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I have to address Eric Byrnes' at-bat in the 11th inning. Now, I don't want to over-react and get...

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I have to address Eric Byrnes' at-bat in the 11th inning. Now, I don't want to over-react and get all hyperbolic, but this may have been the worst at-bat in major league history. I'm serious. With the bases loaded and one out, Byrnes violated an absolute cardinal rule by actually pulling his bat on a squeeze bunt. No, really, he did. Players are taught from youth ball that on a squeeze, you have to do whatever you can to get the bat on the ball. Throw your bat, throw your body, but get the bat on the ball to protect the runner. Instead, Byrnes put his bat out to bunt and then pulled it back, hanging Ichiro out to dry for a caught stealing at the plate. How inexplicable was all this? Texas manager Ron Washington got ejected for arguing that the pitch should have been a strike because Byrnes had bunted at the ball. When home plate umpire Jim Wolf informed him that Byrnes pulled the bat back, Washington refused to believe it, saying he had never seen such a thing in all his years in baseball -- that he could not even fathom such a thing! -- and continued to argue. It was only when watching the replay later that Washington realized he was wrong, that Byrnes had indeed pulled the bat back. Byrnes capped off the dreadful at-bat by looking at strike three to end the inning and account for two outs without ever leaving the batter's box, which generally is not easy to do. And if all that sounds incredible, how about this? Byrnes left the clubhouse quickly after the game, riding his bike in the hallway past reporters and general manager Jack Zduriencik, looking more like a bike messenger than a major leaguer. Which he may not be soon, given that he is also hitting .107. - Jim Caple on espn.com