Strikeout

For the typographical mode indicating deleted text, see Strikethrough.

Then Cincinnati Reds outfielder Adam Dunn strikes out swinging to Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz (not pictured). Smoltz recorded 10 strikeouts in this game, three against Dunn.

In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out (denoted by SO or K) occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters.

Pitchers want to throw as many strikeouts as possible, while batters attempt to minimize striking out themselves. While strikeouts are associated with dominance on the part of the pitcher, it is recognized that the style of swing that generates home runs also leaves the batter somewhat susceptible to striking out. Some of the greatest home run hitters of all time – such as Reggie Jackson and Sammy Sosa – were notorious for striking out.

Rules

The Texas Longhorns softball team gets a strikeout against Penn State to end the game, February 15, 2008.

A pitcher receives credit for (and a batter is charged with) a strikeout on any third strike, but a batter is out only if any of the following is true:

1. The third strike is pitched and caught in flight by the catcher (including foul tips);
2. On any third strike, if a baserunner is on first and there are fewer than two outs;
3. The third strike is bunted foul and is not caught by a fielder.

The above implies that if the third strike is not caught, and there are two outs or no baserunner on first, the batter becomes a runner (except in a foul bunt situation). Thus, it is possible for a batter to strike out, but still reach base safely if the catcher fails or is unable to catch the third strike cleanly and cannot tag out the batter or force him out at first base (in Japan this is called furinige (振り逃げ), i.e. swing and escape). In MLB, Major League Baseball, it is known as an uncaught third strike. As a result, pitchers have occasionally been able to record four strikeouts in one half-inning.

In baseball scorekeeping, a swinging strikeout is recorded as a K, or a K-S. A strikeout looking (where the batter does not swing at a pitch that the umpire then calls strike three) is sometimes scored with a backwards K.

The use of "K" for a strikeout was invented by Henry Chadwick, a newspaper journalist who is widely credited as the originator of the box score and the baseball scorecard. Both the box score and scorecard persist largely unchanged to this day, as the game itself is largely unchanged. The letter "S" was used for "sacrifice" so Chadwick decided to use "K", being the last letter in "struck". Chadwick also invented many other baseball scoring abbreviations, such as using numbers to designate player positions, progressing from the pitcher [1], catcher [2], through the infield, with the shortstop [6] counted after the basemen, to the right fielder [9].

That Chadwick first established the convention of using the "K" abbreviation is well-founded, with reliable and authentic primary materials surviving (see citation above). Those unaware of Chadwick's contributions have speculated that "K" was derived from the 19th century pitcher Matt Kilroy's last name. If not for the evidence supporting Chadwick's earlier use of "K", this speculation would be reasonable: Kilroy did much to raise the prominence of the strikeout, setting an all-time record of 513 strikeouts in 1886, only two years after overhand pitching was permitted. Kilroy's record, however, is forever confined to its era: the pitcher's mound during his record-setting season was only 50 feet (15 m) from the batter; it was moved to its current distance of 60'6" in 1893. The modern record (1901–) is 383 strikeouts, held by Nolan Ryan, one better than Sandy Koufax's 382.

Although some people use "K" to record pitchers' strikeouts, "SO" is the official abbreviation used by Major League Baseball.

In addition, "K" is still commonly used by fans and enthusiasts for purposes other than official record-keeping. In one baseball ritual, fans at the ballpark who are seated in view of the batter (and the television cameras) attach a succession of small "K" signs to the nearest railing, one added for every strikeout notched by the home team's pitcher. As is traditional for those who keep a record of the game on paper, the "K" is placed backwards in cases where the batter strikes out looking. Virtually every televised display of a major league game in which a pitcher registers a high number of strikeouts (7 or 8) will include a shot of a fan's strikeout display, and if the pitcher continues to strike out batters, the display often will be shown following every strikeout. In the event that a known "strikeout pitcher" is on the mound, the strikeout display will be televised from the beginning.

History

Three balls being struck at and missed and the last one caught, is a hand-out; if not caught is considered fair, and the striker bound to run. This is essentially the same rule in use today, with the addition of the called strike (1858) and the provision that the batter is automatically out if there are fewer than two out and a runner on first. In 1880, the rules were changed to specify that a third strike had to be caught on the fly. In 1887, the number of strikes for an out was changed to four, but promptly changed back to three the next season.

