That may be true, but standing on the right side of the plate, a bunt should go left, just based on physics.
It's not hard if guys want to do it. Most don't though. It's not sexy, but would end shifts if pro hitters checked their ego and started doing it.
Definitely easier to get a hit by hitting/bunting it where there are zero defenders than it is by hitting into 9. Maybe they should take some time out of their day jobs to practice doing that. Maybe even enlist the help of the batting coaches who are paid to help with just that type of thing.
It would make for a better game if you banned the shift, period. It's the same reason there is a defensive 3 seconds in the NBA.
Also the problem with the 3 pa rule for pitchers reared its ugly head. Genesis Cabrera hit Bryce Harper in the face, clearly unintentionally, then hit the next guy, with his first 2 pitches. Clearly had no control over his stuff. Girardi lost his shit and got tossed which I partly understand and partly don’t, there’s no question that the guy just had no idea where it was going and probably should’ve been pulled after Harper but had to face a third batter too. No one was served by this situation
I did some research, because I don't want to just fall into a trap of "this is how it should be" on the shift. And when reading about what some of these hitters are saying, I am going "wtf??" "Doubles are better than singles, so I am going to not hit opposite the shift and simply get on first when there is a smaller chance I will get a double or HR" is what it all boiled down to. They gave statistics and analytics, talked about how that is how they were taught, etc. I just don't get that mentality. I guess I am stuck in the past and that is where I should just stay. But it sure seems like it has sucked all of the joy and artistry out of the game. Kind of like what deChambeau is trying to do with golf. Like I said, perhaps my day has passed me by for sports.
So Baltimores pitcher yesterday threw a no -hit, no-walk, no-hit-batter, 27 plate appearance no-hitter. Only reason it wasn’t a perfect game is because a batter reached on a missed third strike. And then got caught stealing.
