Bunt (baseball) - Fielding Bunts

Fielding Bunts

Fielding a bunt is often more difficult than fielding a regularly batted ball. Bunts are often hit slowly, so fielders must charge the ball to get to it quickly, in order to throw out a runner in time. Well-placed bunts sometimes can be impossible to field, and often go as base hits. The main idea in bunting for a base hit is to hit the ball fast enough to get it by the pitcher, but slow enough to not give the other infielders enough time to make a play. Bunting a ball into no-man's land — the triangle between the locations of the pitcher, first baseman, and second baseman, and between the pitcher, catcher and third baseman, — often succeeds because of confusion among the fielders as to which should field the ball and which should receive the throw to first base. It is common for all three fielders to try to field the ball, and for nobody to cover the bag, or for no one to try to field the ball, assuming someone else will handle it. Teams often use a rotation play to defend against the bunt: the first baseman will charge the bunt and the second baseman "rotates" out of his usual position to cover first base and receive the throw. The shortstop covers the base the advancing runner is headed towards.