Controversy Over Trying to Win

[Edgy MD]

With Baltimore down 7-0 in the ninth, Chance Cisco dug in against José Berrios. Berrios had been cruising with a one-hitter, with Cisco the author of that one HIT.

So Minnesota shifted all their infielders to the right, and Cisco layed a bunt down toward third base. Apparently, that wasn't a very manly thing to do, because it kicked up the stupidest controversy ever.

Let me go on record. If teams are super-shifting against the Mets, go ahead and bunt-bunt-bunt. If the Mets are super-shifting against other teams, go ahead and bunt-bunt-bunt.

Play baseball. Play to win.

[Fman99]

No one ever said professional athletes are smart.

[A Boy Named Seo]

Incredibly st00pid. It's like a millennial version of unwritten rules, because 25 years ago, they prob wouldn't overshift for this kid to begin with, so the bunt never would've happened. The quotes from the Twins guys are idiotic.

[seawolf17]

This drives me BANANAS. Why were you shifting, Twins? To stop the guy from getting on base. Well, he beat you and got on base. So screw you.

[Edgy MD]

It drives me bananas that guys aren't bunting against the shift all the bloody time.

Are we really supposed to just shrug and say "well done" when Jay Bruce rips a liner into right and gets thrown out by an infielder playing 100 feet into the outfield?

[seawolf17]

Edgy MD wrote: It drives me bananas that guys aren't bunting against the shift all the bloody time. Are we really supposed to just shrug and say "well done" when Jay Bruce rips a liner into right and gets thrown out by an infielder playing 100 feet into the outfield?

Exactly. Let the Dudas of the world practice bunting and just drop one down that line every goddamn time. That's why I hate the possibility of "legislating against the shift." NO NO NO. If the defense wants to shift, let them; you just try to beat them and they'll stop.

[batmagadanleadoff]

seawolf17 wrote: That's why I hate the possibility of "legislating against the shift." NO NO NO. If the defense wants to shift, let them; you just try to beat them and they'll stop.

The bosses running the game today, with their lunatic extra inning idea in the lab, are likelier to legislate to ban bunting against a shift, if anything. And bunting? Batters should be check swinging against the shift. They'd be on second base when the dust settles.

[Edgy MD]

Playing the game right is such a white guy, soft-focus, Texas Godlight notion, where guys in power get to decide after the fact what's not playing the game right. It's pretty discouraging to hear Latinos like Berrios and Rosario talking it up.

[nymr83]

This is really dumb.

[Fman99]

Turbo stupid.

[Zvon]

Edgy MD wrote: Let me go on record. If teams are super-shifting against the Mets, go ahead and bunt-bunt-bunt. If the Mets are super-shifting against other teams, go ahead and bunt-bunt-bunt. Play baseball. Play to win.

Bunting is part of the game, it's really as simple as that. If a team takes away the normal holes in the infield, make your own.

[Zvon]

A Boy Named Seo wrote: Incredibly st00pid. It's like a millennial version of unwritten rules, because 25 years ago, they prob wouldn't overshift for this kid to begin with, so the bunt never would've happened. The quotes from the Twins guys are idiotic.

Yea, this^

[dgwphotography]

When that happened, I turned to LittleDGW, and told her everyone should do that against that stupid shift.

[Frayed Knot]

And, btw, that bunt led to the Pirates loading the bases in that inning. Now it was a 7-0 game at the time and ultimately ended that way so it's not like the game was in imminent danger of getting away
from the Twins, but if you're Pitt the only way you even have a prayer of getting back in the game is to get baserunners, and that's what they did.

It's like the old line from the manager of a running team about not stealing in games when you're either up or down so many runs.
'Hey, my runners will stop running just as soon as your HR-hitters stop trying to hit HRs'

[ashie62]

On the sandlot we used to play "call your field" baseball.

Is this what MLB is coming to?

Speaking of this stuff Gabe Kapler is in town.

[dgwphotography]

What killed me is that the next batter swung and grounded out right into the shift. He should have bunted down the third base line, too