You might need observed a surfeit of bunting on this postseason, or at the very least it appeared that means as a result of Geraldo Perdomo was within the World Collection. I, the person who launched an impromptu Bunt Week two months in the past, couldn’t let the chance go to take a seat in judgment of those bunts.
We regularly decry the sacrifice bunt as a pointless waste of outs, however a bunt for a success may be one of the audacious, expert performs within the sport, as lovely in its personal means as a light-tower dwelling run. The truth is, each bunt is distinctive and fantastic, and so every have to be examined — all 26 of them — for procedural and results-based worth, tactical and strategic context, in addition to aesthetic worth. These are simply the 26 bunts that resulted in motion, in keeping with Baseball Savant, so be warned: failed bunt makes an attempt should not featured. If you happen to’re on the lookout for that failed Trea Turner push bunt in Sport 7 of the NLCS, you’ll not discover it right here. (Although for the file, I didn’t hate it.)
Allow us to decide the bunts.
26. Jose Altuve pops out to Jordan Montgomery with runners on the corners and two out within the prime of the fifth inning of Sport 5 of the ALCS, with the Astros main 1-0.
Altuve is a good bunter usually, however this was an absolute shame. With two outs, there’s no worth to a sacrifice. With a runner on third, he has to get the ball far-off from the plate with a purpose to allow Kyle Tucker to attain, however with a drive play at second there’s no state of affairs through which an infielder fields the ball and appears round ready for an thought to happen to him whereas Altuve scurries to first.
That is additionally, it bears mentioning, Houston’s second-best hitter laying one down with two males on in a one-run sport. Whereas he’s forward within the rely, on a pitch that was exterior the strike zone. He must be making an attempt to pile runs on, not play tiddly-winks whereas the sport hangs within the stability. I can’t even give Altuve credit score for getting the bunt down, as a result of the bunt, resembling it’s, flops over proper in entrance of Jonah Heim, who throws him out by like 10 toes. Of all 26 bunts, this had the second-worst Win Likelihood Added, at minus-.055. What a nightmare. I detest it with all my coronary heart and soul.
25. Jose Siri pops out to Jordan Montgomery with runners on the corners and one out within the backside of the second inning of Sport 1 of the AL Wild Card Collection, with the Rays trailing 1-0.
An exceptional play by Montgomery, who was on the receiving finish of 4 of those bunts. That is smart, as a result of there have been undoubtedly instances this postseason when it felt like Montgomery was the one pitcher on this planet.
However had Monty not laid out, Nathaniel Lowe would’ve made this catch in his sleep, as a result of this can be a deplorable bunt, the one another damaging to the hitting staff’s trigger than Altuve’s. Siri takes a pitch means up within the zone and pops it proper up into the air. By no means thoughts that, that is one other runners-at-the-corners scenario pretty early in an in depth sport. A squeeze bunt is a troublesome play, notably as Curtis Mead, the runner on third, isn’t precisely Billy Hamilton.
Siri doesn’t have the plate self-discipline God gave a sea urchin, however he’s obtained some energy. Sufficient that with a runner on third and fewer than two outs, maybe the good choice is to attempt to hit the ball into the outfield and get the run dwelling — maybe he may even have put a ball within the hole and scored two. Two runs, by the way, is as many because the Rays have scored, in whole, throughout their final two postseason appearances.
24. Ryan Jeffers hits right into a fielder’s alternative off Phil Maton with runners on the corners and one out within the prime of the fifth inning of Sport 2 of the ALDS, with the Twins main 5-0.
This isn’t solely Jeffers’ fault. He will get the bunt all the way down to the third base aspect of the mound towards a right-handed pitcher. However he will get a little bit an excessive amount of of it, and Maton doesn’t actually fall off the mound in any respect; he ends his supply balanced and in good fielding place. Maton is on it so rapidly that on first viewing, I assumed Royce Lewis had made an inexplicable resolution to wander away of third base moderately than happening contact.
However, it rapidly turns right into a farce. Maton almost overthrows Alex Bregman at third, and a little bit of momentary confusion by the Astros nearly results in Lewis sneaking dwelling. It didn’t find yourself mattering, because the Twins had been already up 5-0, however that raises the query: Why are the Twins calling for a squeeze play up 5 runs? Certainly that’s only a bit too cute. Not essentially the most damaging play, however a very hideous one.
