HOUSTON
The number sticks out like a misplaced data point on a spreadsheet, an outlier in the land of on-base percentage. And if you stare at it long enough, you might be convinced it is a misprint.
During the 2015 season, the Kansas City Royals struck out just 973 times. That is 134 fewer strikeouts than the next lowest team in the major leagues, and 419 fewer than the Houston Astros, the Royals’ opponent in the American League Division Series. On average, American League teams stuck out more than 1,200 times over 162 games this season.