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What is the most consecutive pitches thrown that increased the batters strike count? That is, with no foul strikes after the 2nd Strike.{edit} actually without the batter hitting the ball at all - this is the naive idea of a strike {/edit}

I appreciate that the maximum consecutive strikes thrown by a pitcher is something like 16 in one inning, but that's not what I'm looking for {edit} since most of these were hit foul, and not the " one two three - out" I'm looking for. {/edit}

I'm guessing it's a low number since it would be strategically wise to throw balls that don't seriously challenge the batter if the pitcher is "ahead."

Follow up: has any pitcher thrown a "Perfect" 9 pitch, 9 strike, 3 out inning?

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    Hey Robert, welcome to SE. Please ask one question per post. You can ask the follow up question independently
    – alamoot
    Commented Apr 19, 2017 at 2:56
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    Sorry for the breach of protocol, but this is partly because I don't know the subject well enough to ask the question. I just read that a ball hit is labeled a strike. I guess I'm struggling for the proper way to ask the question. Perhaps the criterion should be "consecutive strikes without the batter hitting the ball" - Reading similar questions leads me to think the "Perfect" innings referenced below include times where the 3rd "strike" was actually a pop-up caught.
    – Robert Farley
    Commented Apr 20, 2017 at 15:26
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    @RobertFarley Regarding the perfect inning, play-by-play explicitly specifies strikeouts (and I gave the most recent examples of such from both leagues). A caught pop-up on a 3rd strike isn't a strikeout.
    – user527
    Commented Apr 20, 2017 at 15:28
  • As for your follow up question, you should know that it is called an "immaculate inning", a feat which has now been achieved twice this year : m.mlb.com/news/article/231138578/…. For the full list : mlb.mlb.com/mlb/history/rare_feats/…
    – Jonathan Bergeron
    Commented May 19, 2017 at 18:19
  • @JonathanBergeron this seems like a solid answer to me. The resource alone is valuable, and the term just adds to it. I'd make an answer of it if I were you.
    – JeopardyTempest
    Commented May 21, 2017 at 9:16

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What is the most consecutive pitches thrown that [were a strike]?

This isn't a perfect answer to your specific question, but since the method of how pitch data is collected has existed (since 1988), the number of consecutive strikes thrown is 38 by Bartolo Colon on April 18, 2012(1). This includes foul balls and balls put into play.

To fully answer your specific question, such an answer wouldn't include foul balls (after 2nd strikes, as noted in the question) and balls put into play. An analysis of play-by-play would uncover this, I imagine.

has any pitcher thrown a "Perfect" 9 pitch, 9 strike, 3 out inning?

Yes. This has happened 29 times in the AL and 52 times in the NL(2). The latest in the AL was achieved by Brandon McCarthy of the Yankees in the bottom of the 7th inning on September 17, 2014 and the latest in the NL was achieved by Juan Nicaso in the bottom of the 8th inning (Baseball Almanac says 6th for some reason) on July 4, 2016.

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  • "balls put into play" are strikes that are hit. You asked the question just fine, and I note that my answer doesn't address your specific question.
    – user527
    Commented Apr 20, 2017 at 15:24
  • Thanks. I guess this bounds the maximum from 9 to 25 since none of these innings are consecutive.
    – Robert Farley
    Commented Apr 21, 2017 at 1:36

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