A golden sombrero is when a batter strikes out four times in one game. The term plays off the hockey hat trick: three strikeouts is a hat trick, so four earned a bigger hat. Five strikeouts in a game is a platinum sombrero, sometimes called an Olympic rings, and six, which has happened only a handful of times, is a titanium sombrero. The chart below runs through the full set.
| Strikeouts in a game | Name | How rare |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Hat trick | Common; happens many times a week |
| 4 | Golden sombrero | Several hundred a season league wide |
| 5 | Platinum sombrero (or Olympic rings) | A few dozen a season, usually in extra inning games |
| 6 | Titanium sombrero | Only a handful in history, all in extra innings |
Where the Term Comes From
The phrase is credited to Carmelo Martinez, a Padres outfielder in the 1980s, and it spread through broadcasts in the following decade. It is meant as a joke at the hitter’s expense, and modern hitters wear it more often than their predecessors: league wide strikeout rates have risen for two decades, so four strikeout games that were once rare are now a routine part of a season for power hitters.
Why It Happens More Now
Pitchers throw harder and rely more on breaking pitches, hitters swing for power rather than contact, and teams accept strikeouts as the cost of home runs. A hitter can also pick up a golden sombrero in a long extra inning game simply by getting five or six plate appearances against a parade of relievers.
Related
What a backward K means · Whiff rate explained · Hitting for the cycle · Curveball vs. slider
Definitions are from the MLB.com glossary.