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No contact Strikeouts pile up as players swing for the fences
With more and more players swinging for the fences, it's no surprise strikeouts are on the rise. That's good news for pitchers like Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling and Pedro Martinez. Free-swinging battters play into their hands, making them three of the most prolific strikeout artists of all time. There have been only 29 300-strikeout seasons this century, but nearly a quarter of those seasons have come from Schilling, Johnson and Martinez in the past seven years. These guys are great pitchers, but the big reason they're ringing up hitters is because nobody is embarrassed to strike out any more. When I played we choked up on the bat, especially with two strikes. It helps you make contact, but now a lot of guys have their bottom hand all the way at the bottom of the handle. It's no wonder they can't make contact.
The Marlins' Preston Wilson is on pace to set the all-time strikeout record with 208. Sammy Sosa is on pace for 176 strikeouts, good for eighth place all-time. But when it comes to a team effort, nobody can top the Cardinals. Mark McGwire, Jim Edmonds and company are on pace to break the all-time record for strikeouts with nearly 1,300 whiffs. It's no coincidence that none of these teams won a World Series. In fact, since 1985 only three world champions finished in the top half of their league in strikeouts. Ozzie Smith, a 15-time All-Star, is a baseball analyst for CNN/Sports Illustrated and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.
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