Is a foul bunt with two strikes an out?
A bunt fouled off with two strikes is strike three, the same as a swing and miss -- and it doesn't matter that no one caught it.
You probably know my opinion by now: I hardly ever bunt. But if you do, it’s important to know that strike three works differently when the bat’s out in front.
A foul ball with two strikes is normally nothing. The count stays where it is, and the batter swings again. A bunt is the exception. If he fouls it off with two strikes, it’s strike three, the same as a swing and miss. The catcher doesn’t have to catch it.
Let’s put a runner on second with no outs. Your hitter squares and fouls one off, then squares again and fouls off another. Now it’s 0-2, and you flash the bunt one more time. He pops it foul. He’s out.
Why have the rule at all? Without it, a batter could bunt foul all day and never be retired. So a foul bunt counts as a strike at any count.
As for what counts as a bunt, the bat is held out to tap the ball rather than swung. If he pulls the bat back and the pitch hits it anyway, that’s simply a foul ball. If he fakes the bunt and then takes a half swing, that’s a swing. The umpire decides which one he saw, and he’s watching the bat (not the hitter’s face).
A foul tip on a two-strike bunt attempt is strike three, too.
If the bunt attempt ticks the ball straight back into the catcher’s mitt and he holds it, that’s a foul tip. Either way, the batter is out.
With two strikes, I’d take the bunt off and let him swing unless you have a player who can lay one down in his sleep — and most 12-year-olds can’t. Otherwise, accept that you just spent an out on a gamble.
Do you still put the bunt on with two strikes?
Which rulebook? Official Baseball Rules 5.09(a)(4): the batter is out when he bunts foul on the third strike. NFHS says the same thing, and so do USSSA, Perfect Game and Little League, all of which follow the pro rule here. It's one of the few rules every rulebook agrees on.
Two strikes. The batter squares, sees a bad pitch and pulls the bat back. The pitch clips the bat anyway and goes foul. What is it?
Still have a question? Ask Coach Fungo.
“Before you flash the bunt at 0-2, make sure your hitter knows a foul ball is strike three.”
What counts as a catch?
A catch is secure possession in the hand or glove, plus letting go on purpose. How long he held it and whether he juggled it first don't matter, but a ball stuck in his cap isn't a catch.
“Squeeze it, then throw it. Do it in that order and you'll never have this argument.”
Can a runner be tagged after overrunning first base?
A batter can run through first base and come back safely, whichever way he turns. He only loses that protection if he tries for second, and a turn by itself isn't a try.
“Watch his feet, not his eyes. Did he go toward second, or did he just look?”
The rules quiz
Ten questions, two minutes. Would you have gotten the call right?
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