List of Major League Baseball single-inning strikeout leaders
In baseball, a strikeout occurs when a pitcher throws three strikes to a batter during his time at bat. Under Rules 6.05 and 6.09 of the Official Rules of Major League Baseball, a batter becomes a runner when a third strike is not caught by the catcher with no runner on first base or when there are two outs. The strikeout is recorded, but the batter-runner must be tagged or forced out in order for the defensive team to register the out. Thus, it is possible for a pitcher to record more than three strikeouts in an inning. As a result of this rule, 88 different pitchers have struck out four batters in a half-inning of a Major League Baseball game as of June 1, 2019, the most recent being Luke Bard of the Los Angeles Angels on April 22, 2019. Four players — Chuck Finley, A. J. Burnett, Zack Greinke, and Craig Kimbrel — have accomplished the feat more than once in their career; no player has ever struck out more than four batters in an inning. Ed Crane was the first player to strike out four batters in one inning, doing so in the fifth inning for the New York Giants against the Chicago White Stockings on October 4, 1888.
Out of the 88 pitchers who have accomplished the feat, 62 were right-handed and 20 were left-handed. Twenty-four of these players have played for only one major league team. Three pitchers—Bob Gibson, Walter Johnson and Phil Niekro—are also members of the 3,000 strikeout club. Finley is the only pitcher to achieve the feat on three separate occasions, as well as twice in a single season. Pete Richert struck out four batters in the third inning of his first major league game, becoming the only player to attain the milestone in his debut. Orval Overall is the sole player to strike out four batters in one inning in the World Series.
Of the 26 players eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame who have struck out four batters in an inning, four have been elected and two were elected on the first ballot. Players are eligible for the Hall of Fame if they have played in at least 10 major league seasons, and have either been retired for five seasons or deceased for at least six months. These requirements leave 26 players ineligible who are active, four who are living and have played in the past five seasons, and fourteen who did not play in 10 major league seasons.
Players
| Pitcher | Date | Team | Opposing team | Inning | Batters faced | Box |
| New York Giants | Chicago White Stockings | Fred Pfeffer, Ned Williamson, Tom Burns, John Tener | n/a | |||
| New York Giants | Cincinnati Reds | Jim Delahanty, Tommy Corcoran, Admiral Schlei, Chick Fraser | n/a | |||
| Chicago Cubs | Detroit Tigers | Charley O'Leary, Ty Cobb, Claude Rossman, Germany Schaefer | ||||
| Washington Senators | Boston Red Sox | Ray Collins, Larry Gardner, Harry Hooper, Duffy Lewis | n/a | |||
| Cleveland Indians | Philadelphia Athletics | Whitey Witt, Charlie Pick, Nap Lajoie, Stuffy McInnis | ||||
| Chicago Cubs | St. Louis Cardinals | Hal Smith, Jackie Brandt, Lindy McDaniel, Don Blasingame | ||||
| Cincinnati Redlegs | Milwaukee Braves | Eddie Mathews, Joe Adcock, Del Crandall, Johnny Logan | ||||
| Los Angeles Angels | Chicago White Sox | Minnie Miñoso, Roy Sievers, J. C. Martin, Sammy Esposito | ||||
| Los Angeles Dodgers | Cincinnati Reds | Frank Robinson, Gordy Coleman, Wally Post, Johnny Edwards | ||||
| Cleveland Indians | Washington Senators | Don Lock, Willie Kirkland, Don Zimmer, John Kennedy | ||||
| Los Angeles Dodgers | Philadelphia Phillies | Wes Covington, Tony González, Dick Stuart, Clay Dalrymple | ||||
| St. Louis Cardinals | Pittsburgh Pirates | Jerry Lynch, Jim Pagliaroni, Bill Mazeroski, Don Cardwell | ||||
| Baltimore Orioles | California Angels | Alex Johnson, Ken McMullen, Tommie Reynolds, Jim Spencer | ||||
| Chicago Cubs | Montreal Expos | Mike Torrez, Ron Hunt, Tim Foli, Willie Davis | ||||
| Atlanta Braves | Pittsburgh Pirates | Dave Parker, Bill Robinson, Rennie Stennett, Omar Moreno | ||||
