Henry Chadwick was an English-American sportswriter, baseball statistician and historian, often called the "Father of Baseball" for his early reporting on and contributions to the development of the game. He edited the first baseball guide that was sold to the public. He is credited with creating box scores, as well as creating the abbreviation "K" that designates a strikeout. He was posthumously inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1938.
Henry Chadwick (writer)
Box score from 1876
In baseball or softball, a strikeout occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is denoted by K in scorekeeping and statistics. A "strikeout looking"—in which the batter does not swing and the third strike is called by the umpire—is usually denoted by a Ʞ.
Cincinnati Reds outfielder Adam Dunn strikes out swinging.
Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax was the first notable strikeout pitcher and the first to average more than a strikeout per inning pitched.
Detroit Tigers fan keep track of their starting pitcher's strikeouts during a game in 2010, with each 'K' representing one strikeout.
The batter attempting to advance to first base after an uncaught third strike, which the catcher has already retrieved and is about to throw to the first baseman to record the putout