Jargon and slang

Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax

A swinging strikeout is often called a whiff, while a batter who is struck out by a fastball is often said to have been blown away. A batter who strikes out on a swung third strike is said to have fanned (as in a fanning motion), whereas if he takes a called third strike it is called a punchout (describing the plate umpire's punching motion on a called third strike), but sometimes these descriptive words are used generally as synonyms for strikeouts, irrespective if they were calling or looking (e.g. Burnett's punched out nine batters tonight or Ryan Howard's been fanned six times in this series). On a called third strike, it is said that the batter was caught looking, or that he looked at a strike. Typically, a called third strike can be somewhat more embarrassing for a batter, as it shows that he was either fooled by the pitcher, or even worse, had a moment of hesitation. For example, Carlos Beltran was caught looking at strike 3 to end the 2006 NLCS, and the season, for the New York Mets. Sports commentators have also been known to refer to it as browsing if the batter did not move his bat at all.

A pitcher is said to strike out the side when he retires all three batters in a half inning by striking them out. A batter that takes the third strike looking, especially on a breaking pitch, such as a slider or a curveball, that appears to be out of the strike zone but drops in before the batter can get the bat off his shoulders, can be said to have been frozen.

In slang, when a batter strikes out three times in a game, he is said to have completed a hat trick. If he strikes out four times, it is known as a golden sombrero. He receives a platinum sombrero if he strikes out five times, also known as the Olympic Rings. Striking out six times is a rare occurrence, which in the history of major league play has only been accomplished in extra innings games – Sam Horn is one of the distinguished few to achieve this feat.

Some pitchers who specialize in strikeouts have acquired nicknames including the letter "K". Dwight Gooden was known as "Doctor K" (back-referencing basketball star Julius Erving a.k.a. "Dr. J"). Francisco Rodriguez is known as "K-Rod". Roger Clemens has taken the "K" name to an extreme, naming his four sons Koby, Kory, Kacy, and Kody. Hall of Fame strikeout artist Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers coincidentally has a last name starting with "K", and in his call of Koufax's perfect game in 1965, Dodgers announcer Vin Scully included a comment that Koufax's name "will always remind you of strikeouts".

Boston Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka is known as "Dice-K", which was used as a pronunciation guide for his name when he first arrived to pitch in MLB.

Four strikeouts in an inning

See also: Uncaught third strike

If a third strike is not caught cleanly by the catcher, it is still recorded as a strikeout for both the pitcher and the batter. However, under certain situations, the batter is not ruled out and the play is still alive. This occurs under the following circumstances:

1. First base is not occupied or there have already been two outs recorded.
2. The catcher fails to cleanly catch the ball that led to the third strike.

If these circumstances are met, the play is not over and the would-be third out to end the innings is nullified. The batter may begin to run to first base as soon as he sees the catcher fail to cleanly catch the ball. If he makes it to first base without being tagged or forced out, the out is not recorded.

Since in such cases the pitcher is awarded a strikeout for a play that does not result in an out, it is possible for a pitcher to record more than three strikeouts in one standard half-inning. The first Major League player to be credited with this rare feat was Ed "Cannonball" Crane of the New York Giants on October 4, 1888. Chuck Finley did it on May 12 and August 15, 1999 with the Anaheim Angels, and then for a third time on April 16, 2000 with the Cleveland Indians. Pete Richert of the Los Angeles Dodgers is the only pitcher to strike out four batters in one inning in his Major League debut on April 12, 1962 in a game against the Cincinnati Reds. The last player to achieve this feat was Yovani Gallardo of the Milwaukee Brewers, who struck out four batters in the fifth inning of a game against the Cincinnati Reds on September 17, 2011.

Recording four strikeouts in one inning has occurred 60 times in Major League history. Prior to 1960, the feat was extremely rare—having taken place only eight times. Since then, it has occurred more frequently, although it remains one of the most rare single-game achievements. The increase in frequency may be due somewhat to increased use of the split-finger fastball and forkball, which are both pitches that end up low and in the dirt at the plate when effective; they are often difficult to handle for catchers. The total number of individual strikeouts are more common as well. There are also many more innings played through Major League Baseball due to an expanded schedule and many more teams than in the past. The combined effects of the higher strikeout rate and expanded schedule are expected to make the four-strikeout inning more frequent than it was 50 years ago.

