Did Ichiro Suzuki Really Bunt a Home Run?

There are many occasions in baseball that make you go, “Did he just do that?” Undoubtedly, Ichiro Suzuki and his bunted homerun is one of them. And if anyone has seen this footage before, they would likely have the same thought, understandably. However, don’t trust what you see online.

Ichiro’s bunted home run has a video making the rounds of the Internet; but is it real? Well, not exactly. Ichiro has bunted before, just as Ichiro has also hit homers before. However, none at the same time. The video surfacing has been put together by editors online, who clearly edited two different shots to make them look like one.

Did Ichiro Suzuki actually bunt a homerun?

While Ichiro was a skilled hitter and perhaps one of the most mobile base runners too, realistically, his bunt could not have been a home run.

A bunt is ordinarily a short impact-absorbing hit, made for a short run to round the bases; either to get in a pinch hitter or even to just bring a runner from third to home plate. It’s a hit for the sake of recording a hit and usually doesn’t have any true power.

Read More: At 48 Years Old, Is Ichiro Suzuki Still Playing Baseball?

Without a swing from Ichiro Suzuki, it’s unlikely that a ball will travel, let alone go out of the park. And even though well-edited, several fans have observed certain discrepancies in the clip. These include a change in the pitcher of the Red Sox and a shift in the innings. The video starts with Ichiro bunting at the beginning of the 6th inning while rounding home plate only at the end of the 8th.

A shift in the score of the game is also quite clear. The score reads 7-4 in favor of the Mariner prior to the bunt. And as the camera cuts to the stands to capture the ball, the score shifts to 4-3 in favor of the Red Sox.

Has a homerun ever been bunted?

Yes. Surprisingly, a homerun was bunted before, by sheer and complete accident.

Towards the end of the 19th century, Bob “Binky” Myers set out a bunt that all the infielders on the diamond converged upon. The infielders had gathered such momentum upon reaching the ball that they knocked into each other and fell.

Free of too much interference, Binky went on to round the bases and completed his home run with ease.

While it was a shot dramatically less powerful than the bunt by Ichiro in the video, it was at least one that actually led to a homer.