Bunting (baseball) - Talent or Effort

Hey, not all sluggers are bad bunters.

In the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 3 of the 1992 World Series, Dave Winfield of the Blue Jays - a certified slugger if ever there was one - dropped a perfect bunt that moved the runners to second and third with one out. The Braves were forced to walk the next batter to set up a force play, resulting in the next batter (Candy Maldonado) hitting a fly ball to win the game.

It was, for the Braves, a horrifying loss, following right on the heels of an equally horrifying loss in Game 2, both of them games they had about ninety opportunities to win but blew, and giving the Blue Jays a 2-1 series lead. Winfield’s bunt might well have been a critical play in winning the World Series.