Why does a k stand for strikeout

The batter is automatically out on a strikeout, unless the catcher does not cleanly hold onto the baseball or if the baseball hits the dirt. If the catcher does not catch the third strike, the batter may attempt to run to first base -- if it is open or if there are two outs.

However, even if the batter reaches first base safely, the pitcher and the batter are still credited with a strikeout in the scorebook. In the scorebook, a strikeout is denoted by the letter K.

Henry was a sportswriter, baseball statistician as well as a historian of the game of baseball. Henry Chadwick developed the box score for baseball, heavily influenced by cricket which he grew up playing and watching. The box score was necessary because there were no video or audio recordings of the game in the late s.

The only documentation that could be found from the game was the box score. The creation of the box score allowed players like Babe Ruth to stay relevant, even into the early s. How important was Henry to the game of baseball? After his death, he was posthumously inducted into the hall of fame , one of very few to get in with their off-the-field efforts. When it came to making an out at the plate, Chadwick needed an abbreviation for what was known at the time as having "struck three times" and made an out.

Since S was taken, he went with K , the last letter in "struck. K is the 11th letter of the alphabet. It's also a popular letter for pitchers. Do you know what a strikeout in baseball is called a 'K'? Our JustBats. For those of you who don't know, a strikeout in baseball is called a K. It's called a backward K if you strike out looking. Here's why this practice started.