First, strikeouts ARE bad when you have a lineup that is coached to be overly aggressive. Striking out on balls out of the zone is extremely counterproductive in that it a) creates an out when there shouldn't have been one and b) the pitcher is throwing far fewer pitches. As for the "runner on 3rd, less than 2 out" thing, that runner could score on: - a base hit - a passed ball - a wild pitch - a sac fly - an error - a fielder's choice - a squeeze play He will NOT score on: - a strikeout