Pirates Score 3 runs on a swinging bunt, a breakdown

Jul 18, 2021 1.3M views 4:59

What Happened

On July 18, 2021, Mets All-Star Taivan Walker walked into a buzzsaw at PNC Park. The Pirates hung six runs on him in the bottom of the first, and the weirdest part was a swinging bunt that trickled down the third base line. Walker scooped it, decided it was foul, and flipped the ball in the air instead of holding onto it. The umpire ruled it fair, the Pirates third base coach waved everyone around, and three runs scored on a bunt single because nobody was playing the ball. The Mets manager went chest to chest with the ump, got nowhere, and the play stood with no challenge.

Why This Matters

Here's the rule Walker forgot in real time. A batted ball near the line is fair or foul based on where it is when it's first touched, not where it starts. By flipping the ball up rather than gloving it, Walker let the umpire judge a ball that had already curled toward fair territory. That's the whole ballgame on this play. Once it's ruled fair and live, runners keep going, and the Pirates' coach read it perfectly. Walker came in carrying a 2.50 ERA and the start of a strong first half, then got buried 6-0 before recording the third out. The wild twist is the Mets clawed all the way back, scored seven, and won. Walker's line looked ugly. The result didn't.

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Key Moments

Who / What Is Involved

Players: Taiwan Walker. Teams: Pirates.

Key Terms Mentioned

Full Transcript

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we've got All-Star Taiwan Walker on the

bump for the Mets in Pittsburgh looking

to repeat what he did in the first half

we had a 2-5-0 era just been lights out

this season and this one is brought to