Strike

From BR Bullpen

This page refers to the playing term strike. For the labor action, see strike (labor).

A strike is a pitch that is considered to be hittable. A batter who is charged with three strikes is out, except in the event of a dropped third strike. The opposite of a strike is a ball.

A legal pitch is a strike if:

  1. The batter attempts to hit it but misses;
  2. Any part of the ball passes through any part of the strike zone;
  3. With fewer than two strikes, the batter hits the ball foul;
  4. The batter bunts the ball foul;
  5. It hits the batter as he attempts to hit it;
  6. It hits the batter in the strike zone;
  7. The batter hits a foul tip.

See Also Strikeout

Further Reading[edit]

  • Connelly Doan: "Caught Looking: How Responsible Are Pitchers For Called Strikes", Baseball Research Journal, SABR, Volume 51, Number 1 (Spring 2022), pp. 102-106.
  • Christoph Kreinbucher: "Are Baseball Players Superior to Umpires in Discriminating Balls from Strikes ?", The Baseball Research Journal, SABR, Volume 41, Number 1 (Spring 2012), pp. 28-31.