You’re a good bunter, like Brett Butler or Ichiro. 2 out, bottom of 9th, down 4-0. The pitcher’s been in a groove all game, throwing as well as he has in his whole life. You think bunting may be the best way to get on base, esp. considering how the guy’s been throwing.
Should you bunt?
I think you should, as your job is to win the game, by any means necessary. The odds are likely that even if you make it on base, this will amount to nothing but a spoiled no-no, since the following three players would have to score as well for it to even tie. But you take the chance, and to hell with the no-hit bid.
Not at all. You’re being paid millions of dollars to play the game. A 4-0 game isn’t unwinnable. In fact, once you get on, you try to steal second base if the pitcher ignores you.
People have come back from a 4 run deficit in the bottom of the 9th before. If it’s 12-0 you might be an asshole for bunting, but 4-0 is still a “play as hard as possible” scenario.
Pitchers don’t ever get no-hitters by themselves. It’s really the whole team that gets a no hitter, and if you’re a pitcher or fielder working on a no hitter you can’t expect to have it just handed to you on a plate. You have to work for it! You have to be vigilant against a bunt even in the bottom of the ninth with 2 men out, and if someone can pull off a bunt against you in that situation, you didn’t deserve a no hitter.
There have been minor kerfluffles over situations like this, because they have happened. I think there was one in Jim Abbott’s no-hitter, and a more recent one that I think involved the Padres.
Well look at it from the hitter’s point of view. Hitting for the cycle is about as rare in baseball history as throwing a no-hitter.
Now suppose it’s a tie game, 1-1 in the bottom of the 9th, with two outs and a man on second. The guy who’s coming up has had four plate appearances with one walk, a double, a homer and a triple. Of all things, he’s a single away from hitting for the cycle.
Would you, as the pitcher or the visiting team’s manager, give an intentional walk to set up the force play? Very likely!
Would there be a big brouhaha about it? I doubt it! (Though maybe I’m off base on this one!)
What if it were a World Series game? There have been World Series no-hitters, even a perfect game, but no cycles.
Hitting for the cycle, while rare isn’t the career milestone that a no-hitter is, so that might not be the best analogy. In that case, hell yeah I’m going to try and push the force out.
As to the OP, the team being no-hit is never going to just hand over the game so easily. If that’s me at the plate, I’ll bunt, foul off forever, or lean into a fastball and get hit. Whatever the heck it takes to get on base.
Of course, since I am no longer the threat to steal that I was 25 years ago, I’d be instantly replaced by skinny central american phenom.
Were I a major league pitcher with a perfect game within reach, and the opposing batter did something to basically just let me have it easily, I’d be pissed! I’d feel like he robbed me of the opportunity to get a real perfect game, 100% earned, instead of a perfect game with a little asterisk next to it.
Each team is trying to win. If the infield is back and a speedy batter has a chance to get on base via bunt, you go for it. If you change the premise to 4-0 but the pitcher has a five-hitter, same thing.
No. The batter is entitled to try to win the game for his team. In baseball it is never a run out the clock situation. The pitcher who is close to a perfect game must earn it, he isn’t entitled to have the other team lay down once the pitcher’s team gets to 25 outs.
Please reread what **Sanity Challenged ** typed. You both agree. He is saying that even the pitcher would think it was wrong for the batter not to try.
Well I guess I should have expected the saner minds at the SDMB to agree with me.
It seems that quite a few baseball traditionalists think that you should only break up the no-hitter in this case the “honorable” way, with a swinging line drive into left field or something. Bunting here is a “weasel’s” play, according to my friend.
The thing is, for most batters, a bunt isn’t very likely to be successful, if the defense is playing normally. So the only time I* would likely be tempted to bunt is if the defense is playing way back because they’re assuming that I won’t bunt to break up a no-hitter. If it’s a close, meaningful game, then that’s their problem, and I’d bunt away.
On the other hand, if it was meaningless (i.e. both teams already eliminated from the playoffs) and not close (6 or more runs with two outs), and I saw the defense cheating back, I’d probably be more inclined to call time and warn the catcher that the defense better play me straight-up or I will bunt. The pitcher needs to earn every out, but in a meaningless game, I’d prefer he not get screwed out of a no-hitter because the defense misunderstood me.
the hypothetical me that actually is a ballplayer.
