Good wood: MLB hitters cutting down on strikeouts, even in age of increased velocity

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona's Ketel Marte was on the defensive in the 10th inning of a recent game between the Diamondbacks and Reds, desperately fouling off a handful of 100 mph heaters and 90 mph sliders from Cincinnati flamethrower Graham Ashcraft in a riveting battle.

Then on the 13th pitch of the at-bat, the All-Star second baseman muscled a 99 mph cutter into right-center field for a tying single.

Score one for Major League Baseball's hitters.

Ever so slightly, they appear to be winning a few more of these battles and getting some wood on the baseball.

“Good things happen when you put it in play,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said.

It's a mantra that's usually true — but also easier said than done — particularly in the days of the widespread 95 mph fastball. Strikeouts have boomed over the past 15-20 years thanks to increased velocity, with more whiffs than hits in MLB games beginning in the 2018 season.

A series of rules changes in 2023 succeeded in spurring the sort of action MLB believes fans want — stolen bases went up, average game times went down and attendance rebounded after sagging in the late 2010s. But even after infield shifts were eliminated, theoretically hamstringing defenses, leaguewide batting averages remained low, in part because strikeouts remained high.

A shift may finally have come in 2025. MLB teams are averaging exactly 8.28 hits and strikeouts per game through Aug. 26, and batting average is up slightly to .246.

It's a small but telling step in the hitters' direction, perhaps encouraged by baseball's new rules but undoubtedly enabled by technology that's helped hitters adapt to pitchers with nastier and nastier stuff.

“There's some situational awareness to where players can control an at-bat and have a little more of a two-strike approach,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. "It's about being a professional hitter and putting balls in play. Still doing it with an authority, but not taking a big two-strike home run swing. Finding out how to toggle with your approach.

“I think everyone wants to see that back in baseball. I love the home run. I love the big ball, no doubt about it. But I like good hitters, too. And there's a hybrid out there that's learning and growing in the minor leagues and it's starting to make its way to the big leagues.”

Some hitters credit technology for the shift. Big league teams now use things like the Trajekt Arc pitching machine to mimic big league pitchers, spitting out high-speed, high-spin balls that dive and cut just like in real life.

Using video of deliveries and data, the robot allows a hitter to step in against recreated offerings from any pitcher he wants to face.

“We’ve all got these fancy machines and things like that, that kind of show you those things and then just having an understanding of how to attack those,” Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon said. “I think also the game has had a lot of nasty stuff for a while now and hitters are starting to adjust back.”

Some of MLB's best teams have figured out a way to cut down on strikeouts. The Toronto Blue Jays (884), San Diego Padres (900) and Kansas City Royals (923) are the only teams in the big leagues with fewer than 1,000 whiffs this season and all three have postseason aspirations.

The king of avoiding strikeouts continues to be San Diego's Luis Arráez, who has struck out just 15 times in 514 at-bats this season. The three-time batting champion averages just one strikeout every 34.27 at-bats — an unreal feat that's reminiscent of the game's deadball era from a century ago.

Arráez is an outlier, but Lovullo is correct that there's a generation of young players who are good at avoiding the strikeout.

Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner (12.50), Athletics All-Star shortstop Jacob Wilson (12.42) and Cleveland two-time All-Star Steven Kwan (10.31) round out the top four in at-bats per strikeout.

Even some free swingers are making modest gains. Boston's Trevor Story is a guy who strikes out quite a bit, but he's on pace for his lowest whiff rate since 2021. It's probably no coincidence that the 32-year-old is having one of his best seasons in the big leagues with a .260 average, 21 homers and 83 RBIs.

“It’s almost more of a mindset, especially with two strikes,” Story said. “I think choking up is an old school thing that I’ve used at times this year and using the right side of the field and being able to shoot the ball through that four hole (second base) especially with the shift. It’s taking what the defense gives you.”

Colorado Rockies outfielder Mickey Moniak is still just 27 years old, making him a firm member of Generation K. He said that big league players are getting used to triple-digit velocity and making adjustments to stay competitive.

