In
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
, striking out the side refers to when a
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
strikes out all the
batters
Batter or batters may refer to:
Common meanings
* Batter (cooking), thin dough that can be easily poured into a pan
* Batter (baseball), person whose turn it is to face the pitcher
* Batter (cricket), a player who is currently batting
* Batter ...
he faces in the defensive half-
inning in which he pitches. There is no official statistic in regard to this accomplishment, though it is often noted by commentators and fans when it occurs.
There is a disagreement as to the exact definition of striking out the side. Some feel a pitcher should be credited with striking out the side when all three
outs
In baseball, an out occurs when the umpire rules a batter or baserunner out. When a batter or runner is out, they lose their ability to score a run and must return to the dugout until their next turn at bat. When three outs are recorded in a ha ...
in the inning were obtained via the strikeout, regardless of what other hitters that the pitcher has faced have done. Others believe a pitcher only has struck out the side when he has retired 3 batters in succession without allowing anyone to
reach base.
In theory, a pitcher can record any number of strikeouts in an inning, since it is possible for a batter to safely reach
first base without recording an out if the
catcher does not hold the third strike. Recording
more than three strikeouts in an inning, however, is a rare occurrence.
See also
An
immaculate inning
In baseball, a strikeout occurs when a pitcher throws three strikes to a batter during his time at bat. An immaculate inning occurs when a pitcher strikes out all three batters he faces in one inning, using the minimum possible number of pitche ...
is the rare feat of retiring all three batters faced in an inning on strikeouts with only nine pitches thrown.
References
https://archive.today/20130801194553/http://blogs.thescore.com/djf/2013/07/31/steve-delabars-immaculate-inning-from-last-night/
Baseball terminology
Baseball pitching
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