| Cleveland Indians | Seattle Mariners | Dan Meyer, Bruce Bochte, Tom Paciorek, Bill Stein | ||||
| Cincinnati Reds | Chicago Cubs | Tom Veryzer, Dick Ruthven, Bob Dernier, Ryne Sandberg | ||||
| Houston Astros | Chicago Cubs | Chris Speier, Chico Walker, Dave Martinez, Ryne Sandberg | ||||
| Texas Rangers | Baltimore Orioles | Ray Knight, Terry Kennedy, Mike Young, Ken Gerhart | ||||
| Texas Rangers | New York Yankees | Claudell Washington, Jack Clark, Dave Winfield, Mike Pagliarulo | ||||
| Atlanta Braves | St. Louis Cardinals | Terry Pendleton, Milt Thompson, Tony Peña, Ted Power | ||||
| Cincinnati Reds | San Francisco Giants | Greg Litton, Will Clark, Matt Williams, Gary Carter | ||||
| Seattle Mariners | Boston Red Sox | Jody Reed, Carlos Quintana, Wade Boggs, Mike Greenwell | ||||
| Cleveland Indians | Detroit Tigers | Chad Kreuter, Chris Gomez, Travis Fryman, Cecil Fielder | ||||
| Atlanta Braves | Chicago Cubs | Kevin Roberson, Rick Wilkins, Shawon Dunston, Sammy Sosa | ||||
| Colorado Rockies | Chicago Cubs | Sammy Sosa, Scott Servais, Leo Gómez, Brian McRae | ||||
| Kansas City Royals | Toronto Blue Jays | Ed Sprague, Jr., Carlos Delgado, Charlie O'Brien, Alex Gonzalez | ||||
| New York Mets | Atlanta Braves | Terry Pendleton, Chipper Jones, Ryan Klesko, Mike Mordecai | ||||
| Chicago White Sox | Detroit Tigers | Tony Clark, Phil Nevin, Melvin Nieves, Orlando Miller | ||||
| Oakland Athletics | Tampa Bay Devil Rays | Bubba Trammell, Rich Butler, Mike DiFelice, Kevin Stocker | ||||
| Florida Marlins | Montreal Expos | Fernando Seguignol, Vladimir Guerrero, Shane Andrews, Brad Fullmer | ||||
| Florida Marlins | Chicago Cubs | Benito Santiago, Tyler Houston, Steve Trachsel, Mickey Morandini | ||||
| Anaheim Angels | New York Yankees | Scott Brosius, Chuck Knoblauch, Derek Jeter, Paul O'Neill | ||||
| San Francisco Giants | San Diego Padres | George Arias, Damian Jackson, Carlos Baerga, Quilvio Veras | ||||
| Boston Red Sox | Kansas City Royals | Chad Kreuter, Scott Pose, Johnny Damon, Carlos Beltrán | ||||
| Anaheim Angels | Detroit Tigers | Deivi Cruz, Juan Encarnación, Dean Palmer, Tony Clark | ||||
| Montreal Expos | San Francisco Giants | Brent Mayne, Shawn Estes, Marvin Benard, Ramón Martínez | ||||
| Cleveland Indians | Texas Rangers | Tom Evans, Royce Clayton, Chad Curtis, Rafael Palmeiro | ||||
| Oakland Athletics | Texas Rangers | Bo Porter, Michael Young, Bill Haselman, Scott Sheldon | ||||
| Cincinnati Reds | Florida Marlins | Charles Johnson, Dave Berg, Ryan Thompson, Mike Lowell | ||||
| Florida Marlins | New York Mets | Mike Piazza, Mo Vaughn, Timo Pérez, Roger Cedeño | ||||
| Chicago Cubs | Milwaukee Brewers | Bill Hall, Ryan Thompson, Paul Bako, Andrew Lorraine | ||||
| Seattle Mariners | Texas Rangers | Todd Greene, Carl Everett, Michael Young, Mike Lamb | ||||
| Los Angeles Dodgers | Colorado Rockies | Bobby Estalella, Brent Butler, Aaron Cook, Greg Norton | ||||
| Houston Astros | New York Yankees | Juan Rivera, Alfonso Soriano, Derek Jeter, Jason Giambi | ||||
| Houston Astros | Milwaukee Brewers | Geoff Jenkins, Keith Ginter, Ben Grieve, Chad Moeller | ||||
| New York Mets | Milwaukee Brewers | Gary Bennett, Scott Podsednik, Trent Durrington, Wes Helms | ||||
| Washington Nationals | Cincinnati Reds | David Ross, Bronson Arroyo, Felipe López, Adam Dunn | ||||
| Los Angeles Dodgers | Arizona Diamondbacks | Chad Tracy, Stephen Drew, Miguel Batista, Eric Byrnes | ||||
| Minnesota Twins | Milwaukee Brewers | Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, Russell Branyan, Mike Cameron | ||||
| Los Angeles Angels | Philadelphia Phillies | Greg Dobbs, Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Ryan Howard | ||||
| Chicago Cubs | Arizona Diamondbacks | Stephen Drew, Gerardo Parra, Justin Upton, Mark Reynolds | ||||
| San Diego Padres | San Francisco Giants | Randy Winn, Eugenio Vélez, Andrés Torres, Juan Uribe | ||||