“It’s just a number now,” Rockies outfielder Mickey Moniak said. “I used to, early on in my career in the minor leagues, I used to want to know how hard guys are throwing. I still look at it, but I think I look at it less. Kind of just assume the guys are going to be throwing at least 95 these days."

AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum, AP Sports Writers Greg Beacham, Schuyler Dixon and Pat Graham, and freelancer Larry Fleisher, contributed to this story.

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Toronto Blue Jays' Bo Bichette (11) doubles against the Texas Rangers during the second inning of a baseball game in Toronto, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025. (Tara Walton/The Canadian Press via AP)

Arizona Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte singles against Colorado Rockies pitcher Tanner Gordon in the sixth inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 15, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Cleveland Guardians' Steven Kwan hits a single during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Police in Ohio's capital city said Wednesday that they have gathered enough evidence to link a man charged in the double homicide of his ex-wife and her husband in their Columbus home last month to the killings.

Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant said in an Associated Press interview that authorities now believe Michael David McKee, 39, a vascular surgeon who was living in Chicago, was the person seen walking down a dark alley near Monique and Spencer Tepe's home in video footage from the night of the murders. His vehicle has also been identified traveling near the house, and a firearm found in his Illinois residence also traced to evidence at the scene, she said.

An attorney representing McKee could not be identified through court listings.

His arrest Saturday capped off nearly two weeks of speculation surrounding the mysterious killings that attracted national attention. No obvious signs of forced entry were found at the Tepes’ home. Police also said no weapon was found there, and murder-suicide was not suspected. Further, nothing was stolen, and the couple’s two young children and their dog were left unharmed in the home.

“What we can tell you is that we have evidence linking the vehicle that he was driving to the crime scene. We also have evidence of him coming and going in that particular vehicle,” Bryant told the AP. “What I can also share with you is that there were multiple firearms taken from the property of McKee, and one of those firearms did match preliminarily from a NIBIN (ballistic) hit back to this actual homicide.”

Bryant said that the department wants the public to keep the tips coming. Investigators were able to follow up on every phone call, email and private tip shared from the community to the department and some of that information allowed them to gather enough evidence to make an arrest, she said.

That work culminated in the apprehension of McKee in Rockford, Illinois, where the hospital where he worked — OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center — has said it is cooperating with the investigation. He has been charged with premeditated aggravated murder in the shooting deaths. Monique Tepe, who divorced McKee in 2017, was 39. Her husband, a dentist whose absence from work that morning prompted the first call to police, was 37.

McKee waived his right to an extradition hearing on Monday during an appearance in the 17th Judicial Circuit Court in Winnebago County, Illinois, where he remains in jail. Bryant said officials are working out details of his return to Ohio, with no exact arrival date set. His next hearing in Winnebago County is scheduled for Jan. 23.

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said Wednesday that the city doesn't prioritize high-profile cases any more than others, noting that the city's closure rate on criminal cases exceeds the national average. The city also celebrated in 2025 its lowest level of homicides and violent crime since 2007, Ginther said.

“Every case matters. Ones that receive national attention, and those that don’t,” he told the AP. “Every family deserves closure and for folks to be held accountable, and the rest of the community deserves to be safe when dangerous people are taken off the street.”

Ginther said it is vital for central Ohioans to continue to grieve with the Tepes' family, which includes two young children, and loved ones, as they cope with “such an unimaginable loss.”

“I want our community to wrap our arms around this family and these children for years to come,” he said.

This undated booking photo provided by the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, shows Michael David McKee, who was charged in the killing of his ex-wife, Monique Tepe, and her husband Spencer Tepe at their Columbus, Ohio, home on Dec. 30, 2025. (Winnebago County Sheriff's Office via AP)

Spencer and Monique Tepe's home in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos)

This image taken from video shows Michael David McKee walking into the courtroom on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Rockford, Ill. (WIFR News/Pool Photo via AP)