Major league pitchers set a record in 2012 by striking out 7.6 batters per 9 innings, with the jump from 7.1 in 2011 being the largest annual increase ever. And it wasn’t because of a handful of Nolan Ryan types pushing up the average; Detroit’s Justin Verlander led the majors with 239 whiffs. Some of the most striking performances of a record-breaking season:

Pitchers