I was raised up on the basic, absolute rule that here are three outs required to retire a side in baseball, which in my mind means at most three strikeouts are possible per half-inning. However baseball, as in life, has exceptions to the rules. For example, less thas three outs in a half-inning is possible if it's the bottom of the 9th (or a later) inning and the winning run scores.
It's also possible to have FOUR strikeouts in an inning. In fact it has happened numerous times throughout the years in all levels of baseball, including Major League Baseball (MLB).
How Can Four Strikeouts Occur?
Normally, it can't. However, if a batter has two strikes, then swings and misses a pitch in which the catcher drops the ball, the batter is given the opportunity (assumming no one is on first or there are two outs) to run to first base while the catcher has to retrieve the ball, tag the runner out or throw him out at first. If the batter reaches first base safely, there is no out, but it's still recorded as a strikeout for the pitcher and against the batter.
Click here for a list of Major League Baseball (MLB) pitchers who have pitched four strikeouts in an inning.
Note: As far as I know, there has never been more that 4 strikeouts in one half-inning in MLB, although I have read that there have been 5 strikeouts in the minors and lower amatuer levels. (At which point there's probably been a change in catchers.)
Click here for history of baseball by year on wikipedia
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