Strike Outs up 25.7%, Home Runs up 20.6% in 20 years 1998 to 2017.

40,104 Strike Outs in 2017, up from 31,893 in 1998. 25.7% increase!

Almost a twenty-six percent increase in Strike Outs in 20 years. Who the heck likes that other than the pitchers, who are not baseball players?

(40,104 - 31,893)/31,893 = 25.7%
______________________________

Home Runs are also way up from 1998:

(6,105 - 5,064)/5,064 = 20.6%
______________________________

SO increased almost 25% more than HR in those 20 years:

(25.7 - 20.6)/20.6 = 24.8%
______________________________

Bases on Balls are actually down from 1998, which is a good thing:

(16,447 - 15,829)/16,447 = 3.8%

This is misleading since walks were down to 14,020 in 2014, so the 2017 total is up 13% from 2014:

(15,829 - 14,020)/14,020 = 12.9%
______________________________