Back in 2009 I expressed my opinion about the NL's rejection of the DH rule. MLB is finally playing with one set of rules in the upcoming 2022 season.
September 17, 2009
Designated Hitter
I read a book a few months ago called Hit Parade by Lawrence Block. No, it wasn't about the TV show from the 1950's. That was actually Your Hit Parade and the hits were songs. In the first part of the Block book, a designated hitter became the victim of a designated hitter. Baseball's Designated Hitter or DH is alive and well - except in the National League. Yankee DH Hideki Matsui hit a 2 run HR last night to tie up the game with the Blue Jays. With his bad knees, Hideki would be limited to pinch hitting duties without the DH rule.
It's time for the National League to adopt the Designated Hitter rule. Except for a few diehard purists, does anybody care about having the pitcher bat? I know. Tradition and Strategy. Tradition has taken quite a few hits since 1973 when the DH was introduced. Another level of playoffs has been added including the Wild Card. A team that doesn't even win its division is allowed a shot at the World Series - a radical idea for baseball. Expansion has brought us 6 additional teams. The NL has two more teams than the AL. We have major league umpires, not AL and NL umps. We have replays on HR's. We have all kinds of new stats - WHIP, OPS, holds, etc. Baseball has evolved. The NL has its head stuck in the sand.
As noted, the DH has existed since 1973. This makes it likely that any fan born from around 1963 doesn't really remember baseball without the DH. As far as strategy is concerned, how many fans think that even AL managers over-manage? We see needless changes of relief pitchers, starters yanked because of the pitch count. I recall a lefty brought in to face a lefty. He got his man and the next batter was a switch hitter. The manager yanked the lefty reliever and brought in a righthander. Did he gain some small advantage because the switch hitter is better from the right side? Please! Keep it simple and play the game.
Most people want to see offense. Soccer's a great sport that has never made it big in the U.S. because after 90 minutes of action the score is likely to be 2 - 1. The DH doesn't just provide more offense. It provides rest for key players without losing their bats. It prevents injury to pitchers since they don't have to hit or run the bases. Ask the Yankees about Chien-Ming Wang who injured himself running the bases in an interleague game. With the money some of these pitchers make and the scarcity of quality pitching, do teams really want to risk losing them to injury? Granted if I was a pitcher, I'd prefer to pitch in the DHless NL. Still, it's crazy that baseball continues to operate under two different rules. Imagine if the NBA decision makers had implemented the 3 point goal but only allowed it in games involving former ABA teams or allowed it only in the Eastern conference but not the Western conference. It would be considered stupid.
The NL would have little trouble in adopting the DH rule. Take a team like the Dodgers. They signed Manny Ramirez to big bucks so they have to play him in left field. Juan Pierre sits. Jim Thome could do some DHing if he stays. The Braves could rotate DH between oldtimers Larry "not so Chipper" Jones and Garrett Anderson or use it to rest Bryan McCann without losing his bat. The Astros could DH Carlos Lee or Miguel Tejada. The Rockies could DH Todd Helton or Garrett Atkins. If the Mets keep Gary Sheffield, he's a perfect candidate for DH. If he doesn't have to play the field, he'll have more time to complain. The Brewers could DH Frankie Catalanotto. They may eventually look to DHing the Prince who's not such a good Fielder, but not as bad as Philly Ryan Howard and Redbird Albert Pujols who are vying for the league lead in errors by a first baseman. Nat Adam Dunn and Cub Alfonso Soriano should DH. It's time to have baseball operating under one set of rules.
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