masks were developed in the late 1870s, with improvements in the 1890s, but shin guards were not introduced to the major leagues until 1907. The top 47 players in career passed balls all played primarily in the 19th century, with two-thirds playing their entire careers prior to 1894; only eight were active after 1900, and none were active after 1912.
Pop Snyder, who retired in 1891 with a record 877 games as a catcher, is the all-time leader in passed balls with 763, nearly four times as many as any catcher who began their career after 1915. Silver Flint, who ended his career in 1889, is second with 639, and holds the National League record of 602. Lance Parrish has the most passed balls (192) of any catcher after 1915, and holds the American League record of 158.

## Key

| Rank | Rank amongst leaders in career passed balls allowed. A blank field indicates a tie. |
| Player | Name of the player |
| PB | Total career passed balls allowed |
| * | Denotes elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame |

## List

* Stats updated as of the end of the 2024 season.
| Rank | Player | PB |
| 1 | Pop Snyder | 763 |
| 2 | Silver Flint | 639 |
| 3 | Doc Bushong | 553 |
| 4 | Deacon White* | 505 |
| 5 | Deacon McGuire | 500 |
| 6 | Wilbert Robinson* | 491 |
| 7 | King Kelly* | 420 |
| 8 | Jack Clements | 417 |
| 9 | Jocko Milligan | 406 |
| 10 | Bill Holbert | 403 |
| 11 | John Clapp | 393 |
| 12 | Barney Gilligan | 377 |
| 13 | Fred Carroll | 369 |
| 14 | Buck Ewing* | 360 |
| 15 | Chief Zimmer | 355 |
| 16 | Charlie Bennett | 352 |
| 17 | Doggie Miller | 346 |
| 18 | Kid Baldwin | 331 |
| 19 | Connie Mack* | 310 |
| 20 | Jack Boyle | 303 |
| 21 | Jack O'Connor | 288 |
| 22 | Duke Farrell | 286 |
| 23 | Jack O'Brien | 279 |
| 24 | Jim Keenan | 278 |
| 25 | Pat Deasley | 274 |
| 26 | Rudy Kemmler | 273 |
| 27 | Paul Cook | 257 |
| | Emil Gross | 257 |
| | Bill Traffley | 257 |
| 30 | George Myers | 256 |
| 31 | Con Daily | 254 |
| 32 | Sam Trott | 249 |
| 33 | Charlie Reipschlager | 245 |
| 34 | Chris Fulmer | 244 |
| 35 | Fatty Briody | 243 |
| 36 | Jack Rowe | 240 |
| 37 | Lew Brown | 236 |
| | Mert Hackett | 236 |
| | Ed Whiting | 236 |
| 40 | Dan Sullivan | 225 |
| 41 | Scott Hastings | 224 |
| 42 | Jackie Hayes | 218 |
| 43 | Farmer Vaughn | 207 |
| 44 | Jim O'Rourke* | 203 |
| 45 | Malachi Kittridge | 202 |
| 46 | John Kelly | 198 |
| 47 | Pop Schriver | 194 |
| 48 | Lance Parrish | 192 |
| 49 | Tom Dolan | 190 |
| 50 | Bob Clark | 183 |
| Rank | Player | PB |
| 51 | Jack Ryan | 182 |
| | Ted Simmons* | 182 |
| 53 | Charlie Ganzel | 180 |
| | John Kerins | 180 |
| 55 | Ed McFarland | 176 |
| 56 | Jim Donahue | 173 |
| 57 | Nat Hicks | 169 |
| 58 | Jimmy Peoples | 168 |
| 59 | Doug Allison | 166 |
| | Frank Bowerman | 166 |
| 61 | Heinie Peitz | 163 |
| 62 | Lave Cross | 157 |
| | Mike Hines | 157 |
| | Benito Santiago | 157 |
| 65 | Tom Daly | 155 |
| 66 | Dick Higham | 152 |
| | Ernie Lombardi* | 152 |
| | Sleeper Sullivan | 152 |
| 69 | John Grim | 151 |
| 70 | Jack Warner | 147 |
| 71 | Steve O'Neill | 145 |
| 72 | Bill Harbridge | 144 |
| 73 | Rick Ferrell* | 142 |
| | Jorge Posada | 142 |
| | Sy Sutcliffe | 142 |
| 76 | Billy Sullivan | 140 |
| 77 | Dick Buckley | 139 |
| | Red Dooin | 139 |
| | Frankie Hayes | 139 |
| 80 | Gus Triandos | 138 |
| 81 | Frank Ringo | 136 |
| 82 | Phil Powers | 135 |
| 83 | Tom Gunning | 133 |
| 84 | Tim McCarver | 132 |
| | Darrell Porter | 132 |
| 86 | Tom Kinslow | 131 |
| | Wally Schang | 131 |
| 88 | Jim Sundberg | 130 |
| 89 | Roger Bresnahan* | 129 |
| | Carlton Fisk* | 129 |
| 91 | Boileryard Clarke | 128 |
| | Pop Tate | 128 |
| 93 | Johnny Kling | 127 |
| | Iván Rodríguez* | 127 |
| 95 | Gabby Hartnett* | 126 |
| 96 | Ed Herrmann | 125 |
| | Fergy Malone | 125 |
| 98 | Joe Crotty | 123 |
| 99 | Tom Haller | 121 |
| | J. C. Martin | 121 |

## Other Hall of Famers

| Player | PB | PB | PB | Other leagues, notes |
| Player | MLB | American League | National League | Other leagues, notes |
| Mike Piazza* | 102 | 0 | 102 | |
| Ray Schalk* | 97 | 97 | 0 | |
| Johnny Bench* | 94 | 0 | 94 | |
| Mickey Cochrane* | 88 | 88 | 0 | |
| Joe Torre* | 87 | 0 | 87 | |
| Gary Carter* | 84 | 0 | 84 | |
| Yogi Berra* | 76 | 76 | 0 | |
| Bill Dickey* | 76 | 76 | 0 | |
| Al López* | 66 | 0 | 66 | |
| Roy Campanella* | 64 | 0 | 56 | Includes 8 in Negro National League (second) (incomplete) |

## Sources

* Baseball portal
* Baseball-Reference.com