probably a recurring question..

[echizen]

i guess this question comes around every once in a whiles, but why are strikeouts recorded/abbreviated as K's? i would think an X or SO would make more sense...why K?

(don't tell me its just cuz there's a K in the word strikeout..)

[SaintsOfTheDiamond]

I always thought it was because there are three lines in the "standard" letter K, and three strikes needed for a strikeout. And it sounds a lot better than any of the other letters with three lines in them, though I'm sure someone else has a better explanation.

[Dawgpound 1613]

The two theories I heard:

1) That it comes from KO - or the baseball equivalent of a knockout.

2) That when official scoring began, the "S" was used to designate a sacrifice, so the "K" was chosen due to its prominance in the word "strikeout".

Don't know which, if either, are true. But based on baseball history that I've read, one of these is the origins.

[Rirruto]

The person who "invented" it, Henry Chadwick, just thought it was easier to remember "K" for strikeout instead of "S". And also, "S" was already used for sacrifice.