What is a Sacrifice Bunt? Definition and Examples
A sacrifice bunt is when a batter deliberately bunts to advance a runner, allowing himself to be thrown out — the batter is not charged with an at-bat in exchange for moving the runner.
What is a Sacrifice Bunt?
A sacrifice bunt (scored "SH" or "sac") occurs when a batter intentionally taps the ball softly in front of the plate so the defense's only realistic play is at first base, allowing a runner to advance — usually from first to second, or second to third. The batter gives himself up on purpose. In return, the official scorer does not charge him with an at-bat, so the play doesn't damage his batting average. It's one of baseball's oldest tactical trades: one out for one base.
How a Sacrifice Bunt is Scored and Measured
For a bunt to be scored a sacrifice rather than an ordinary at-bat, two conditions must hold: the batter is out (or would have been out without an error), and at least one runner advances a base. If the batter beats the throw for a hit, it's scored a hit, not a sacrifice. If the lead runner is thrown out, it's a fielder's choice. Sacrifice bunts appear in box scores as SH, and they count neither as at-bats nor as hits — a player who goes 0-for-2 with two sacrifice bunts keeps his batting average untouched. The key analytical lens is run expectancy: the RE24 framework compares the expected runs before and after the bunt.
Worked Example: The Math of the Sac
The classic scenario: runner on first, nobody out, in a close game. Historical run expectancy tables put that state at roughly 0.9 expected runs. After a successful sacrifice — runner on second, one out — expectancy drops to about 0.7 runs. The bunt *costs* expected runs on average, which is why sacrifice bunts by position players have collapsed: MLB teams laid down roughly 0.30 sac bunts per game in 1990 and under 0.10 per game by the mid-2020s. Where the bunt still survives: pitchers hitting in the National League before the universal DH (2022), and late-inning, one-run situations where the goal is a single run, not maximum runs — raising the probability of scoring *one* run even while lowering total expectancy.
Why the Sacrifice Bunt Matters
The sac bunt is the entry point to modern baseball strategy debates. It teaches the core sabermetric insight that outs are a finite currency — you get 27 per game — and spending one to move a runner 90 feet is usually a bad trade. Managers who bunt early with good hitters are giving away win probability; managers who bunt with a weak hitter in the ninth of a tie game may be making the correct call. For fantasy and simulation players, bunt tendency signals managerial style and affects how often weak hitters get platooned or pinch-hit for.
In Legends Deck: sacrifice bunt decisions appear in late-and-close simulation spots. Cards with high contact ratings and low power execute bunts more reliably, making scrappy contact hitters situationally valuable even when their overall card rating is modest.
Limitations and Common Misconceptions
The biggest misconception is that a sacrifice bunt is "free" because it doesn't hurt batting average — the hidden cost is the out, which is the scarcest resource in baseball. Another confusion: a sacrifice bunt is not the same as a sacrifice fly, which scores a run on a caught fly ball. And a bunt attempt that turns into a hit or a fielder's choice is not a sacrifice at all — intent doesn't matter to the scorer, only the outcome.