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A pitch delivered by the pitcher to the batter is a strike when the pitcher succeeds in legally preventing the batter from hitting a fair ball. I pitch is defined as a strike when any of the following occurs:

  • The pitcher throws a pitch in the strike zone, which the batter does not swing at.
  • The batter swings at the pitch and completely misses (whether the pitch was in the strike zone or not)
  • The batter swings at the pitch and hits a foul ball, unless the batter already has two strikes against him, in which case the pitch is a "nothing" -- neither a strike nor a ball.
  • The batter swings and hits a foul tip, which is caught by the catcher. (If not caught by the catcher, it is a foul ball.)
  • The batter bunts and hits a foul ball.

A strikeout occurs when the batter accumulates three strikes. Usually, on a strikeout, the batter is out. However, there is a situation where the batter might not be out; see dropped third strike.

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