Strikeout

In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat.

Some of the most prolific home run hitters of all time (such as Mickey Mantle, Reggie Jackson, and Jim Thome) were notorious for striking out often.

Notably, Jackson and Thome respectively hold the major league records for most and second most times struck out in a career.

In terms of gameplay, swinging and looking strikeouts are exactly equivalent; the difference in notation is simply to record this aspect of the time at bat.

One baseball ritual involves fans attaching a succession of small "K" signs to the nearest railing, one added for every strikeout notched by the home team's pitcher, following a tradition started by New York Mets fans in honor of "Dr. K", Dwight Gooden.

The "K" may be placed upside down (Ʞ) in cases where the batter strikes out looking, just as it would appear on a scorecard.

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.

The rule was described at least as early as Johann Christoph Friedrich GutsMuths' 1793 book Gymnastik für die Jugend (Gymnastics for Youth) and has remained in effect since.

This is almost always done immediately after the strike is made, by the catcher (putouts on strikeouts are still credited to the catcher),[4] but if the ball is not caught on the fly by the catcher, the batter/runner must be put out by the same means as any other runner who puts a ball in play which is not caught on the fly—by soaking (hitting the runner with a ball thrown by a fielder, now long obsolete), or by being tagged out, or by leaving the baseline, or by force out at first base.

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 Beltrán was caught looking at strike 3 to end the 2006 NLCS, and the season, for the New York Mets.

Striking out six times is a rare occurrence, which in the history of major league play has only occurred in games that went to extra innings, with Sam Horn of the Baltimore Orioles being one of the few to do this.

The slugger's then-teammate, pitcher Mike Flanagan, told reporters after that 1991 event that six strikeouts would thereafter be known as a Horn.

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 the pitcher's perfect game in 1965, Dodgers announcer Vin Scully commented that Koufax's name "will always remind you of strikeouts".

[9] The first Major League player to be credited with the feat was Ed "Cannonball" Crane of the New York Giants on October 4, 1888.

[11][12] Chuck Finley accomplished the feat on May 12 and August 15, 1999, with the Anaheim Angels and again on April 16, 2000, with the Cleveland Indians.

Pete Richert of the Los Angeles Dodgers is the only pitcher to do it in his MLB debut (April 12, 1962, against the Cincinnati Reds).

[16] Most recently, Malcolm Van Buren of the Burlington Royals struck out five in the seventh inning of a game on July 31, 2019.

[17] That this has never happened in Major League play reflects the rarity of a pitcher getting a strikeout with an uncaught third strike, but also that, Houston Astros pitcher Joe Niekro struck out five Minnesota Twins batters in the first inning of an exhibition spring training game[18] on April 7, 1976, in New Orleans.

The top 20 Major League Baseball career strikeout leaders (active players in bold) (since 1901):[20] Active pitchers with over 2,000 strikeouts (as of September 29, 2024):[21] The top 10 Major League Baseball career strikeout-per-nine innings leaders (since 1900, minimum 1,000 IP):[22] The top 5 Major League Baseball single-season strikeout-per-nine innings leaders (since 1900, minimum 1.0 IP per team game):[23] The top 10 Major League Baseball single-season strikeout totals (since 1900):[24] The top 10 Major League Baseball single-season strikeout totals (all time):[25] Progression of major league strikeout record for one nine-inning game, regular season (partial listing): Modern era: Note: Tom Cheney struck out 21 batters overall, in a 16-inning game, September 12, 1962.