Overview
A bunt is a batting technique in which the batter holds the bat still and taps the ball softly into the infield. It serves as the foundation for multiple tactical plays: the sacrifice bunt to advance a runner, the safety bunt to reach base, and the squeeze play to score a runner from third. NPB has traditionally placed great emphasis on bunting. The sacrifice bunt in particular has been regarded as the hallmark of 'connected baseball' - a reliable tactic for moving runners into scoring position. High school baseball programs drill bunting technique exhaustively, and that culture carries into the professional ranks. However, sabermetric analysis has prompted a significant reassessment of the sacrifice bunt's value. Statistical evidence shows that bunting with no outs and a runner on first often reduces run expectancy, raising the question of whether surrendering an out to advance a runner is worthwhile. Sacrifice bunt frequency has plummeted in MLB and is declining in NPB as well. That said, situations remain where bunting is optimal - pitcher at-bats, squeeze plays in close late-inning scenarios - and the debate over bunting's merits reflects a broader tension in baseball between data and tradition, rationality and aesthetics.