You can't bunt to break up a no-hitter, you can't swing on 3 and 0, things like that. Yankee Alfonso Soriano swiped this base in a one-run game, but steal with a big lead and sparks fly. While Ventura and Zeile are unlikely to put pen to paper anytime soon, there has been enough contention this season over how the sport's unwritten code of etiquette has evolved that perhaps the fine points do need clarifying. On May 26 a furor erupted over an eighth-inning bunt single by Padres catcher Ben Davis that broke up Curt Schilling's perfect game. On April 11 Dodgers centerfielder Marquis Grissom incensed the Diamondbacks by stealing second in the fourth inning of a game Los Angeles led 8-0.
Many traditions seem outdated in an era when home runs and big innings are so common.
Thus, except in the latter stages of the most lopsided blowouts, almost anything goes as long as it's done in an attempt to win. The code is to try to win. The score was 2-0. If he gets on and the next guy hits a home run, you have a tie game. With players reaching the big leagues at a younger age than their predecessors, a generation gap may be developing when it comes to etiquette.