Sacrifice bunts aren’t supposed to be a secret. But somewhere in the tangle of some (not all) baseball instructions, the sacrifice bunt became as secret as the development of the atomic bomb. Well… not quite, but you get the idea. What evidence do I have of what you say?
1. Batters squaring up to bunt when the pitcher releases the ball.
2. Runners who are eliminated first because they try to make a good jump.
3. Improper hit location on the field due to panic to get the bat in the zone.
There is a good start.
I’m saying that the sacrifice bunt is no secret. In fact, I used to coach a team that had a hard time picking up cues from our third base coach. So we changed the signal to an audible one. It was, “Hey, Johnny, touch the ball!” We got some weird looks here and there, but he got the job done. Some great high-level baseball instruction, huh.
So if the offense knows it’s bunting and the defense knows the offense is bunting, where does the offense bunt?
Scenario #1: Runner alone on first base. No outs (don’t touch with one out please)
The batter stands to bunt when the pitcher moves into the set position. Now everyone in the park knows. Ah, time to relax, the rabbit is out of the hat! The batter bunts (strike only, please!) the ball to the first base side of the diamond.
Why?
Because the first baseman will hold the runner down and not charge unless he is tagged hard. If he charges, this means the second baseman must move quickly to get to first base. The third baseman will enter when the batter squares up. Touching the ball next to third base is not recommended.
Scenario #2: Runners on first and second base. No outs (don’t touch with one out please)
The batter squares up to tag again when the pitcher moves into the set position. The batter bunts (strikes only) the ball to the third base side of the diamond.
Why?
Because the third baseman will stay close to the bag in case there’s a play there. The first baseman will charge as soon as the batter squares up to bunt. Touching the ball on the first base side is not recommended.
And that is. There are no top secret baseball instructions, baseball drills, or lure signs. It is straight. If the player executes a proper bunt, the sacrifice will be successful.
