Definition of Four-Strikeout Frame

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What does the term "four-strikeout frame" mean in the world of baseball? What is meant by the term "four-strikeout frame"?

It is possible for a pitcher to throw four strikeouts in a single inning.

How?

If the catcher drops the balls on the third strike and either first base is vacant or there are two outs in the inning, the batter can try to advance to first base.

If they successfully reach first base, the inning continues, which opens up the possibility of a pitcher throwing four strikeouts in one inning.

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The four-strikeout inning doesn't happen very often - in this day and age, it usually happens about 5-6 times per year.

As pitchers get better and better, the number of four strikeout frames increases.

There was a nearly 40 year stretch starting in 1917 when there were no four-strikeout innings, and now it happens quite regularly.

The first ever four-strikeout frame came in 1888, courtesy of Ed Crane.

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There has never been a five-strikeout game in Major League Baseball, though it did happen once in the minor league baseball system, courtesy of Malcolm Van Buren. Van Buren pulled off the task while playing for the Kansas City Royals' rookie affiliate, Burlington.