BUNTING IN BASEBALL

By doconnell •  Updated: 04/20/14 •  4 min read

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Bunting in baseball can win many games for your team. Have you ever watched a professional baseball player that cannot get a bunt down to help his team? It is extremely frustrating as a fan!

Professionals should be able to master the art of bunting, but that means even they MUST practice it often. In my eyes, ALL baseball players need to learn how to bunt early in their baseball career and it needs to be practiced on a very regular basis. In reality, bunting is an easy skill to learn for most baseball players, especially professionals!

NOTE TO ALL YOUTH BASEBALL COACHES:

Teaching the skill of bunting in baseball is a must and needs to be worked on whenever you practice hitting!

What is Bunting?

Answer: A bunt is a special type of offensive technique in baseball. In a bunt play, the batter loosely holds the bat in front of the plate and intentionally taps the ball into play.

How to Bunt

Here’s a tutorial of how to lay one down!

TYPES OF BUNTS

SACRIFICE BUNT

In a sacrifice bunt, the batter puts the ball in play with the intention of advancing a base-runner, in exchange for the batter being thrown out. The sacrifice bunt is most often used to advance a runner from first to second base, although the runner may also be advanced from second to third base, or from third to home. The sacrifice bunt is most often used in close games when a team is trying to squeak out the winning run.

A sacrifice bunt is not counted as an at-bat. In general, when sacrifice bunting, a batter will square to bunt well before the pitcher releases the ball.

Here is a quick tutorial on bunting:

BASE HIT BUNT (DRAG BUNT)

A batter may also bunt for a base hit. This is not a sacrifice bunt, because the batter is trying to reach base safely. A batter may try to bunt for a base hit while there are runners on base.

Often when attempting to bunt for a base hit, the batter will begin running as he is bunting the ball. This is called a drag bunt. Left-handed batters perform this more often than right-handed hitters, because their stance in the batter’s box is closer to first base, which means they have a better chance at reaching first base quicker.

Here is a quick tutorial on drag bunting:

Questions About Bunting In Baseball

What is bunting in baseball?

When do you bunt in baseball?

What is a drag bunt?

What is a push bunt?

Is a missed bunt a strike?

Do you have to make an attempt to get out of the way of a pitch?

Can you be hit by a pitch that bounces?

What happens if you lean into a pitch?

Can you strike out on a foul ball?

Does the batter have to move out of the way?

Baseball Situations Quiz

Do you know the essentials of baseball situations with runners on and the ball put in play? Take our baseball situations quiz and test your knowledge!

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