New photo Whiff of offense: Ks top hits, lowest average since '72

NEW YORK (AP) - Strikeouts are likely to exceed hits over a full season for the first time in major league history. The .248 batting average has dropped to its lowest level since 1972, the year before the designated hitter. Lefty hitters have fared even worse, a .244 average that is their lowest average since 1968, before the pitcher's mound was lowered.

There were 39,902 strikeouts and 39,833 hits through Tuesday, and strikeouts are on track to set a record for the 11th consecutive season, surpassing last year's 40,104.

Innings per starting pitcher dropped from 5.89 in 2012 to 5.38 this year and pitches per start from 95 to 88 over the same period, according to Sports Info Solutions.

Pitchers per game for both teams rose from 7.68 to 8.34 over that span, according to Major League Baseball, with average fastball velocity increasing from 91.6 mph to 92.8 mph over the past six years, according to Sports Info.

Major League Baseball and the players' association say they will spend much of the offseason analyzing historic changes.

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FILE - In this Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018 file photo, New York Yankees' Andrew McCutchen reacts after striking out to end the seventh inning of a baseball game as Toronto Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen, left, heads off the field at Yankee Stadium in New York. The most-heard sound at major league ballparks this year was "Strike three!" Strikeouts will exceed hits over a full season for the first time in major league history. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun, File)

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FILE - In this Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018 file photo, St. Louis Cardinals' Francisco Pena, left, reacts after being called out on strikes, as Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes looks on during the seventh inning of a baseball game Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018, in St. Louis. The most-heard sound at major league ballparks this year was "Strike three!" Strikeouts will exceed hits over a full season for the first time in major league history. (AP Photo/Billy Hurst, File)

FILE - In this Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018 file photo, Chicago White Sox's Yoan Moncada reacts after being called out on strikes during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago. The most-heard sound at major league ballparks this year was "Strike three!" Strikeouts will exceed hits over a full season for the first time in major league history. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

FILE - In this Friday, Sept. 21, 2018 file photo,Washington Nationals' Trea Turner reacts after he struck out during the sixth inning of a baseball game next to New York Mets catcher Devin Mesoraco, left, in Washington. The most-heard sound at major league ballparks this year was "Strike three!" Strikeouts will exceed hits over a full season for the first time in major league history. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)

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News Pictures Whiff of offense: Ks top hits, lowest average since '72

You don’t have to pack away your bikini just because you’re the wrong side of 20. These body-beautiful stars reveal their secrets to staying in shape and prove you can smoulder in a two-piece, whatever your age. Read on and be bikini inspired!

TEENS
Hayden Panettiere
Size: 8
Age: 18
Height: 5ft 1in
Weight: 8st

To achieve her kick-ass figure, Hayden – who plays cheerleader Claire Bennet in Heroes – follows the ‘quartering’ rule. She eats only a quarter of the food on her plate, then waits 20 minutes before deciding whether she needs to eat again.

Hayden says: “I don’t have a model’s body, but I’m not one of those crazy girls who thinks that they’re fat. I’m OK with what I have.”

Nicollette says: “I don’t like diets – I see it, I eat it! I believe in eating healthily with lots of protein, vegetables and carbs to give you energy.”

kim cattrall

Size: 10-12
Age: 52
Height: 5ft 8in
Weight: 9st 4lb

SATC star Kim swears by gym sessions with Russian kettle bells (traditional cast-iron weights) and the South Beach Diet to give her the body she wants. To avoid overeating, Kim has a radical diet trick – squirting lemon juice on her leftovers – so she won’t carry on picking.

Kim says: “I am no super-thin Hollywood actress. I am built for men who like women to look like women.”
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