Topic summary
Strikeouts
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Strikeout.
More than three strikeouts in an inning
If a third strike is not caught cleanly by the catcher, it is still recorded as a strikeout for both the pitcher and the batter, but the batter becomes a runner and the play is still alive. (This is not true when first base is occupied and there are fewer than two outs; see Uncaught third strike.) The runner may take first base unless the defense tags or throws him out. Therefore, a pitcher can achieve more than three strikeouts in one standard half-inning.