Baseball Knowledge

I've no real sports knowledge overall.  I don't play sports (besides going to the batting cages and now bowling, which I will hopefully do regularly), and I hardly ever watch sports on TV.  I played baseball and football when I was a little one, but nothing in high school or even jr. high school. 

I don't usually read the sports news, keep up with the the sports figures, the teams, the books, etc. 

But, I do know much more about baseball, the rules, and how to play effectively thanks to MLB 06: The Show that I play constantly on my PSP.

For example- something I just learned of the game…bunting isn't just the useless idea I always thought it was.  This is what I assume from playing the game, and hearing the reaction from the announcers on the game…and seeing the results in my scoring. 

Bunting is most often used not to get the actual bunter on bag, but to advance a runner somewhere else on base.  If you have a runner on first base, the next batter runs the risk of a double play- the runner from first to second will cause a force out at second and there's always a force out at first on a hit. 

So, you can have a runner on first and bunt to move that runner over 90 feet…even tho the bunter himself is tagged out.  He sacrifices an out to get a man in scoring position (a runner on second or third is considered to be in "scoring position.")  So, tho it seems like a wasted at-bat, it's actually an effective and worthwhile move…especially if you've only 1 out. 

I learned the phrase "suicide squeeze" as well.  This is when you bunt to get a runner on third into score at home.  There are many factors involved with this, and it's not always easy to pull off for various reasons.  First- a squeeze attempt depends on how many outs you have and where the runners are.  If you have 1 out and a runner on first and a bunt- you can more easily throw to second then onto first for the double play.  Then again, when a man bunts, there's little chance you're going to get the double as it is- so the squeeze could work no matter. 

Also- you have to think of what the defense will do.  If you surprise them with a late squeeze attempt (you throw the bat out to bunt at the last second), you increase your chances of getting the man home…because the pitcher or catcher, depending on how far the bunt goes and to which side of the field it flies to, has to get to it and decide whether to throw to get the force out at first or throw home and hope the man covering the plate will tag the runner out. 

It usually helps to have the runner in motion…this way, the runner has a running start to make it past the man covering home plate. 

You have to decide, depending on how many outs you have, what the defense will do.  Also, the score of the game comes into play.  If the defensive team is winning and it's early in the game, they might sacrifice one run scored in on a squeeze just to get the force out at first base.  If there are no outs, they might be more likely to go for the force out and let the run score just to get out of the inning and back on offense quicker. 

On the other hand- if the defensive team is down, their goal is to keep more runs from scoring.  That means, whoever gets to the bunt is more likely to throw home to tag out the runner.  They run the risk of not getting home in time and losing both the possible out at the plate AND the force out at first base. 

I should also note- when choosing where to throw after picking up a bunted ball- you want to make sure that the runners aren't on 3rd or second.  So, if you get the ball quickly on a bunt, throw to 3rd base and make sure the only runner on the bags is on first- meaning you've made sure no man is in scoring position.  This all depends on how fast the baserunners are, how much of a lead off they had, if they were in motion from the start, etc.  Point is tho- make sure you don't have men in scoring position, because a man on 3rd means a simple single hit will easily bring him home most of the time. 

Overall, I've learned that the bunt IS effective and with little information, the act itself might seem pointless- I mean, the guy hardly ever bunts and gets on base, so he's sacrificing an out…but in baseball, the goal isn't always to get on base yourself.  Sometimes, the goal is to move other baserunners forward…runs are what count, and the further a man is around the bases, the better position your team is in period.  It always seemed to be an overall ineffective move to bunt, but it turns out- when done right, the bunt is, indeed, a very effective at-bat. 

Oh, and one final tip on the squeeze attempt- if you have 2 runners on and you try this, and the pitcher or catcher actually catch the ball- you're totally screwed…think about it.  If you're going to attempt the suicide squeeze, you're going to have the baserunners in motion, and if that's the case, they're probably not going to expect the bunt to be caught (it usually isn't.)…so, when it IS caught, they'll have blown so far past the previous bag, they'll have barely any chance to make it back in time to avoid the very rare, but very devastating triple play.