Strikeout

In baseball, a strikeout or strike out (denoted by K, K-S, or SO) occurs when the batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. Strikeouts are associated with dominance on the part of the pitcher and incompetence on the part of the batter, although for power hitters it is recognized that the style of swing that generates home runs also leaves the batter somewhat susceptible to striking out.

Strikeout records

Season and career strikeout totals for pitchers are followed closely by fans. The top 5 Major League Baseball career strikeout leaders (active players in bold):

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• (since 1901)
• Nolan Ryan - 5714
• Roger Clemens - 4317
• Randy Johnson - 4153
• Steve Carlton - 4136
• Bert Blyleven - 3701

The top 5 Major League Baseball single-season strikeout leaders (since 1900):

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Nolan Ryan, 1973 - 383
• Sandy Koufax, 1965 - 382
• Randy Johnson, 2001 - 372
• Rube Waddell, 1904 - 349
• Bob Feller, 1946 - 348