In baseball, how many strikes make an out?
VerifiedAnswer: 3
Explanation:
In baseball, a batter is out after accumulating three strikes during their turn at bat. This is one of the most fundamental rules in the sport and is known as a strikeout.
A strike can occur in several different ways. The most common way is when a batter swings at a pitch and misses completely. Another way is when the pitcher throws the ball through the strike zone (the area over home plate between the batter's knees and chest) and the batter doesn't swing at all. Additionally, any foul ball counts as a strike, except when the batter already has two strikes – in that case, foul balls don't count as the third strike unless it's a foul tip that's caught by the catcher.
The three-strike rule serves an important purpose in maintaining the balance between offense and defense in baseball. Without this limit, batters could potentially stay at the plate indefinitely, making the game extremely long and giving too much advantage to the batting team. The rule ensures that each at-bat has a clear endpoint and keeps the game moving at a reasonable pace.
When a batter accumulates three strikes, they are immediately out and must return to their team's dugout. The next batter in the lineup then comes to the plate. Once a team gets three outs in an inning, they switch from batting to fielding, and the other team gets their turn to bat. This cycle continues throughout the nine innings that make up a standard baseball game.
