Over the course of yet another tremendous season for the Braves, they’ve set a number of records and milestones. But with just two games left on the schedule, the Braves were so close to breaking a major-league record that was very dear to my heart. Through 160 games, the Braves had not yet laid down a sacrifice bunt. No team in the history of the majors has ever gone a full season without a sacrifice bunt. But for some reason Tuesday night, Michael Harris had to ruin all the fun.
The Braves were 2 games away from being the first team ever to go a full season without a sacrifice bunt.
Michael Harris ended that drought and the runners were stranded.
Never bunt. pic.twitter.com/B9Gmv3km2D
— Starting 9 (@Starting9) October 4, 2022
Analytics have pretty much done away with sacrifice bunts, especially for teams that have a lineup like the Braves, which features no holes from top to bottom. If there ever were a situation to lay one down, though, this was probably it. Runners on first and second with a struggling Michael Harris at the plate; however, the end result is why it should never be done.
Robbie Grossman followed Harris with a strikeout. Then, the Marlins were able to pitch around Acuña with an intentional walk. It left Dansby Swanson with an opportunity to extend the lead, but he followed in Grossman’s footsteps with his second strikeout of the game, stranding three runners on base.
Thankfully, the Braves were able to pull out the victory by a score of 2-1, but that would have been a fun record to own. Hopefully, this serves as a warning to Brian Snitker. This team drops bombs; there’s never an appropriate situation for the Braves to bunt.
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Photographer: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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