Bunting is an important part of the history of baseball.Bunting is still an important part of baseball. Baseball players try and bunt for base hits or lay down sacrifice bunts.
In the National League, pitchers still occasionally bunt to sacrifice a runner over to the next base. In the American League this is less common because of the designated hitter. Nevertheless, very rarely do players try and bunt for base hits.
When bunting as a sacrifice, a player places the bat parallel to the ground and "catches" the ball with the bat. The hitter tries to make sure the ball is put in play close to the catcher so that he will have a difficult throw to second or third. The batter bunts so that the catcher's only play is to first base. The batter does not want the ball to be bunted back to the pitcher because he may be able to throw out the lead runner. The whole idea is to advance the runner and put the runner into scoring position.
When bunting for a base hit, the approach is different. The batter will try and bunt the ball perfectly in between the catcher and the first baseman or the third baseman. This may create confusion between the catcher and the other fielder about who should field the baseball. This also gives the batter time to run to first base.
If the ball is bunted too hard, it may be easier for the first baseman or the third baseman to field the bunt. If the ball is bunted too softly, then it may be too easy for the catcher to field the baseball. So, the placement of the ball on a bunt is important and may determine whether or not the player reaches base safely.
Of course, only a fast runner should try and bunt for a base hit. It would make no sense for a slow runner to try unless the third baseman or first baseman was back in the grass and could not possibly field the baseball. However, in this case, the catcher or pitcher could field the ball.
It's also important to know how quick the pitcher is. If the pitcher moves slowly off of the mound, then a player may bunt for a base hit. A hitter may also consider how quickly the catcher moves. A slower moving catcher may struggle to field the baseball and throw to first in time.
A player lays down a sacrifice bunt because he thinks the player after him can hit the runner in. The bunted tries to put the base runner in scoring position. This may also be a part of a hit and run. The base runner may take off for second base to get a head start. If the bunter misses the ball, he hopes that the catcher cannot throw out the runner.
Sometimes a third base coach may give the batter a "bunt sign." The sign tells the batter to lay down a bunt. Hopefully, the batter is willing to follow the instructions of the third base coach.
At other times, a batter will bluff a bunt. He may indicate to the pitcher that he is going to bunt, only to pull back the bunt and go back into a normal batting stance. A batter may do this to distract the pitcher or give the pitcher one more thing to think about when he is on the mound.
James Gentile, of SB Nation, listed the bunters with the best hitting percentage when bunting with no one on base.
Lee Mazzili was ranked number one with 35 hits in 40 attempts. He got a hit 87.5% of the time. Don Balsingame was ranked number two with 66 hits in 77 at bats. Blasingame got a hit in these situations 85.7% of the time. Mazzill and Basingame are considered the two most successful at bunting for a base it with no one on base.
According to Gentile, Steve Garvey, Nellie Fox, Don Kessinger, Matty Alou, Rod Carew, Vida Pinson, Tommy Harper and Pete Rose were also successful in these situations. The success of these players show how important bunting is to baseball.
Gentile also points out that "Brett Butler had the most bunt hits in a single season with 29 in 1992, at an impressive success rate of 57%." Butler also had 188 bases empty bunt hits in his career, which is the most ever. He had a total of 226 bunt base hits for his career, which is also the major's highest total. Butler was known to practice bunting before every game. Sometimes Butler would practice over 200 bunts before a game. He was committed to the practice of bunting. He did his best to perfect the technique and make it a staple of his game.
Randy Leonard, of "The Atlantic" says that "Some credit Harry Wright, the player manager of the Cincinnati Baseball Club, with inventing the bunt in the 1860's. But like baseball itself, the bunt enjoys a folklore that often obscures accurate retelling." While we can retrace parts of baseball history, other parts are more difficult to retrace. Where and when the "bunt" originated is not certain. However, Wright may very well be the person who originated the bunt.
