What Is a Bunt in Baseball? Types, Rules & Strategy Explained

A bunt in baseball is a batted ball not swung at, but intentionally met with the bat and tapped softly so it rolls a short distance within the infield. Rather than take a full swing, the hitter squares around or pivots the bat to deaden the ball off contact, forcing infielders into a rushed, difficult play. Bunting is one of the oldest tactics in baseball, dating back to the 1860s, and it remains a key part of situational hitting and small-ball strategy today.

How a Bunt Works

To bunt, the batter loosens the grip on the bat and holds it out in front of home plate, angling the barrel to guide the pitch rather than drive it. Instead of generating bat speed, the hitter simply “catches” the pitch with the bat, absorbing most of its momentum so the ball dies quickly once it hits the ground. Most bunts are aimed down the first- or third-base line or straight back toward the pitcher, since those areas force the defense’s corner infielders or pitcher to charge, field, and throw in one motion.

Bunting takes real skill. A batter has to read the pitch, square the bat at the right instant, and control where the ball lands — too hard and it turns into an easy out for an infielder standing still; too soft or foul and the at-bat can end badly. That is part of why bunting well is a specialized skill coaches drill separately from regular hitting.

Types of Bunts

There are several distinct bunt tactics, each used in a different game situation.

• Sacrifice bunt — The batter intentionally gives up an out to advance a baserunner, most commonly moving a runner from first base to second base. Because the goal is to advance the runner rather than reach base, a successful sacrifice bunt is scored as a sacrifice hit and does not count as an official at-bat.
• Bunt for a base hit — Also called a drag bunt or push bunt, this is an attempt by the batter to reach base safely. The batter often disguises the bunt until the last possible moment — sometimes waiting until the pitcher has already begun the delivery — to catch the defense out of position.
• Drag bunt — A specific base-hit technique, usually used by left-handed batters, where the hitter starts moving toward first base as the bat makes contact. The head start, combined with the batter’s shorter distance to first, makes this a favorite tool for fast contact hitters.
• Push bunt — A bunt aimed past a charging pitcher or first baseman, “pushed” with a little more pace toward the gap between the mound and first base, used when the defense is crashing in hard to defend a standard sacrifice bunt.
• Squeeze play — A bunt specifically designed to score a runner from third base. See the section below for the two main variations.

The Squeeze Play

The squeeze play is the highest-stakes bunt in baseball because it is built around scoring a run, not just advancing a runner.

Squeeze type	How it works	Risk level
Suicide squeeze	The runner on third breaks for home the instant the pitcher starts the delivery, committing before the ball is bunted	High — if the batter misses the bunt, the runner is likely out
Safety squeeze	The runner on third waits to see the bunt land safely before breaking for home	Lower — but the defense has more time to react and make a play at the plate

Because the suicide squeeze commits the runner before contact is made, it is considered one of the most dramatic and high-pressure plays in the sport — a missed bunt can turn a potential run into an easy out at home plate.

Bunting Rules Every Fan Should Know

Bunts follow most of the same rules as a normal batted ball, with a few important exceptions:

• Foul bunt on two strikes is a strikeout. A foul bunt always counts as a strike, and unlike a regular foul ball, a foul bunt with two strikes ends the at-bat as a strikeout rather than simply staying at two strikes.
• A bunt can be caught for an out. If a bunted ball is popped up and caught in the air by an infielder or pitcher before it touches the ground, the batter is out just like on any fly ball or line drive.
• Bunting into a double play is possible. If a bunt is fielded quickly with a force play in order, the defense can turn a bunt into a double play, which is one reason sacrifice bunt attempts sometimes backfire.
• No do-over for a foul-tip on a bunt. If the bat contacts the ball twice — for example, the ball rolls back and strikes the bat again — the ball is dead and ruled foul.
• Sacrifice bunts don’t count as at-bats. A successful sacrifice hit is removed from the batter’s official at-bat total, so it has no negative effect on batting average even though the batter is usually thrown out.

Why Teams Bunt

Bunting is a run-manufacturing tool, most valuable in low-scoring, tight games where a single run matters more than a big-inning approach. Teams bunt to:

• Advance a runner into scoring position ahead of the next hitter
• Score a runner from third with a squeeze play
• Surprise a defense that is playing back, stealing a free base hit
• Move a pitcher (a traditionally weak hitter) out of the way productively in National League–style lineups without a designated hitter

Bunting usage has swung with the eras of the sport — it was common in the low-scoring dead-ball era of the early 1900s and again during the pitching-dominant 1960s, but has declined in the modern power-and-analytics era, where many teams now view giving up an out as too costly compared to swinging away. It still shows up constantly in close games, especially late innings and in situations similar to setting up a sacrifice fly or any small-ball rally that doesn’t rely on a grand slam to change the score.

Bunt vs. Regular Swing: Quick Comparison

	Bunt	Regular Swing
Bat motion	Held out, not swung	Full swing
Goal	Advance runner, surprise hit, or score from third	Drive the ball for distance/hits
Foul with 2 strikes	Strikeout	Stays at 2 strikes
Counted as at-bat (if sacrifice)	No	Yes
Typical situation	Runner on base, close game	Any count, any situation

Bottom Line

A bunt trades power for precision — the batter gives up a full swing to place the ball exactly where the defense doesn’t want it. Whether it’s a sacrifice bunt moving a runner into scoring position, a drag bunt stealing a hit, or a suicide squeeze bringing home a run, bunting remains one of the sharpest tools in situational baseball. For more foundational terms like this one, see the full baseball terminology glossary.