Strikeouts per nine innings (k/9)

Okay, pay attention. K/9, or strikeouts per nine innings, measures how many hits a pitcher receives in a nine-inning stretch. It all comes down to multiplying strikeouts by nine and dividing the result by innings pitched. Although some people believe strikeouts to be the ultimate goal, it is only sometimes the case. While striking out hitters with a strikeout is nice, a pitcher may succeed by getting ground balls and weak contact. The idea is that although K/9 indicates a pitcher’s dominance over hitters, it doesn’t tell the complete picture. You must see the whole thing—the hits, walks, strikeouts, and everything else. That’s how you tell whether a pitcher has what it takes.