A No-No during a "No-No"

[beantownbruins]

So I was playing a franchise (fantasy draft) game last night and was pitching a no-hitter with Derek Lowe. Up comes Chone Figgins (who I love in real life) and he lays a bunt down the 3rd base line!!! Of course he placed it perfectly right between my 3rd baseman who was charging in, my pitcher who was coming over, and my catcher who was charging out. It went for an infield single.

Now, I know the computer isn't trained in baseball ethics but I wanted to get some opinions on this. If you were being no-hit would you drop a bunt down to try and get your fist hit? Or better yet, if in real life your team was being no-hit, would you want them to try and drop a bunt down for the first hit of the game. My feeling is that if it is after the start of the 5th inning...HELL NO! There is just something cheap in my opinion about doing that. What do you guys think?

[The Amaizen Blue]

Re: A No-No during a "No-No"

Figgens always bunts against me. Regardless of what inning and how many hits they have

It wouldn't be so cheap if the catcher could throw the ball without stopping and planting his feet first... That's what's annoying. Automatic single.

[spitoon]

Re: A No-No during a "No-No"

He gets one in the ear hole next time if it's me.

[CabreraMVP]

Re: A No-No during a "No-No"

I Think the unwritten Baseball rules are BS in no hitters.

What is so special about a no hitter if the guys hitting in the late innings aren't trying to get hits???

Let's say you got a kid trying to make a name for himself in the majors, trying to stay with the big league club, how can you expect him not to try to get on base anyway he can? He's trying to stay alive in the majors. Lets say he has speed and whoever is on the mound is just unhittable. This guy has all the right in the world to lay down a bunt and try to get on base. That's his game. He's got to show the manager what he can do. Let say they are down 5-0. A 5 run comeback starts with 1 run. They are trying to win the game.

No hitters wouldn't be very special if the offensive team had to lay down like dogs in the 6th inning and just totally give up. They are trying to win the game and get hits. And once the batter is restricted by "the unwritten rules" you've lost all integrity.

[treyraq]

Re: A No-No during a "No-No"

What inning was it, and what was the score?

[TheSoutherner1405]

Re: A No-No during a "No-No"

I Think the unwritten Baseball rules are BS in no hitters.

What is so special about a no hitter if the guys hitting in the late innings aren't trying to get hits???

Let's say you got a kid trying to make a name for himself in the majors, trying to stay with the big league club, how can you expect him not to try to get on base anyway he can? He's trying to stay alive in the majors. Lets say he has speed and whoever is on the mound is just unhittable. This guy has all the right in the world to lay down a bunt and try to get on base. That's his game. He's got to show the manager what he can do. Let say they are down 5-0. A 5 run comeback starts with 1 run. They are trying to win the game.

No hitters wouldn't be very special if the offensive team had to lay down like dogs in the 6th inning and just totally give up. They are trying to win the game and get hits. And once the batter is restricted by "the unwritten rules" you've lost all integrity.

Exactly.

[tessl]

Re: A No-No during a "No-No"

I Think the unwritten Baseball rules are BS in no hitters.

What is so special about a no hitter if the guys hitting in the late innings aren't trying to get hits???

Let's say you got a kid trying to make a name for himself in the majors, trying to stay with the big league club, how can you expect him not to try to get on base anyway he can? He's trying to stay alive in the majors. Lets say he has speed and whoever is on the mound is just unhittable. This guy has all the right in the world to lay down a bunt and try to get on base. That's his game. He's got to show the manager what he can do. Let say they are down 5-0. A 5 run comeback starts with 1 run. They are trying to win the game.

No hitters wouldn't be very special if the offensive team had to lay down like dogs in the 6th inning and just totally give up. They are trying to win the game and get hits. And once the batter is restricted by "the unwritten rules" you've lost all integrity.

I remember when the Cardinals were up a few runs in the 80's and one of their speedsters stole a base the other manager complained that was against the "unwritten rule". Whitey Herzog said "You tell your home run hitters to stop trying to hit home runs and I'll tell my base stealers to stop stealing bases".

[chrishthomas]

Re: A No-No during a "No-No"

I'll lead off with this caveat...seeing it done in this game would be very frustrating because drag bunts especially those fielded by the catcher on the 3rd base side are virtually impossible to defend due to the slow plant-turn-and-throw catcher animation. However...

All things being equal...perfectly legitimate move, especially if the game is still close. If it is a blow out, and getting a runner on (or even scoring a run) won't really make a difference, then it's a bit iffy. But, bottom line, these guys are professionals, it is their job to get on base and help their team win. If I think I can beat out a bunt, I'm laying it down. If you are pitching and you know I'm capable of doing it, then get your third baseman playing in.

