Paul Skenes Is Throwing a No-Hitter and Someone Bunted Anyway, and Baseball's Unwritten Rules Are Furious About It

Look, baseball's unwritten rules are weird. They're supposed to police "sportsmanship" while basically saying "stop trying so hard to win." It's backwards. And this whole Paul Skenes bunting controversy is the perfect example of why those rules are garbage.

Here's what went down: Skenes was absolutely dealing, throwing a no-hitter into the 7th inning while someone decided that bunting in the top of the 3rd during a one-run game was worth the heat. And yeah, baseball's gatekeepers freaked out about it. Because apparently trying to disrupt a dominant pitcher's rhythm is against the vibe now.

The Case For Bunting Against a Guy Like Skenes

Let's be real. If you're facing a pitcher who's mowing down your entire lineup like he's reading the newspaper on a Saturday morning, you have to do something. Anything. Bunting isn't dirty baseball, it's survival. When a guy is that locked in and you're only down by one run, you're supposed to just... sit there and get demolished? That makes zero sense.

The difference between breaking up a no-hitter in the 9th inning of an 8-0 blowout and doing it in the 3rd inning of a tight game is massive. One is petty. The other is gamesmanship. It's competitive baseball. You use every tool in your toolkit to flip the script and get something going offensively.

Skenes Has Been Unstoppable Since Opening Day

The reason this even matters is because Skenes is genuinely special right now. His season didn't start well. On Opening Day, something was off, and he threw just 0.2 innings while giving up 5 earned runs, which put his ERA at 67.5 to start the year. That's rough. But since that Opening Day disaster, he's been unstoppable. He's lowered his ERA all the way down to 1.98. That's elite stuff.

So yeah, when you're facing a guy with that kind of dominance and that kind of trajectory, you bunting in a one-run game isn't disrespectful. It's your job. It's baseball.

The Unwritten Rules Can Go

Baseball loves its unwritten rules. Don't celebrate too hard. Don't steal when you're up big. Don't bunt on a guy throwing a no-hitter in a blowout. It's all supposed to maintain some sacred code of honor or whatever. But that code basically says "don't be competitive unless it's aesthetically pleasing to traditionalists." That's weak.

You gotta do something. Unwritten rules be damned.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.