When first learning the sport of baseball, you typically learn that there are two kinds of bunts: sacrifice bunts, and bunts for a base hit. In fact, there are more kinds of bunts than only those two. I like to call these kinds of bunts specialty bunts, simply because they’re only used in certain situations if a player believes it is necessary. Most of these bunts are not as easy to accomplish than the conventional bunt, but if you execute it correctly, it could possibly pay off big time. These types of bunts are normally made use of in very important situations during a baseball game and therefore they must be learned so that if you are ever called upon to perform, you are able to with confidence.
Drag Bunt: This style of bunt is primarily used by left-handed batters mainly because it is a whole lot more effective. However, you can certainly make use of this bunt if you are right-handed, however it will not be quite as effective. The goal of the drag bunt is to get on base, not to sacrifice a runner to the next base. To execute this bunt, you need to wait until the last moment possible to show your intention to bunt and bunt the ball to the same side of the field as you bat (left-handed hitters to first, right-handed batters to the third base side). The trick (especially for left-handed batters) is to start moving towards first base at the same time as you bunt the ball, which is certainly a lot trickier than it sounds! This movement saves valuable time and may make the difference between you being safe and you being called out at first base on a bang-bang play.
Push Bunt: Ordinarily, once a bunt is revealed, the second baseman will go and cover first base while the pitcher, 3rd baseman, and 1st baseman all attempt to field the bunt. The objective of a push bunt is to get a hit by bunting or “pushing” the ball hard past the charging fielders towards where the 2nd baseman would normally stand (but remember, he is over covering first, not covering his regular location). This leaves nobody to field your bunt in time to throw you out at first if you are a half-decent runner. To execute this bunt, you need to push the ball as you’re bunting it. Generally this is a no-no while bunting as you’re supposed to “catch” the baseball with the bat, but in this instance you need to put some power on the bunt to push it past the mound and towards the second base position.
Suicide Squeeze: The objective of the suicide squeeze would be to score a base runner from third, mostly performed with one out. With this particular bunt, you don’t care if you’re called out or safe at first base so long as the base runner scores. With this bunt, as soon as the pitcher commits, the base runner at third base should break to steal home and then it is the hitter’s job to lay the bunt down ideally away from home plate so the base runner can’t be tagged out. This kind of bunt is a do-or-die. As the batter, if you want to protect your runner from almost certain doom, you have to get the bunt down, even if this would mean bunting a bad pitch.
Hopefully, by knowing (and practicing) these various types of bunts, you will be able to execute them during a game whenever your team needs you to. Even though bunting is not usually the thrilling part of hitting, it could be if you execute during the right moments. It is all about doing what you are able to help your team win, and bunting is a significant aspect of doing that. Knowing how to bunt well is a enormous advantage that coaches and scouts look for in a player. Be sure that you do not slack off and learn how to bunt well, as it’s going to be worthwhile later!
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