23. Willi Castro pops out off Cristian Javier with no person on and two out within the backside of the second inning of Sport 3 of the ALDS, with the Twins trailing 4-0.
(spits on the bottom in disgust)
I’ve some sympathy for Castro, who was merely making an attempt to achieve base towards Javier, who to that time had allowed one hit in his earlier 12 postseason innings, and simply 15 hits in 34 1/3 postseason innings for his profession. It’s the form of scenario the place it’s comprehensible to be out of concepts on the second pitch of your first at-bat of the sport.
However I can not abide a bunt being popped up like that. Bunting for a success with two outs and the underside of the lineup arising is a fairly low-upside play anyway. No less than get the rattling factor down and in truthful territory.
22. Gabriel Moreno sacrifice bunts towards Nathan Eovaldi with runners on first and second and no person out within the backside of the third inning of Sport 5 of the World Collection, with the rating tied 0-0.
Earlier than I sat all the way down to put this column collectively, I wrote down related details about every bunt in a spreadsheet. My notes on this play, in full: “WTF.”
By way of the stakes and the end result, bunting right here was in all probability the most important unforced error of your entire postseason. Once more, it’s too early within the sport to play for one run. Moreno is both Arizona’s third- or fourth-best hitter, relying on how a lot you need to debit Christian Walker for wanting so misplaced on the plate Kermit the Frog popped out from behind him to ask if he’s tried Hare Krishna. With two males on and no person out, Moreno is the man you need up there to bang a ball into the hole and break the sport open.
Greater than that, Moreno had by no means laid down a profitable sacrifice bunt at any stage in his complete skilled profession. A tied elimination sport within the World Collection is kind of a time and place to experiment.
So why isn’t this no. 26? As a result of first and second with no person out is one of the best base-out state for a sacrifice bunt, one of many few situations through which it’s principally value-neutral if you wish to rating a number of runs. And Moreno obtained the bunt down.
21. Michael A. Taylor grounds out towards Yusei Kikuchi to guide off the underside of the fifth inning of Sport 2 of the AL Wild Card Collection, with the Twins main 2-0.
I don’t hate the concept, however I hate the execution. Quick runner, main off an inning, get on base by any means mandatory. And with a two-run lead within the fifth, you possibly can afford to threat spending an out on a raffle. Taylor obtained the bunt down, however he hit it means too exhausting, into the course Kikuchi was coming off the mound. Extra concerningly, he hit it straight to Matt Chapman, who makes this play 10 instances out of 10, even when he’s holding a turkey sandwich in his throwing hand.
20. Daulton Varsho sacrifice bunts off Sonny Grey with runners on first and second and one out within the prime of the second inning of Sport 2 of the AL Wild Card Collection, with the rating tied 0-0.
Varsho is a wonderful bunter, and you could possibly inform the sacrifice bunt was a fallback plan right here; the goal was for him to get on base. A “sac-cidentally-on-purpose” bunt, if you’ll. However he doesn’t place it that effectively and will get thrown out simply; the ball both has to get previous Grey or keep nearer to the road to ensure that Varsho to have a shot at reaching. And shifting the runners up is much less helpful when the subsequent hitter comes up with two outs as an alternative of 1. Disappointing execution of an detached thought.
19. Geraldo Perdomo sacrifice bunts towards Ranger Suárez with a runner on first on and one out within the prime of the fifth inning of Sport 7 of the NLCS, with the Diamondbacks trailing 2-1.
Perdomo was this postseason’s most prolific bunter, with six. No one else had greater than two. This one is ok. If Perdomo had been the long-lasting English post-grunge band Bush, this bunt can be his Razorblade Suitcase. (Lower than a 3rd of the best way into this listing and the popular culture references are already bouncing off of all-time low.) It will get a runner into scoring place with one out for the highest of the lineup, however it’s detached, a lackluster ball bounced straight to Suárez, an distinctive defender, and provides Perdomo no likelihood to achieve base himself. It leaves me chilly.
