strikeouts

Strikeouts are a statistic in baseball and softball representing an out credited to the pitcher when the batter accumulates three strikes before reaching base. A strike can be a called strike (the pitch is in the strike zone and not swung at) or a swinging strike (the batter misses). A foul tip is counted as a strike; if the foul tip is caught by the catcher and it is the third strike, the batter is out. If the ball is fouled and not caught, the at-bat continues.

On score sheets, a strikeout is recorded with the letter K; a backward K is commonly used to indicate a strikeout looking (the batter did not swing). In many leagues, the tally appears in the pitcher’s statistics as part of the game’s pitching performance.

Strikeouts are a key measure of pitcher effectiveness and dominance. Analysts track rates such as strikeouts per nine innings (K/9) and the overall strikeout rate. High strikeout rates can reduce balls put in play and emphasize pitching over defense. The record for most career strikeouts is held by Nolan Ryan. The concept also exists in softball, where three strikes similarly end an at-bat, and scoring uses the same basic notation.