# 4 strike outs in an inning? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 13, 2003, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-strike-outs-in-an-inning/181523 "2003-06-13T07:26:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-strike-outs-in-an-inning/181523/1 "2003-06-13T07:26:04Z")
When the Mets no hit the Yankees how was this possible? > [@](#): > > Dotel pitched the eighth and became the 44th hurler in major league history to strike out four in an inning ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-strike-outs-in-an-inning/181523/2 "2003-06-13T08:04:36Z")
That would be the Houston Astros, not the Mets. The Mets have still never thrown a no-hitter. Anyway, the answer is that Dotel struck out Juan Rivera to lead off. Then Alfonso Soriano struck out swinging on a big curveball. But it was a wild pitch, and rolled far enough from the catcher for Soriano to run to first. (If strike three gets away from the catcher, the batter can attempt to advance. It’s still a strikeout for the pitcher, but not an out.) Then Derek Jeter and Jason Giambi struck out. Four Ks in one inning. (In fact, those four were part of a streak of eight straight Yankee hitters who struck out. Ick.) That, roughly, is probably how it’s happened all 44 times. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-strike-outs-in-an-inning/181523/3 "2003-06-13T08:11:42Z")
Thanks. I just assumed a strike out meant the catcher had held the strike for an out. In that case how is the runner scored as reaching first, is it an error? If so whose? ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-strike-outs-in-an-inning/181523/4 "2003-06-13T11:33:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by don’t ask \* > \*\*Thanks. I just assumed a strike out meant the catcher had held the strike for an out. In that case how is the runner scored as reaching first, is it an error? If so whose? \*\* It depends - it will be either a passed ball or a wild pitch. ---
**Author:** ![Mullinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Mullinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mullinator)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-strike-outs-in-an-inning/181523/5 "2003-06-13T12:53:03Z")
Recently, there was a Dodgers game in which Darren Dreifort recorded [7 strikeouts in the first 2 innings](http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/gameLog?gameId=230522119). ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-strike-outs-in-an-inning/181523/6 "2003-06-13T13:26:01Z")
How is it possible for a pitch to be both a strike and a wild pitch? I would wager that a dropped third strike is always going to be scored a passed ball-- catcher’s fault as opposed to the pitcher’s. But, please, correct me if I’m wrong. Happy ---
**Author:** ![NE\_Texan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e99b99/32.png) [@NE\_Texan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NE_Texan)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-strike-outs-in-an-inning/181523/7 "2003-06-13T13:33:51Z")
The pitcher could throw it so badly that it’s a wild pitch - but if the batter swings at it and misses (and really, how likely is he to hit a wild pitch), then it can be called as a strike as well. The likelihood of a batter swinging at one of these is left to the statisticians, but it happened in this game. (Go Astros!) ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-strike-outs-in-an-inning/181523/8 "2003-06-13T13:39:00Z")
Duh. Didn’t think of that. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-strike-outs-in-an-inning/181523/9 "2003-06-13T13:39:01Z")
Yep. Regardless of how good or bad the pitch is…if the batter swings at it the pitch is forever recorded as a strike. For that matter, for pitch count analysis if the batters swings and makes a safe hit it’s recorded as the pitcher throwing a ‘strike’ as well. ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-strike-outs-in-an-inning/181523/10 "2003-06-13T13:54:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jonathan Chance \* > \*\*Yep. > > Regardless of how good or bad the pitch is…if the batter swings at it the pitch is forever recorded as a strike. > \*\* Unless he fouls it off and there are already two strikes… 😃 Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![daniel801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@daniel801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/daniel801)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-strike-outs-in-an-inning/181523/11 "2003-06-13T14:11:35Z")
Knuckleballs are notoriously hard to catch, even if perfect strikes. ---
**Author:** ![Mullinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Mullinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mullinator)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-strike-outs-in-an-inning/181523/12 "2003-06-13T14:13:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NE Texan \* > \*\*The pitcher could throw it so badly that it’s a wild pitch - but if the batter swings at it and misses (and really, how likely is he to hit a wild pitch), then it can be called as a strike as well. The likelihood of a batter swinging at one of these is left to the statisticians, but it happened in this game. > > (Go Astros!) \*\* This becomes even more likely when a batter like Vlad Guerrero with a strikezone the size of the stadium is up to bat. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-strike-outs-in-an-inning/181523/13 "2003-06-16T12:43:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by zev\_steinhardt \* > \*\*Unless he fouls it off and there are already two strikes… 😃 > > Zev Steinhardt \*\* Neener neener, Zev! Even that gets counted as a ‘strike’ for pitch count purposes! ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-strike-outs-in-an-inning/181523/14 "2003-06-16T13:10:54Z")
Every time I’ve seen this happen in the majors, the pitch was a particularly nasty curveball or splitter that broke down so sharply it fooled both the batter AND the catcher, hit the dirt, and skipped by the glove. There is, of course, no theoretical limit to the number of strikeouts a pitcher could record in an inning. Once there’s two outs, batters can advance to first on a missed third strike even if there’s a man on base (with less than two out and a man on first the dropped third strike rule does not apply.) However, I do not know if any pitcher has ever struck out five or more men in an inning. ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-strike-outs-in-an-inning/181523/15 "2003-06-16T13:14:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RickJay \* > \*\*However, I do not know if any pitcher has ever struck out five or more men in an inning. \*\* There hasn’t been any (at the major league level, at least). Four is the record, held by many. Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-strike-outs-in-an-inning/181523/16 "2003-06-16T16:44:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by zev\_steinhardt \* > \*\*There hasn’t been any (at the major league level, at least). Four is the record, held by many. > > Zev Steinhardt \*\* I vaguely recall that one (or maybe both) of the knuckleballing Niekro brothers racked up five strikeouts in an inning in spring training. (I could be mistaken.) ---
**Author:** ![Flymaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c4cdca/32.png) [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-strike-outs-in-an-inning/181523/17 "2003-06-16T16:53:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NE Texan \* > \*\*The pitcher could throw it so badly that it’s a wild pitch - but if the batter swings at it and misses (and really, how likely is he to hit a wild pitch), then it can be called as a strike as well. The likelihood of a batter swinging at one of these is left to the statisticians, but it happened in this game. > > (Go Astros!) \*\* I did this all the time in various youth leagues, when I was a kid. If I had two strikes on me, and the pitcher uncorked one that was sure to go to the backstop, I’d swing, while taking a step towards first base. About 85% of the time, I’d reach. I wasn’t a good hitter, so it was worth a shot, and usually it worked out. ---
**Author:** ![Flymaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c4cdca/32.png) [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-strike-outs-in-an-inning/181523/18 "2003-06-16T16:56:11Z")
Let me clarify: I’d reach base, not the ball. I’d strike out, but get on base. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-strike-outs-in-an-inning/181523/19 "2003-06-16T17:03:02Z")
On a dropped third strike where the batter reaches first, it can be scored in four different ways: 1. K + WP 2. K + PB 3. K + E2 (catcher makes wild throw to first) and the rarest 4. K + 2-E3 (first baseman drops throw from catcher) I’ve seen 1, 2, and 3 several times. I’ve never seen #4, but in theory it could happen. ---
**Author:** ![Outrider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9d8465/32.png) [@Outrider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Outrider)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-strike-outs-in-an-inning/181523/20 "2003-06-16T17:06:20Z")
another guy who has done it is Mark Wohlers, for the Braves a couple of years ago, back before he developed his major control problems (though I guess a certain lack of control is a bit of a bonus when you’re trying to strike out 4 in an inning - and a poor defensive catcher helps too) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-strike-outs-in-an-inning/181523.md?page=2)