I don’t know if it’s truthful to place this on Perdomo, however this bunt was a part of the inning that gained the Diamondbacks the pennant, and it’s considered one of two outs Arizona made roughly on goal. (Moreno drew a throw on an RBI single to permit the go-ahead run to attain, however it ended the inning.) It appears like this inning may’ve been even larger than it was, not that anybody in Arizona is complaining in regards to the end result.
18. Evan Longoria sacrifice bunts off Jordan Montgomery with a runner on first and no person out within the prime of the third inning of Sport 2 of the World Collection, with the rating tied 0-0.
I’ve posited this concept earlier than, however I believe most sacrifice bunts are much less about tactical utility than they’re in regards to the supervisor needing to really feel like he’s in management. This isn’t soccer; a supervisor solely has just a few buttons to press, and generally when the second will get massive and he begins to freak out a little bit, he’ll press no matter button is on the market at that time limit. That’s how you find yourself with the Diamondbacks turning a runner on first and no person out right into a perfunctory bunt scenario by the point the World Collection rolled round, even when Longoria hadn’t laid a sac bunt down in 9 years.
The bunt itself is textbook, although. Good job by the previous man.
17. Brice Turang sacrifice bunts off Brandon Pfaadt with a runner on first and no person out within the backside of the second inning of Sport 2 of the NL Wild Card Collection, with the Brewers main 1-0.
I believe it’s too early to play for one run, within the second inning with an untested rookie on the mound. (We didn’t know then what Pfaadt would finally turn into this October.) I don’t just like the execution, straight again on the mound. It provides Turang no likelihood to drive an in depth play at first. It seems like a pitcher’s bunt from the Nineteen Nineties. However, Turang performed rather a lot for the Brewers this yr (137 video games) and was fairly dangerous on the plate (60 wRC+), so perhaps you simply take this as an alternative of risking a strikeout or a double play.
16. Lourdes Gurriel Jr., sacrifice bunts off Chris Stratton with a runner on first and no person out within the prime of the eighth inning of Sport 2 of the World Collection, with the Diamondbacks main 4-1.
Gurriel will get this ball up within the air, which displeases me, however he additionally pushes it far sufficient to the left aspect that Stratton has to make an ideal play on the ball to throw him out. I’ll name it a draw. Up three runs and chasing a fourth late within the sport, this bunt is a win chance unfavorable, however not by very a lot. It’s high quality.
15. Martín Maldonado sacrifice bunts off Sonny Grey with a runner on first and no person out within the prime of the second inning of Sport 3 of the ALDS, with the Astros main 4-0.
Mainly the one individuals who thought Maldonado must be within the lineup this postseason had been Maldonado himself and Astros skipper Dusty Baker. Throughout the motion, Fox play-by-play man Adam Amin calls Maldonado “top-of-the-line sacrifice bunters in baseball,” and with a 66 wRC+ in 117 video games, I ought to hope that may be the case. The Astros are already up massive, it’s early within the inning, and Maldonado is a double play threat. It’s a superbly defensible name, and he will get the person over simply.
14. Geraldo Perdomo sacrifice bunts off Bobby Miller with a runner on first and no person out within the prime of the second inning of Sport 2 of the NLDS, with the Diamondbacks main 3-0.
13. Geraldo Perdomo sacrifice bunts off Evan Phillips with a runner on first and no person out within the prime of the ninth inning of Sport 2 of the NLDS, with the Diamondbacks main 4-2.
12. Geraldo Perdomo sacrifice bunts off Andrew Heaney with a runner on first and no person out within the prime of the ninth inning of Sport 2 of the World Collection, with the Diamondbacks main 3-1.
11. Geraldo Perdomo sacrifice bunts off Nathan Eovaldi with runners on first and second and no person out within the third inning of Sport 1 of the World Collection, with the Rangers trailing 2-0.
These 4 bunts vary from businesslike to deft. You perceive why Perdomo does this so usually, as a result of he’s cash. I’ve determined, maybe unwisely, to increase the Bush metaphor; these bunts are The Science of Issues, Golden State, and Gavin Rossdale’s look within the Keanu Reeves Constantine movie.
