Ever See A Walk-Off 3-Run Wild Pitch To End a Baseball Game? Here Ya Go...

I’m no umpire or expert, serious question here? Shouldn’t the game have been over because first base was occupied? The batter can only run on the past ball if the base is empty, or so I thought.

75503Tiger: In Major League Baseball, the specific rules concerning the uncaught third strike are addressed in Rules 5.05 and 5.09 of the Official Baseball Rules:[1] On an uncaught third strike with (1) no runner on first base, or (2) with a runner on first base and two outs, the batter immediately becomes a runner. The strike is called, but the umpire does not call the batter out. The umpire may also signal that there is "no catch" of the pitch. The batter may then attempt to reach first base and must be tagged or forced out. With two outs and the bases loaded, the catcher who fails to catch the third strike may, upon picking up the ball, step on home plate for a force-out or make a throw to any other base in an effort to force out a runner. An “uncaught” strike includes not only pitches dropped by the catcher, but also pitches that hit the ground before the catcher attempts to catch it. The purpose of the "no runner on first base or two outs" qualification is to prevent the catcher from deliberately dropping a third strike pitch and then initiating an unfair double or triple play with possible force plays at second base, third base, or home plate, in addition to putting the batter out at first base. The logic of the situation is similar to that which led to the infield fly rule.[2]