Five strikeouts in one inning

Five strikeouts in one inning has never occurred in a regulation Major League Baseball game. It has occurred at least three times in the minor league level. Mike Schultz of the Lancaster JetHawks struck out five batters in one inning on July 16, 2004, and Garrett Bauer of the Rockford RiverHawks struck out five batters in one inning on July 1, 2008. The only instance of a Major League pitcher accomplishing five strikeouts in one inning was when Houston Astros Joe Niekro did so in an exhibition spring training game, which are not official statistics.

Strikeout records

Pitchers

The Top 20 Major League Baseball career strikeout leaders (active players in bold) (since 1901, through September 28, 2011):

1. Nolan Ryan – 5,714
2. Randy Johnson – 4,875
3. Roger Clemens – 4,672
4. Steve Carlton – 4,136
5. Bert Blyleven – 3,701
6. Tom Seaver – 3,640
7. Don Sutton – 3,574
8. Gaylord Perry – 3,534
9. Walter Johnson – 3,509
10. Greg Maddux – 3,371
11. Phil Niekro – 3,342
12. Ferguson Jenkins – 3,192
13. Pedro Martínez – 3,154
14. Bob Gibson – 3,117
15. Curt Schilling – 3,116
16. John Smoltz – 3,084
17. Jim Bunning – 2,855
18. Mickey Lolich – 2,832
19. Mike Mussina – 2,813
20. Cy Young – 2,803

• Note: The strikeout leader among active players (as of September 28, 2011) is Javier Vazquez at #29 with 2,536 strikeouts. The only other active players with 2,000+ strikeouts is Tim Wakefield at #56 with 2,156 and CC Sabathia at #61 with 2,017.

The Top 10 Major League Baseball career strikeout-per-nine innings leaders (since 1900, through games of September 28, 2011, minimum 1,000 IP):

1. Randy Johnson – 10.61
2. Kerry Wood – 10.34
3. Pedro Martínez – 10.04
4. Tim Lincecum - 9.87
5. Nolan Ryan – 9.55
6. Trevor Hoffman – 9.53
7. Sandy Koufax – 9.28
8. Oliver Perez – 9.12
9. Sam McDowell – 8.86
10. Johan Santana – 8.85

The Top 5 Major League Baseball single season strikeout-per-nine innings leaders (since 1900, through games of September 28, 2011, minimum 1.0 IP per team game):

1. Randy Johnson, 2001 – 13.41
2. Pedro Martínez, 1999 – 13.20
3. Kerry Wood, 1998 – 12.58
4. Randy Johnson, 2000 – 12.56
5. Randy Johnson, 1995 – 12.35

The Top 10 Major League Baseball single season strikeout totals (since 1900):

Pitcher	Strikeouts	Season	Team	League	Overall Rank
Nolan Ryan	383	1973	California Angels	AL	8
Sandy Koufax	382	1965	Los Angeles Dodgers	NL	9
Randy Johnson	372	2001	Arizona Diamondbacks	NL	11
Nolan Ryan	367	1974	California Angels	AL	14
Randy Johnson	364	1999	Arizona Diamondbacks	NL	15
Rube Waddell	349	1904	Philadelphia Athletics	AL	18
Bob Feller	348	1946	Cleveland Indians	AL	19
Randy Johnson	347	2000	Arizona Diamondbacks	NL	20
Nolan Ryan	341	1977	California Angels	AL	25
Randy Johnson	334	2002	Arizona Diamondbacks	NL	30

The Top 10 Major League Baseball single season strikeout totals (all time):

Pitcher	Strikeouts	Season	Team	League	Overall Rank
Matt Kilroy	513	1886	Baltimore Orioles	AA	1
Toad Ramsey	499	1886	Louisville Colonels	AA	2
Hugh Daily	483	1884	Chicago Browns/Pittsburgh Stogies/Washington Nationals	UA	3
Dupee Shaw	451	1884	Detroit Wolverines/Boston Reds	NL/UA	4
Old Hoss Radbourn	441	1884	Providence Grays	NL	5
Charlie Buffington	417	1884	Boston Beaneaters	NL	6
Guy Hecker	385	1884	Louisville Eclipse	AA	7
Nolan Ryan	383	1973	California Angels	AL	8
Sandy Koufax	382	1965	Los Angeles Dodgers	NL	9
Bill Sweeney	374	1884	Baltimore Monumentals	UA	10

Active pitchers in Top 50 (as of September 28, 2011):

29. Javier Vazquez – 2,536

Progression of major league strikeout record for one nine-inning game, regular season (partial listing):

• 18 – Dupee Shaw, Boston Reds (UA), July 19, 1884; and by Henry Porter, Milwaukee Brewers (UA), October 3, 1884.

