There is not a one-size-fits-all rule about the sacrifice bunt, because not every situation is the same, not every hitter is the same, not every pitcher is the same, not every bunt attempt is the same. The factors in the equations change from pitch to pitch, inning to inning, from game to game. So it probably can’t be said with certainty that any single particular bunt try by the Reds on Wednesday night was a mistake.
But if you happened to see the last innings of the 16-inning grinder between the Cardinals and Reds and hung on long enough to see the St. Louis players celebrating the final out of a really important victory -- in which Matt Adams became the first player in major league history to club two homers after the 13th inning -- you couldn’t help but think Cincinnati blew it with the bunt along the way.