In baseball, a strikeout occurs when a pitcher throws three strikes to a batter during his time at bat. [1] Under Rules 6.05 and 6.09 of the Official Rules of Major League Baseball, a batter becomes a runner when a third strike is not caught by the catcher with no runner on first base or when there are two outs. [2] The strikeout is recorded, but the batter-runner must be tagged or forced out in order for the defensive team to register the out. Thus, it is possible for a pitcher to record more than three strikeouts in an inning. [3] As a result of this rule, 93 different pitchers have struck out four batters in a half-inning of a Major League Baseball (MLB) game, the most recent being Tyler Glasnow of the Tampa Bay Rays on July 7, 2023. Five players – Chuck Finley, A. J. Burnett, Zack Greinke, Craig Kimbrel, and Tyler Glasnow – have accomplished the feat more than once in their career (Finley is the only one to do it three times, and all three times were within a one-year span); [4] no player has ever struck out more than four batters in an inning. Ed Crane was the first player to strike out four batters in one inning, doing so in the fifth inning for the New York Giants against the Chicago White Stockings on October 4, 1888. [5]
Out of the 93 pitchers who have accomplished the feat, 71 were right-handed and 22 were left-handed. Three pitchers – Bob Gibson, Walter Johnson and Phil Niekro – are also members of the 3,000 strikeout club. [6] Finley is the only pitcher to achieve the feat on three separate occasions, as well as twice in a single season. [7] Pete Richert struck out four batters in the third inning of his first major league game, becoming the only player to attain the milestone in his debut. [8] Orval Overall is the sole player to strike out four batters in one inning in the World Series. [9]
Of the players eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame who have struck out four batters in an inning, four have been elected and two were elected on the first ballot. [10] Players are eligible for the Hall of Fame if they have played in at least 10 major league seasons, and have either been retired for five seasons or dead for at least six months. [11]
Pitcher(X) | Name of the pitcher and number of four strikeout innings they had pitched at that point |
---|---|
Date | Date of the game |
Team | The player's team at the time of the game |
Opposing team | The team against whom the pitcher struck out four batters in one inning |
Inning | The inning in which the pitcher struck out four batters |
Batters faced(X) | The four batters who were struck out and number of four strikeout innings they had batted in at that point |
Box | Box score with play by play (if available) |
º | Indicates that the pitcher struck out all four batters consecutively |
§ | Denotes the batter who reached base |
† | Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame |
‡ | Player is active [upper-alpha 1] [upper-alpha 2] |
Kerry Lee Wood is an American former baseball pitcher who played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, and New York Yankees. Wood first came to prominence as a 20-year-old rookie, when he recorded 20 strikeouts in a one-hit shutout against the Houston Astros, which some have argued may be the greatest single-game pitching performance in MLB history. The game also made Wood the co-holder of the MLB record for strikeouts in a single game (20) and earned Wood the nickname "Kid K". He was later named the 1998 National League Rookie of the Year.
In baseball, a pitcher may commit illegal motions or actions that constitute a balk. Most of these violations involve pitchers pretending to pitch when they have no intention of doing so. In games played under the Official Baseball Rules that govern professional play in the United States and Canada, a balk results in a dead ball or delayed dead ball. In certain other circumstances, a balk may be wholly or partially disregarded. In the United States, under the National Federation of State High School Associations, a balk results in an immediate dead ball. In the event a balk is enforced, the pitch is generally nullified, each runner is awarded one base, and the batter (generally) remains at bat with the previous count. The balk rule in Major League Baseball was introduced in 1898.
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Andrew Viggo Hansen, Jr., nicknamed "Swede", was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. In a nine-season career, he played for the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Phillies. Hansen was officially listed as standing 6 feet 3 inches (191 cm) and weighing 185 pounds (84 kg). He was nicknamed Swede despite being of Danish ancestry, according to The Sporting News' Baseball Register.
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