After Fernando Tatis Jr. 3-0 grand slam against the Texas Rangers late in the game while up 7 runs the other night, the unwritten rules of baseball have been under attack, but they have been for years now. But why can’t players and coaches challenge these rules? Are there times these unwritten rules should be enforced, yes, of course they should be. Some of these rules should only apply to youth league, high school, and sometimes college, but once you get to the Majors most of these rules should no longer apply. Let’s talk about some of these unwritten rules and how they should apply:
-Swinging on a 3-0 count when your ahead
-Let’s start with the topic of the week; don’t swing on a 3-0 count when your team is ahead. If you are in a youth game or high school game sure this rule should apply, in certain moments. It depends on how much your team is winning and the situation. If it is a kid that is coming off the bench and that doesn’t get a chance to play often and finally has his opportunity, are you really going to ask him not to take a swing at a 3-0 pitch? The answer is NO, you let that kid hack away and see what happens. Now, if the three hole hitter is at the plate in this same moment, no they should be taking the pitch out of respect.
If you are playing in the MLB, everyone should be swinging whenever they get the chance. These are players that are playing for money, they are being paid to play the game. The batter at the plate is being paid to hit the ball, and the pitcher is being paid to pitch and get the batters out. If you don’t want bombs hit off you then pitch better, and don’t fall behind 3-0, you are a professional that is supposed to throw strikes, then throw strikes. In the days of advanced stats, you should know who is aggressive when it 3-0, who swings at the first pitch, and what pitches the hitters struggle with the most. You are professionals that are being paid a lot of money, sometimes it just comes down to playing better.
–Don’t bunt to break up a no-hitter
This one to me is very simple, if you are allowed to bunt, then bunt. Bunting is part of the game, teams constantly practice how to defend against and field bunts, so even during a no-hitter you still have to be ready to make a play. This doesn’t matter what level you play at.
–Pimping Home Runs
This is another easy one, if you hit a ball so far and so hard that you can admire it, then do it. Pitchers that have a problem with it, don’t hang a pitch that gives the batter that opportunity to admire it. There are a lot of exciting moments that need to be displayed with raw emotion, and this is one of those moments. Pitchers are seen all the time giving massive fist pumps after a huge strikeout, that seems to be okay but, when a hitter does something very similar to that same pitcher, now it’s a problem. Now does it matter what level of baseball you are playing, yes. If you are playing on a team where every team you play against is supposed to have either the same or better talent then you, you should be allowed to pimp a home run when given the opportunity. If you are playing in a league where you are by far the most dominant force each and every week then maybe dial it back a little bit. But this game is meant to be fun so let people have fun while they do it.
Now I know these are not all the unwritten rules but these are just a few I wanted to cover. Every year during the baseball season there are two to three times a year someone does something that “challenges the unwritten rules of baseball” and it always seems like 90% of fans say, “who cares” and the other 10% will stand by these rules until the day they die.
These are just some of the unwritten rules of baseball. For more MLB coverage, click here.