Modern era:

• 16 – Rube Waddell, July 29, 1908
• 18 – Bob Feller, October 2, 1938; matched by Sandy Koufax, August 31, 1959, and again on April 24, 1962; and by Don Wilson, July 14, 1968.
• 19 – Steve Carlton, September 15, 1969; matched by Tom Seaver, April 22, 1970; and Nolan Ryan, August 12, 1974.
• 20 – Roger Clemens, April 29, 1986 – matched by Clemens again, September 18, 1996; by Kerry Wood, May 6, 1998; and by Randy Johnson, May 8, 2001 (the first nine innings of an extra-inning game)

• Note: Tom Cheney struck out 21 batters overall, in a 16-inning game, September 12, 1962. He had 13 strikeouts through the first nine innings.

See also List of pitchers who have struck out 18 or more batters in a nine-inning MLB game

Progression of strikeout record for one game, World Series:

• 10 – 1903 (first modern Series), Game 1, Deacon Phillippe
• 11 – 1903, Game 2, Bill Dinneen
• 12 – 1906, Game 3, Ed Walsh
• 13 – 1929, Game 1, Howard Ehmke
• 14 – 1953, Game 3, Carl Erskine
• 15 – 1963, Game 1, Sandy Koufax
• 17 – 1968, Game 1, Bob Gibson

Progression of major league strikeout record for a relief pitcher, regular season (partial listing)

• 15 - Walter Johnson, July 25, 1915
• 16 - Randy Johnson, July 18, 2001

Batters

The Top 16 Major League Baseball career strikeout leaders (through the 2011 season):

1. Reggie Jackson – 2,597
2. Jim Thome – 2,487
3. Sammy Sosa – 2,306
4. Andrés Galarraga – 2,003
5. José Canseco – 1,942
6. Willie Stargell – 1,936
7. Alex Rodriguez – 1,916
8. Mike Cameron – 1,901
9. Mike Schmidt – 1,883
10. Fred McGriff – 1,882
11. Tony Perez – 1,867
12. Dave Kingman – 1,816
13. Manny Ramirez - 1,813
14. Adam Dunn - 1,809
15. Ken Griffey Jr. - 1,779
16. Bobby Abreu - 1,763

Active batters with over 1,400 K's (through the 2011 season):

1. Jim Thome – 2,487
2. Alex Rodriguez – 1,916
3. Mike Cameron – 1,901
4. Adam Dunn – 1,809
5. Bobby Abreu – 1,763
6. Andruw Jones – 1,677
7. Derek Jeter – 1,653
8. Derrek Lee – 1,622
9. Pat Burrell - 1,564
10. Jason Giambi - 1,480
11. Ivan Rodriguez - 1,474
12. Jorge Posada - 1,453
13. Alfonso Soriano - 1,423

Single season strikeout records (batters):

Rank	Player	Team	Strikeouts	Year
1	Mark Reynolds	Arizona Diamondbacks	223	2009
2	Mark Reynolds	Arizona Diamondbacks	211	2010
3	Drew Stubbs	Cincinnati Reds	205	2011
4	Mark Reynolds	Arizona Diamondbacks	204	2008
5	Ryan Howard	Philadelphia Phillies	199	2007
6	Ryan Howard	Philadelphia Phillies	199	2008
7	Adam Dunn	Washington Nationals	199	2010
8	Jack Cust	Oakland Athletics	197	2008
9	Mark Reynolds	Baltimore Orioles	196	2011
10	Adam Dunn	Cincinnati Reds	195	2004
11	Adam Dunn	Cincinnati Reds	194	2006
12	Bobby Bonds	San Francisco Giants	189	1970

See also related lists

• Baseball statistics
• List of Major League Baseball strikeout champions
• List of Major League Baseball pitchers with 18 strikeouts in one game
• Pitchers who have struck out three batters on nine pitches
• Top 100 Major League Baseball strikeout pitchers
• 3,000 strikeout club

External links

• Career Leaders & Records for Strikeouts (batters)
• Career Leaders & Records for Strikeouts (pitchers)
• Four Strikeouts in 1 Inning