However, Earl Nash, writing for "Fansided", explains why the bunt may have been invented before the 1860's. He also explains why it became a popular batting technique. Nash says, "a ball that landed in fair territory and then went foul (before reaching first or third base) was still in play. It was a fair ball and referred to as a fair/foul ball. Since such a struck ball could roll a long way in foul ground, it was nearly impossible for the 1st or 3rd baseman to field it and make the long throw to 1st base to beat the runner; it was a field day for batters who could guide the ball with a bit of spin off the bat." So, the rule in the 1850's favored those who tried to bunt for a base hit. Certain players pioneered and perfected the bunting technique. Such a technique and approach helped a team to do well offensively.
From about 1875 to 1885 the bunt became less popular possibly because teams improved their ability to field the bunt. However, when the "flat bunt" was invented in 1885, the bunt became popular again. Nash points out that flat bats were not completely flat. Instead, they were 1/6 flat. Nevertheless, Nash states that "by 1886 bunting - with the advantage of the flat bat, became so effective that there were calls to ban the technique; instead flat bats were banned in 1893." The banning of flat bats made it more difficult to bunt for a base hit.
Nash points out that the sacrifice bunt was "discovered" by Clark Griffin in 1905, when a base runner "misread a sign." Nash says that pitcher Jack Cheesboro, of the New York Highlanders, mistakenly thought he was given a sign to steal home. The batter, Wee Willie Keeler, bunted because he did not want to hit the ball at Cheesboro. Keeler bunted so that Cheesboro would not be hurt. Nash says "The cunning Griffith stole the Cheesbro mistake and turned it into a new baseball strategy." This also lead to the "squeeze play" or the stealing of home while the batter lays down a bunt. As far as we know, Cheesboro's attempt to steal home is the first "squeeze play" in the history of baseball.
Nash points out that Connie Mack, manager of the Philadelphia Athletics, ran one of the first "double squeeze" plays that we know of in a game against Cleveland around 1913. Nash says "With Zach Wheat and Chick Galloway on 2nd and 3rd, "Mr. Mack" stunned the Indians when he pulled off a 'double sacrifice squeeze', when the batter, Jack Quinn laid down a perfect bunt that allowed both runners to score." Both runners must have been fast, and the bunt must have been flawless. It is difficult to imagine two runners scoring on a squeeze play unless an error was made by the fielders. However, it does not appear that an error was made. It appears that it was a base hit that scored the two runners.
Nash says that "Mr. Mack did not invent the 'double squeeze;' In 1913 Harry Davis was hired as a coach by Mack, and Davis was credited with teaching it to the Athletics in spring training and the team used it successfully 8 times that year."
So, the Athletics were good at the "double squeeze." Davis taught it well and the team implemented it successfully. Mack and Davis showed in the importance of innovative coaching in baseball by implementing this technique.
In the modern game, some fans wonder if batters may try and bunt to beat the defensive shift. The defensive shift is a response to "pull hitters" or left handed hitters that pull the ball to the first base side of the infield. In the defensive shift, the third baseman and shortstop "shift" their placement towards the right side of the infield, which leaves the left side of the infield open. A left handed hitter could try and beat the shift by hitting the other way instead of pulling the ball. Or a batter could try and beat the shift by bunting for a base hit down the third base line. It seems that this approach would counteract the shift.
Jeff Sullivan, writing for FanGraphs in 2014, points out that in 2012 and 2013 there were not many bunt attempts against the shift. Sullivan found that there were only 200 bunt attempts against the shift for those two years. Sullivan says "Of those attempts, 38% were bunted fair, and 25% of the bunts resulted in the batter reaching base, either on a hit or an error. You might think these rates look low. Or you might think these rates look high! We don't really have much of a frame of reference. What we can guess is that these are the rates by and large posted by a group of hitters who don't have much experience bunting. So with more practice, we'd expect some improvement." If players practice the technique of bunting, they may be able to successfully counteract the defensive shift. These players have the opportunity to bunt for a base hit. If they learn and improve the technique of bunting, then these players can offset the effectiveness of the defensive shift. Good players adjust to their challenges. Good players overcome their challenges.
Whether a batter bunts for a base hit, as a sacrifice to move the runners over, or to counteract the shift, a batter needs sound technique. Bunting has been a part of the game for a long time and will likely be a part of the game's future.
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