BearsFansOnline.com

In the unwritten rules of baseball, there is one that seems to never have a good answer: Can you bunt to break up a no-hitter? On one hand, you can understand the pitcher's feeling. He’s trying to etch his name into the annals of baseball history. He's been dealing all day and no one has been able to make solid contact with a swing all day, so a bunt -- a little squibber out in front of the plate -- is a type of cop out.

On the other, a bunt is a hit. It's just as legitimate as any other hit. And if a team is trying to win the game, wouldn't you want them to get on base any way possible?

Well, this question went from a philosophical debate to a very real one on Wednesday night. In the ninth inning of the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats-Trenton Thunder game, the Yard Goats were working on a combined no-no. Starting pitcher Rico Garcia had pitched six innings, with relievers Jordan Foley and Logan Cozart bridging the way to Ben Bowden in the ninth.

With one out, Trenton's Matt Lipka came to the plate.

Now, his options were: Swing for a hit, or ... bunt for a hit. Lipka chose the bunt. It rolled back to Bowden, giving the pitcher a chance to keep the no-hitter intact. He tried the glove flip and ... failed.

That would be the only hit the Thunder recorded that night, so, sure enough, when the game was over, there were some words exchanged on the field.