Editing Strikeout (section)

==Slang==
[[File:Sandy Koufax.jpg|thumb|180px|Hall of Famer [[Sandy Koufax]] was the first notable strikeout pitcher and the first to average more than a strikeout per inning pitched.]]

A swinging strikeout is often called a ''[[Glossary of baseball terms#whiff|whiff]]'', while a batter who is struck out by a [[fastball]] is often said to have been ''blown away''. A batter who strikes out on a swung third strike is said to have ''fanned'' (as in a fanning motion), whereas if he takes a called third strike it is called a ''[[Glossary of baseball terms#punch out|punch out]]'' (describing the plate umpire's dramatic punching motion on a called third strike).  However, sometimes these words are used as general synonyms for a strikeout, irrespective of whether it was swinging or looking.  The announcer [[Ernie Harwell]] called a batter who took a called third strike, usually on the other team, "out for excessive window-shopping" or having "stood like the house by the side of the road".

On a called third strike, it is said that the batter was ''caught looking'', or that he looked at a strike. Typically, a called third strike can be somewhat more embarrassing for a batter, as it shows that he was either fooled by the pitcher or, even worse, had a moment of hesitation.

For example, [[Carlos Beltrán]] was caught looking at strike 3 to end the [[2006 National League Championship Series|2006 NLCS]], and the season, for the [[New York Mets]]. Sports commentators have also been known to refer to it as ''[[Glossary of baseball terms#browsing|browsing]]'' if the batter did not move his bat at all.

A pitcher is said to ''[[striking out the side]]'' when he retires all three batters in a half-inning by striking them out. This term is also used when all three outs were caused by strikeouts, regardless of how other batters in the inning fared. If a pitcher strikes out three batters on nine pitches, he is said to have pitched an ''[[immaculate inning]]''. A batter that takes the third strike looking, especially on a breaking pitch like a slider or a curveball that appears to be out of the strike zone but drops in before he can get the bat off his shoulders, can be said to have been ''frozen''.

In slang, when a batter strikes out three times in a game, he is said to have completed a ''[[Hat-trick#Baseball|hat trick]]''. If he strikes out four times, it is called a ''[[golden sombrero]]''. He receives a ''[[platinum sombrero]]'' if he strikes out five times, and this dishonor is also known as the ''[[Glossary of baseball terms#Olympic rings|Olympic rings]]''.

Striking out six times is a rare occurrence, which in the history of major league play has only occurred in games that went to [[extra innings]], with [[Sam Horn]] of the [[Baltimore Orioles]] being one of the few to do this. The slugger's then-teammate, pitcher [[Mike Flanagan (baseball)|Mike Flanagan]], told reporters after that 1991 event that six strikeouts would thereafter be known as a ''Horn''. He added that if anyone ever strikes out seven times in one game, it will be a ''Horn of Plenty''.

[[File:StrikeoutsByFans.jpg|thumb|left|Detroit Tigers fan keep track of their starting pitcher's strikeouts during a game in 2010, with each 'K' representing one strikeout.]]
Some pitchers who specialize in strikeouts have acquired nicknames including the letter "K". [[Dwight Gooden]] was known as "Doctor K" (alluding to basketball star [[Julius Erving]] a.k.a. "Dr. J"). [[Francisco Rodríguez (Venezuelan pitcher)|Francisco Rodríguez]] is known as "K-Rod".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/44990 |title=Truth&Rumors &#124; K-Rod expects to leave Angels |publisher=FanNation |date=March 22, 2008 |access-date=June 6, 2013}}</ref> [[Roger Clemens]] has taken the "K" name to an extreme by naming his four sons [[Koby Clemens|Koby]], Kory, Kacy, and Kody. [[Tim Lincecum]] is nicknamed "The Say 'K' Kid", alluding to former [[San Francisco Giants|Giants]] player [[Willie Mays]] who was called "The Say Hey Kid". [[Daisuke Matsuzaka]] is known as "Dice-K", a term that was used as a pronunciation guide for his name when he first arrived in MLB.

Hall of Fame strikeout artist [[Sandy Koufax]] of the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] coincidentally has a last name starting with "K", and in his call of the pitcher's [[Perfect game (baseball)|perfect game]] in 1965, Dodgers announcer [[Vin Scully]] commented that Koufax's name "will always remind you of strikeouts".<ref>{{cite news | last=Shaikin | first=Bill | date=September 25, 2016 | title=Three calls that are arguably Vin Scully's all-time best | work=[[Los Angeles Times]] | url=http://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/la-sp-scully-top-calls-20160924-snap-story.html | access-date=December 26, 2017}}</ref>