This topic comes up a lot in discussions about no-hitters and baseball etiquette. Nolan Ryan was known to be a curmudgeon when it came to this, and thought it was particularly disrespectful. However, Jim Palmer, Goose Gossage, and Bert Blyleven were on an ESPN forum once and all echoed my remarks above.

Gossage went so far as to say, "Usually a no-hitter is a tight ballgame, and they're trying to beat you. You need baserunners, and I can't blame the opposition for trying to get on base. If the game is out of reach, then it's a different story. I would take offense to that. I'd drill the SOB. 'If you want to get on base, here, I'll put you on base.' ''

No-hitters are special feats...think about the Sunday afternoon dinner conversation at the Crandall's house back in 1918, when Doc's no-hitter bid for the Los Angeles Angels was broken up with two outs in the 9th by his brother Karl. Granted it was a sharp single, not a bunt, but if your own brother won't lay down and give it you, don't expect anyone else to either.

[Marino]

Re: A No-No during a "No-No"

I had a similiar situation. I was in the 7th with a no hitter being thrown by Ted Lilly. Dexter Folwer bunted and got on base, I was so pissed, next time he came up, he got one in the dome from Broxton.

[beantownbruins]

Re: A No-No during a "No-No"

This is what I was hoping for because everyone has a different opinion. I love it. I just thought it would be a fun topic to discuss.

What inning was it, and what was the score?

It was a 3-0 game in the 6th inning with 1 out. I had walked 2 in the game, and Figgins was the leadoff hitter (not of the inning, of the game). Also there was no one on base at the time.

[Segagendude]

Re: A No-No during a "No-No"

This happened in real life a couple years ago. I wanna say one of the teams was the D-Backs, and I forget the other one.

Anyway, the guy who laid down the successful bunt to break up the no-no was destroyed on sports talk radio for "breaking the code", even though it was something like a 2-0 score, and I think it was in the later innings. A small number of fans took up for him and said "he's trying to help his team win", but an overwhelming majority of fans were saying how bush the play was....

Anybody recall what I'm talking about?

[beantownbruins]

Re: A No-No during a "No-No"

This happened in real life a couple years ago. I wanna say one of the teams was the D-Backs, and I forget the other one.

Anyway, the guy who laid down the successful bunt to break up the no-no was destroyed on sports talk radio for "breaking the code", even though it was something like a 2-0 score, and I think it was in the later innings. A small number of fans took up for him and said "he's trying to help his team win", but an overwhelming majority of fans were saying how bush the play was....

Anybody recall what I'm talking about?

Wasn't that against Schilling? Who, by the way, is my favorite pitcher of all time lol.

[BlingBling19]

Re: A No-No during a "No-No"

If it's a close game I would venture most teams ignore the code. I mean if it's a 1 or 2 run game then that bunt hit brings up the tying or go ahead run.

Now if the game is like 7 or 8 to nothing or something then sure that would be against the code.

I have had most of my no hit bids ended because of bunts by the cpu.

[cardsleadtheway]

Re: A No-No during a "No-No"

So I was playing a franchise (fantasy draft) game last night and was pitching a no-hitter with Derek Lowe. Up comes Chone Figgins (who I love in real life) and he lays a bunt down the 3rd base line!!! Of course he placed it perfectly right between my 3rd baseman who was charging in, my pitcher who was coming over, and my catcher who was charging out. It went for an infield single.

Now, I know the computer isn't trained in baseball ethics but I wanted to get some opinions on this. If you were being no-hit would you drop a bunt down to try and get your fist hit? Or better yet, if in real life your team was being no-hit, would you want them to try and drop a bunt down for the first hit of the game. My feeling is that if it is after the start of the 5th inning...HELL NO! There is just something cheap in my opinion about doing that. What do you guys think?

Did the announcers mention it at all? The reason I ask is that if the announcers are aware of the situation, which is the case for a lot of various game situations, then I have to wonder if he was programmed to do it just to start this kind of conversation.

[beantownbruins]

Re: A No-No during a "No-No"

Did the announcers mention it at all? The reason I ask is that if the announcers are aware of the situation, which is the case for a lot of various game situations, then I have to wonder if he was programmed to do it just to start this kind of conversation.

No, they just said something to the effect of "And there it is, the first hit of the game." I don't remember the exact words as I was throwing stuff at my TV (just kidding). That would have been cool if they had mentioned something though.