By the numbers, the sacrifice bunt should be extinct. Giving away an out is expensive, and the math has said so for two decades.

And yet — there it is, in the late innings of tight games, still moving runners into scoring position and still, occasionally, deciding pennants. The truth is more complicated than the spreadsheet. Context matters: the pitcher, the defense, the score, the moment.

The bunt isn't a strategy for every situation. But it's not dead. It's just picky.