Unwritten rules make baseball less enjoyable

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Every couple of months, a conversation around the sports world features one of the most unnecessary topics: Unwritten Rules. 

And there is nothing more pointless than this debate. Let me preface that unwritten rules make more sense in youth sports. There’s no reason for teams to be full-court pressing while winning by 50 points or laying down bunts while winning by 10 runs. 

But in professional sports, this shouldn’t be an issue. Many years before I was born, some “old school” baseball folks decided that teams should stop trying to score runs at an undefined point to show good sportsmanship. Not only are the rules unwritten, but they are unclear. 

In a game against the San Diego Padres on last Tuesday, San Francisco Giants infielder Mauricio Dubón laid down a bunt with his team leading by nine runs. The Padres expressed their displeasure on the field and it carried over into the postgame.

“Our goal is not exclusively to win one game in a series. It’s to try to win the entire series,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said, according to CBS Sports. “Sometimes, that means trying to get a little deeper into the opposition’s ‘pen. I understand that many teams don’t love that strategy. And I get why. It’s something that we talked about as a club before the season and that we were comfortable going forward with that strategy. It’s not to be disrespectful in any way. It’s because we feel very cool and strategic. It’s the best way to win a series. When I say cool, I mean calm. We’re not emotional about it. We’re not trying to hurt anybody.”

Baseball is a marathon and carrying success across an entire season is the name of the game. Dubón is no slugger either and he’s likely fighting for playing time on a deep Giants roster. He batted .240 last year and was in and out of the lineup on a regular basis. 

These are professional athletes and playing sports is their livelihood. Their income and life depend on their performance on the field and telling a player to stop trying has a direct impact on that. 

“If we don’t want a team to bunt, we will defend the bunt. If we don’t want a team to steal, we will defend the steal,” Kapler said. “If we don’t want a team to swing 3-0 late in the game, we’ll throw a ball.”

Baseball isn’t a dying sport, but it’s a game that is still trying to cater to a younger audience. If we’re encouraging people to stop trying at a certain point, we’re taking a step back. 

Max Baker can be reached at max@chathamnr.com and @maxbaker_15.