If you spend time following baseball media, you may have noticed the increase of articles bemoaning the rise of the “three true outcomes” (TTO) in baseball. We are speaking, of course, about walks, strikeouts and home runs. The term was coined to describe the idea that these results of a plate appearance are “supposedly the only events that do not involve the defensive team (other than the pitcher and the catcher)”, according to Baseball Reference.
During and following the so-called “Steroid Era,” TTOs have been on the rise in baseball, fueling publication of numerous “How to Fix Baseball” articles by people who think the outcomes in question are boring.