The Mariners and Athletics had a strange sequence during opening weekend that caught some attention. In the bottom of the seventh, with two runners on and a one-run game, an attempted bunt turned chaotic. The batter fouled off the first try and then went for it again. The second pitch wasn’t a clear foul, but the ball ended up in play and the tying run came home. The pitcher thought it was dead. The catcher didn’t chase the ball at first, assuming it was a foul tip. Confusion followed as the ump said it wasn’t tipped, and the call stood—until a challenge on the plate play was made. On replay, the runner never actually touched home. After review, the run was wiped off the board and the out was recorded.
Gio Urshela made the key heads-up play. He retrieved the ball near the on-deck circle and got it back home in time. That hustle saved a run and kept the A’s ahead. The moment also highlighted a miscue in TV graphics showing the count, since two bunt attempts should’ve made it 0-2, not 1-1. Eventually, the Mariners did tie the game on a sacrifice fly after the botched bunt helped move a runner to third.
The rest of the breakdown spotlighted some of the best and worst bunts from the weekend. There were poor attempts that gave up easy outs and strong bunts that turned into base hits. Fielding also varied, with tight defensive plays and total mistakes alike. One standout combo came when the Rays laid down a perfect bunt, only for the catcher to throw it away and allow two runs to score. Overall, it was a full tour of how bunts can go right or wrong, even changing a game’s outcome.