Editing Strike zone (section)

==Definition==
The strike zone is a volume of space, a vertical right pentagonal prism. Its sides are vertical planes extending up from the edges of [[home plate]]. The official rules of [[Major League Baseball]] define the top of the strike zone as the midpoint between the top of the batter's [[shoulder]]s and the top of his uniform pants, and the bottom of the strike zone is at the hollow beneath the [[kneecap]], both determined from the batter's stance as he is prepared to swing at the pitched ball, although the ''[[de facto]]'' enforced strike zone can vary based on the umpire's perspective. The official rules define a pitch as a strike "if any part of the ball passes through any part of the strike zone", with the ball required to [[In flight|have not bounced]]. Thus, a pitch that touches the outer boundary of the zone is as much a strike as a pitch that is thrown right down the center. A pitch passing outside the front of the strike zone but curving so as to enter this volume farther back (without being hit) is sometimes called a "back-door strike". Various other rulebooks for baseball and [[softball]] define the strike zone slightly differently. 

A pitch is also a strike if the batter swings or offers the bat in an attempt to hit the pitch. A pitch batted into foul territory—a [[foul ball]]—is also a strike, unless the batter already has two strikes. Any pitch not called a strike, swung on and missed, or fouled-off, is a "ball" (originally "no ball"). 

A batter who accumulates three strikes in a single batting appearance has [[Strikeout|struck out]] and is ruled [[Out (baseball)|out]] (with the exception of an [[uncaught third strike]]); a batter who accumulates four balls in a single appearance has drawn a [[base on balls]] (or ''walk'') and is awarded advancement to [[first base]]. In very early iterations of the rules during the 19th century, it took up to nine balls for a batter to earn a walk. However, to make up for this, he could request the ball to be pitched high, low, or medium.<ref>{{cite news |title=What An MLB Strike Zone Really Looks Like And Why Players Are Always So Mad About It |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/mlb-strike-zone-2014-9 |work=Business Insider |access-date=2018-04-29}}</ref>