Today Kris Bryant of the Cubs came up to bat needing only a double to hit for the cycle against Pittsburgh. (A cycle is when a player gets a single, double, triple, and home run in the same game.) He hit the ball over the wall for his second homer of the game. My question: could he legally have stopped at second base to get the double instead of the home run? Obviously it would be a very stupid thing to do, both strategically and from a sportsmanship point of view, but do the rules allow it?
He could intentionally miss 3rd base and get called out on an appeal by the other team.
Yes, in the sense that MLB has rules for what to do in such a case. (A related issue would be if Bryant’s contract has a bigger bonus for hitting for the cycle than for scoring or driving in runs. But we can still learn from Bill Veeck’s antics.) 10 years ago our fellow dopers discussed such an issue here. An easy way to stop at second, or before home, is to fail to touch the next base, or to pass the runner who was ahead.
Google for one has other related responses, including the above, which also mentions mockery and its consequences.
Pretty sure contracts can’t include bonuses (“incentive clauses”) for things such as doubles, homers, and hitting for the cycle these days–only playing-time stats such as games played, games started, plate appearances, number of days on the roster, etc.
Oh well.
Stopping at second or intentionally missing third is probably begging for a fastball to the ribs and likely wouldn’t sit well with his teammates. Bryant seems smarter and classier than that.