When is a strike charged to the batter based on the pitch?

A strike is charged to the batter when he swings and misses the pitch, regardless of whether the ball strikes him or not. This rule emphasizes that the action of swinging at the ball is crucial; if the batter makes an attempt to hit the ball and fails to do so, a strike is recorded against him. The nature of the pitch, whether it is in the strike zone or where the ball ends up, can influence the call, but the defining action here is the swing and miss.

In contrast, if the batter misses the ball and it subsequently goes foul, it typically counts as a foul ball, which does not result in a strike unless the batter already has two strikes. Making contact with the ball, even if it is a foul tip, also does not equate to a strike against the batter if it goes foul. The act of the catcher throwing the ball back to the pitcher is unrelated to the batter's actions at the plate and has no bearing on whether a strike is called.