A strikeout occurs in baseball when a batter receives three strikes during their turn at bat. A strike is called when the batter swings and misses the ball, or when the batter does not swing at a pitch that is within the strike zone. If a batter accumulates three strikes, they are out, and the play continues with the next batter. Strikeouts are an important statistic for both pitchers and batters. For pitchers, a high number of strikeouts can indicate effectiveness and skill, while for batters, frequent strikeouts may suggest difficulties in hitting. Major League Baseball tracks strikeouts as part of player performance metrics.