The word "strikeouts" is commonly used in baseball, referring to a batter being out after three strikes. The spelling of this word follows the basic rules of English spelling, where the suffix "-outs" is added to the base word "strike" to form a plural noun. In terms of phonetic transcription, "strikeouts" is pronounced as /ˈstraɪkˌaʊts/, with stress on the first syllable "strike" and a diphthong sound in the second syllable "outs".
Strikeouts refer to a term primarily used in baseball to indicate a situation in which a batter fails to make contact with a pitched ball three times during a single plate appearance, resulting in an out. The term is also applicable in other sports such as softball, cricket, or rounders, where the objective is to strike an object with a bat.
In baseball, a strikeout occurs when a pitcher delivers a legal pitch and the batter either swings and misses, or refrains from swinging at a pitch that passes through the strike zone, defined as the area above home plate between the batter's knees and armpits. Each strikeout is recorded by the pitcher and is considered a significant achievement due to its role in lowering the opposing team's chances of scoring.
Strikeouts serve multiple purposes in the game of baseball. For pitchers, they demonstrate their skill in overpowering batters by throwing fast, deceptive, or well-located pitches that the batter struggles to hit. For batters, strikeouts are generally undesirable outcomes, as they contribute to a lack of offensive production and hinder the team's ability to advance baserunners or score runs.
In statistics, strikeout totals for both hitters and pitchers are commonly recorded as a metric to assess performance. Pitchers with high strikeout rates are often regarded as dominant, whereas batters with an excess of strikeouts may be considered less effective in terms of contact and advancing runners. Overall, strikeouts play a significant role in determining the outcome of a baseball game and serve as an essential element of the sport's lexicon.
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The word "strikeouts" combines two distinct terms: "strike" and "out".
The term "strike" originated in the late 16th century, derived from the Old English word "strican", which means "make a stroke, smooth, rub down". Over time, "strike" adopted various meanings, including "hit forcibly" and "deliver a blow". In baseball, a "strike" refers to a pitch that is swung at by the batter but missed, or when the ball passes through the strike zone without being swung at.
The word "out" dates back to the late 14th century, derived from the Old English word "ūt", meaning "outside". In the context of baseball, an "out" refers to the state in which a batter is retired, typically by being caught or struck out.