The bunt off Miller isn’t something particular, however there’s some beautiful approach concerned within the bunts off each Phillips and Heaney. Perdomo drags the previous towards first base, and angles his bat fantastically to ensure the latter bunt truly will get down, although the pitch is up and out of the zone. (Are you listening, Jose Siri?)
The bunt off Eovaldi leads the group not as a result of the bunt itself is something particular, however as a result of I like bunting with runners on first and second greater than I like bunting with a single runner on first. With the Diamondbacks trailing, the context is likely to be a little bit of a wash, however it was early within the sport and having a runner on first with one out can nonetheless be a precursor to a giant inning.
10. Jorge Polanco sacrifice bunts off Framber Valdez with runners on first and second and no person out within the prime of the fifth inning of Sport 2 of the ALDS, with the Twins main 3-0.
Near a sac-cidentally-on-purpose bunt, as Polanco legs it out for an in depth play at first. However that doesn’t actually imply the bunt itself was particularly well-placed. Valdez will get on the ball rapidly sufficient that he has time to have a look at the lead runner headed for third, and hesitates whereas he thinks about throwing there. That hesitation lets Polanco get inside an extended step of reaching base.
Some contextual circumstances put this bunt increased up on the listing. First, it did result in a giant inning. With these runners in scoring place, Lewis adopted with a stroll, then Carlos Correa plated them with a single. (The play after that was Jeffers’ fish-in-the-microwave play from earlier.) Second, of all of the sacrifice bunts on this postseason, this was the one play with a constructive WPA: 0.001.
9. Manuel Margot sacrifice bunts off Jordan Montgomery with a runner on first and no person out within the backside of the second inning of Sport 1 of the AL Wild Card Collection, with the Rays trailing 1-0.
As soon as once more, a fairly good bunt precedes a horrendous one, as Siri’s pop-out adopted later this inning. The Playoff Gumby Creation Fable appears to owe fairly a bit to the Rays’ propensity for making a gift of outs.
Margot obtained underneath this one a little bit, however it dropped in entrance of Montgomery, who was a little bit gradual getting off the mound and solely barely obtained the out. An exemplary sac-cidentally-on-purpose bunt. If I’ve a nit to select right here, it’s that I’d’ve moderately Margot pushed the ball to the opposite aspect of the mound, away from the place Montgomery’s momentum was taking him.
If Margot will get the ball over there, Lowe would’ve needed to make the play on it, drawing him off the bag, and second baseman Marcus Semien was nowhere close to a place the place he may cowl first. The pitch was on the skin a part of the plate anyway. Nonetheless, fairly strong.
8. Johan Rojas sacrifice bunts off Brandon Pfaadt with a runner on first and no person out within the backside of the third inning of Sport 7 of the NLCS, with the rating tied 1-1.
That is the Margot bunt, however with a quicker runner. With a right-handed pitcher on the mound, a push bunt takes Pfaadt’s momentum into the ball and makes for a better play, however the pitcher lets the ball drop for an additional bounce, which just about prices him the out. On one hop he in all probability may’ve thrown Rojas out with ease, however as an alternative he has to make an ungainly collect off the grass and it’s a bang-bang play.
I’d say Margot executed his bunt higher, however at the next alternative price. Margot is an above-average hitter towards lefties, whereas Rojas’ greatest likelihood of reaching towards a right-handed pitcher would possibly truly be a bunt. Nonetheless, should you needed to flip these two I wouldn’t argue.
7. Leody Taveras grounds out off Kevin Ginkel to guide off the highest of the eighth inning of Sport 5 of the World Collection, with the Rangers main 1-0.
A textbook bunt-for-hit. Price it from the no. 8 hitter in a one-run sport towards a reliever who hadn’t allowed a run all postseason. Taveras positioned it properly to the left aspect, drawing the 2 defenders into one another. Longoria needed to barehand the ball whereas Ginkel kind of hopped over his fingers, and Walker made a pleasant scoop on the opposite finish. And Taveras nonetheless nearly beat it out. Good thought, good execution, however the Diamondbacks snuffed it out.
6. Corbin Carroll grounds out off Cody Bradford to guide off the highest of the seventh inning of Sport 1 of the World Collection, with the Diamondbacks trailing 5-3.