| Seattle Mariners | Minnesota Twins | Denard Span, Matt Tolbert, Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau | ||||
| Milwaukee Brewers | St. Louis Cardinals | Albert Pujols, Ryan Ludwick, Yadier Molina, Colby Rasmus | ||||
| New York Yankees | Colorado Rockies | Chris Iannetta, Carlos González, Chris Nelson, Todd Helton | ||||
| Cleveland Indians | Boston Red Sox | Josh Reddick, Jason Varitek, Marco Scutaro, Jacoby Ellsbury | ||||
| Tampa Bay Rays | Detroit Tigers | Austin Jackson, Ramón Santiago, Delmon Young, Víctor Martínez | ||||
| Milwaukee Brewers | Cincinnati Reds | Devin Mesoraco, Edinson Vólquez, Brandon Phillips, Édgar Rentería | ||||
| Houston Astros | Milwaukee Brewers | Travis Ishikawa, Randy Wolf, Rickie Weeks, Ryan Braun | ||||
| Oakland Athletics | Baltimore Orioles | J. J. Hardy, Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, Matt Wieters | ||||
| Minnesota Twins | Kansas City Royals | Mike Moustakas, Jeff Francoeur, Eric Hosmer, Brayan Peña | ||||
| Toronto Blue Jays | Chicago White Sox | Dayán Viciedo, Tyler Flowers, Gordon Beckham, Alejandro De Aza | ||||
| Chicago Cubs | Cincinnati Reds | Denis Phipps, Ryan Hanigan, Didi Gregorius, Johnny Cueto | ||||
| New York Yankees | Toronto Blue Jays | J. P. Arencibia, Adeiny Hechavarria, Anthony Gose, Brett Lawrie | ||||
| Los Angeles Angels | Seattle Mariners | John Jaso, Eric Thames, Trayvon Robinson, Brendan Ryan | ||||
| Atlanta Braves | Miami Marlins | Greg Dobbs, Donovan Solano, John Buck, Gil Velazquez | ||||
| Cincinnati Reds | Washington Nationals | Denard Span, Bryce Harper, Ian Desmond, Adam LaRoche | ||||
| Tampa Bay Rays | San Diego Padres | Will Venable, Chase Headley, Carlos Quentin, Yonder Alonso | ||||
| Detroit Tigers | Boston Red Sox | Jacoby Ellsbury, Shane Victorino, David Ortiz, Mike Napoli | ||||
| Los Angeles Dodgers | San Francisco Giants | Héctor Sánchez, Tim Lincecum, Hunter Pence, Gregor Blanco | ||||
| Chicago Cubs | St. Louis Cardinals | Oscar Taveras, Daniel Descalso, Matt Carpenter, Kolten Wong | ||||
| Arizona Diamondbacks | Colorado Rockies | Justin Morneau, Corey Dickerson, Michael McKenry, Matt McBride | ||||
| Los Angeles Dodgers | Colorado Rockies | Carlos González, Nick Hundley, Drew Stubbs, DJ LeMahieu | ||||
| Los Angeles Dodgers | Colorado Rockies | DJ LeMahieu, Drew Stubbs, Wilin Rosario, Michael McKenry | ||||
| Milwaukee Brewers | Chicago Cubs | Miguel Montero, Addison Russell, Javier Báez, Austin Jackson | ||||
| Minnesota Twins | Chicago White Sox | Brett Lawrie, Avisaíl García, Dioner Navarro, Austin Jackson | ||||
| Atlanta Braves | Milwaukee Brewers | Jonathan Lucroy, Chris Carter, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Ramón Flores | ||||
| Houston Astros | Texas Rangers | Nomar Mazara, Shin-Soo Choo, Ian Desmond, Jurickson Profar | ||||
| Philadelphia Phillies | Colorado Rockies | David Dahl, Ben Paulsen, Daniel Descalso, Jon Gray | ||||
| Seattle Mariners | Texas Rangers | Delino DeShields Jr., Ian Desmond, Jonathan Lucroy, Elvis Andrus | ||||
| Colorado Rockies | San Diego Padres | Ryan Schimpf, Jon Jay, Oswaldo Arcia, Derek Norris | ||||
| Kansas City Royals | Chicago White Sox | Matt Davidson, Tim Anderson, Yolmer Sánchez, Jose Abreu | ||||
| Boston Red Sox | Texas Rangers | Nomar Mazara, Jonathan Lucroy, Rougned Odor, Mike Napoli | ||||
| Toronto Blue Jays | Boston Red Sox | Mitch Moreland, Jackie Bradley Jr., Christian Vazquez, Deven Marrero | ||||
| Arizona Diamondbacks | Chicago Cubs | Jon Jay, Tommy La Stella, Victor Caratini, Kyle Schwarber | ||||
| Minnesota Twins | Baltimore Orioles | Trey Mancini, Tim Beckham, Craig Gentry, Chris Davis | ||||
| Oakland Athletics | Chicago White Sox | Omar Narvaez, Avisail Garcia, Jose Abreu, Matt Davidson | ||||
| San Diego Padres | Arizona Diamondbacks | Ketel Marte, Jake Lamb, Chris Owings, Jon Jay | ||||
| Colorado Rockies | Los Angeles Dodgers | Max Muncy, Manny Machado, Yasmani Grandal, Walker Buehler | ||||
| Los Angeles Angels | New York Yankees | Gleyber Torres, Clint Frazier, Mike Tauchman, Kyle Higashioka |