Minnesota High School Pitcher Strikes Out Five Batters in One Inning

by Austin Pollack on Sat, May 19, 2012 at 6:52PM

A pitcher can strike out no more than three batters in an inning, right? Wrong.

Eric Veglahn, a senior at La Crescent Senior High School in La Crescent, Minn., did something no major league pitcher has ever mastered. Not only did he strike out the side, but according to the Minnesota Baseball Hub, Veglahn struck out two more batters in that same inning — a five-strikeout frame.

It may seem unbelievable and impossible, but it’s not. The first two batters of the inning went down looking, and the third struck out swinging. But the catcher dropped the third strike and could not find the ball, allowing the batter to reach first.

The same thing happened to the next victim, who became the fourth strikeout but also reached base. That put men on first and second in the bottom of the seventh inning, with four strikeouts credited to Veglahn. He finished the job with a fifth K.

“I have never seen five strikeouts in an inning at any level, anywhere,” La Crescent coach Rick Boyer said.

The score remained 4-1, and Veglahn set a state record with five strikeouts in an inning. He has fanned 101 batters this season, which places him first in the state in that category, according to the Minnesota Baseball Hub.