Carroll can mash, so when he lays a bunt down he must get his cash’s price. This was a magnificence, a looping ball towards the pitcher’s momentum that flops down in no-man’s land. Bradford wanted to play it completely with a purpose to get the out, and sadly for Carroll, he did.
5. Corbin Carroll sacrifice bunts off Gregory Soto with a runner on second and no person out within the prime of the ninth inning of Sport 6 of the NLCS, with the Diamondbacks main 5-1.
Once more, forcing a left-handed pitcher to make a troublesome play towards his momentum. Soto solely barely will get a deal with on the ball in time to flip it to Bryce Harper for the out. This bunt has the added sac-cidentally-on-purpose good thing about shifting Perdomo to 3rd with one out in a four-run sport. (We’ll get to how Perdomo wound up on base in a second.) A fly ball from Ketel Marte would’ve scored Perdomo and put the Diamondbacks greater than a grand slam forward, making it a two-possession sport towards an offense that hit so many dwelling runs you begin saying issues like “two possession sport.”
In brief, it pays to be the quickest on a regular basis participant in baseball.
4. Christian Yelich singles off Kevin Ginkel to guide off the underside of the eighth inning of Sport 2 of the NL Wild Card Collection, with the Brewers trailing 5-2.
There are bunts towards the shift, after which there are bunts towards the shift. This one is a magnificence, a silky easy slice of cheesecake with a berry compote topping. Would you moderately have Yelich swing away, needing three runs in six outs to maintain the season going? Perhaps. However paradoxically, down three runs that late within the sport, the Brewers simply wanted baserunners. Yelich obtained one thing happening the primary pitch of the inning; that’s ok for me.
3. Jose Altuve singles off Pablo López to guide off the underside of the primary inning of Sport 2 of the ALDS, with the Astros trailing 1-0.
See, that is the Altuve bunt we had been anticipating. Once more, perhaps you need Altuve to take a shot on the Crawford Bins, however López is in a category of pitcher who’s so robust that any hitter is completely happy to achieve base off him via any means.
Additionally, this was a magnificence. Altuve noticed the infield again and dropped an ideal curler into the grass. Kyle Farmer gave up on the play earlier than the ball even obtained to him — that’s how you understand it was a great bunt.
2. Geraldo Perdomo singles off Gregory Soto, then advances to second on an error, to guide off the highest of the ninth inning of Sport 6 of the NLCS, with the Diamondbacks main 5-1.
Ah, Sixteeen Stone.
This was Perdomo’s solely bunt hit amongst six sacrifices, and he obtained the ball far sufficient away from J.T. Realmuto that Soto needed to make the play himself. By the point Soto obtained the throw off he was slipping and tumbling each which means. The throw was low, however maybe not unplayable for Harper if Perdomo had not been diving headfirst into first base simply because the ball arrived.
I don’t know if that’s why he left his toes, or if Harper would’ve been in a position to pluck the ball from between Perdomo’s legs had he stayed upright, however both means, the ball went out into proper discipline, and Perdomo was in a position to take an additional base as a memento. The capstone bunt by the 2023 postseason’s capstone bunter.
1. Ketel Marte singles off Bobby Miller with a runner on first and no person out within the prime of the primary inning of Sport 2 of the NLDS, with the rating tied 0-0.
That is pretty much as good a bunt as you’ll ever see in your life. To maneuver one seam of the ball can be to decrease it. Marte was within the first week of a spectacular postseason, however even a hitter as sizzling as he was can acknowledge when the Dodgers are leaving your entire left aspect of the infield open. Miller left the ball up within the zone, a troublesome pitch to bunt, however Marte knocked it into the bottom alongside the left aspect and singled with out drawing a throw.
Performs like this, they make me perceive why crotchety old-school sorts are the best way they’re. Not solely is that this bunt play efficient, it’s cheeky. It’s insouciant. And Marte makes it look so freaking simple, too. How may you view a bunt like that and never need to see it 3 times a sport? I admire an upper-deck homer as a lot as the subsequent man, however this? That is artwork.
Greater than that, it’s one of the best bunt of the 2023 postseason.