Designated Hitter

[Gashouse6]

Do you think there should be a DH? Please explain.

[Astro]

No, there shouldnt be a DH... there is no reason why pitchers shouldnt have to hit

[KingJ]

No. It just makes American teams better by keep 14 or so guys from playing a position on another team that could use their talent and hurting the NL's chances in the World Series. It is especially pointless now that pretty much every DH in the league can play 1B or OF.

[KCGHOST]

I can't stand to watch pitchers "hit".

[Nomtoc]

Stupid, stupid rule! I HATE the DH!

[trosmok]

I can't stand to watch pitchers "hit".

I dislike the DH rule primarily because every stinking league on the planet uses it except the NL and their AAA affiliates when playing other NL AAA teams. This has robbed two full generations of the beauty of the way the game is supposed to be played: outdoors, in the sunshine, on real grass, by nine players, not eight and two halves! To me, there are few things more beautiful in our game than a pitcher who can actually acquit himself with the stick, and there are lots of them. Bob Gibson, Greg Maddux, Fernando Valenzuela. Dontrelle Willis, and many others know how to sacrifice, blast one in the gap, wait for a hittable pitch, lay down a bunt, etc. and contibute to the offense. It is painful, though, like KCGhost posted, to see some guys that look like they aren't sure which end of the bat to grasp. Secondly, I like the way the rule in MLB provides some of the last vestiges of distinction between the two leagues, which has been eroded since Slug has played the role of puppet commissioner. Finally, the DH rule has provided some sluggers with the opportunity to extend their careers, and this in turn allows some youngsters to see some stellar players in the twilight of their playing days that would have already retired before the little shavers had the chance to watch some legendary figures perform.

[Lindseynelson]

Without the DH Bonds would be 22 closer to Hank. I wish Bonds had not had his late "blossoming" which clearly suggests Roid use( check out that pesky forehead ridge) because it takes away from how great a ballplayer he is all around. prior to his alleged use he looked like his Dad, long, lean, and recognised as one of the All Time Greats already. His combination of power(natural), speed and batting eye as well as his defense were unmatched. I wonder if he regrets his "makeover" because although his power grew it still is his natural reflexes and hand eye coordination that were and are so great to watch.Anyway, Ron Bloomberg aside I dislike the DH because it A) allows guys to hang on one dimensionally B) it takes so much drama and strategy out of the game and C) It makes for a stupid rules problem in Inter-league( don't get me started) and more importantly Series time

[west coast orange and black]

i strongly dislike the dh.
originally created to "liven up the game"*, it's time has long passed.

there is no longer a dearth of offense. as so many here have argued when comparing players of different eras and individual player achievements. today's players enjoy bettered phyical prowess, smaller ballparks, advanced medicine, "throwers" as opposed to "pitchers", and more.

yeah, ok, but "who wants to watch a pitcher bat?

when a pitcher bats more strategy enters the game. the very question of leaving the pitcher in the game to fend for himself gets asked. that can be a very interesting and hair-greying question with 1 out in the 8th and 2 men are on and you're down by 1.

with no dh, managers are required to manage according to rules in place long before the designated hitter existed. rules that make for a game of strategy.

with no dh players are forced to field and bat and run and throw and be well-rounded. baseball can exist beautifully without being so specialized.


*puppet commissioner (thanx, trosmok)

[Lindseynelson]

i strongly dislike the dh.
originally created to "liven up the game"*, it's time has long passed.

there is no longer a dearth of offense. as so many here have argued when comparing players of different eras and individual player achievements. today's players enjoy bettered phyical prowess, smaller ballparks, advanced medicine, "throwers" as opposed to "pitchers", and more.

yeah, ok, but "who wants to watch a pitcher bat?

when a pitcher bats more strategy enters the game. the very question of leaving the pitcher in the game to fend for himself gets asked. that can be a very interesting and hair-greying question with 1 out in the 8th and 2 men are on and you're down by 1.

with no dh, managers are required to manage according to rules in place long before the designated hitter existed. rules that make for a game of strategy.

with no dh players are forced to field and bat and run and throw and be well-rounded. baseball can exist beautifully without being so specialized.


*puppet commissioner (thanx, trosmok)

Exactly .Bobby Cox had to decide whether or not to bat or pinch hit for guys like Maddox,Glavine, Smoltz etc.AL mgrs could leave a Rocket, or Hudson or Unit etc.in the game. Since 73 that means Seavers best NL years for example he was a decision to be made while Bert Blyleven as an example could keep on going.

[Mattingly]

The purity and sanctity of the game may have been threatened to some by the DH. I'm curious, would people like David Ortiz (not like there's anyone else like him) be playing 1B otherwise?

What I'm asking is, what would the folks here do with guys who can either only hit, or whose fielding isn't worth writing home about, but their bat speaks for itself?

[Lindseynelson]

Well Don Baylor for one would not have had a fine offensive career followed by his mgr jobs. That said nothing made me laugh harder than when baylor knocked Sosa for not being a more complete player. This being a guy who made a career out of exercycling until it was time to bat because he could barely field and had a terrible arm talking about a guy who hit 300 homeruns over 5 years and drove in practically every Cub that managed to get on( and there weren't many) while playing 155 games in right 100 of which were day games..If a guy can't play the field anymore , times up. What would Teddy Ballgame have done with the DH? How about JoeD? He quit because he could no longer take the daily pounding in the field on his heels. Betchya he could have had 2 or 3 more 25-95-290,300 seasons with the old between abs epsom salts..I love watching Edgar Martinez hit and good for him for taking advantage of the AL rule but either put it in both leagues or dump it. BTW you could save a lot of AL teams money dumping DH contracts.

[BristolBoy]

To steal one of Trosmok's favourite quotes, the game should be played by nine, not eight and two halves. The nature of the game when it was invented was that pitchers should hit - the AL isn't playing baseball.

[laxplayer81217]

I do not like the DH, I also enjoy watching the extra strategy used (i.e sac bunt.) I went to a Mets game last summer against the Cubs, Glavine had more hits than half of the Cubs lineup!

[KHenry14]

I too am against the DH. Like WCOB said, the reason it was brought into being no longer exists. Plus the AL plays much longer games now, but of the shift in strategy that the DH brings. Nothing like seeing a succession of pitchers being brought in to pitch to one guy to bore a fan to death like you see so often in the AL.

And for decades, teams had to play great hitters who were bad defenders just to get their bat into the game. Dick Stuart anyone? Now a guy like Baylor can hide in the trainer's room from those pesky plays in the field.

But one thing, it's NEVER going to change. The NL will never adopt it, and the Union will never agree to it's abolishment. <sigh>

KH14

[redlegsfan21]

Major League Baseball Official Rulebook

1.01
Baseball is a game between two teams of nine players each, under direction of a manager, played on an enclosed field in accordance with these rules, under jurisdiction of one or more umpires.

[Appling]

Is there any rule difference other than the DH which causes such a difference between the AL and NL "styles of play"?

As far as I know, both Major Leagues plan to continue using wooden bats -- and both still play nine innings with three outs per inning. Can you IMAGINE what it would be like if either league decided to use aluminum bats? (Pitchers wouldn't be able to buy life insurance!)

[Solair Wright]

What I think: When interleague games surface, the AL home games should go like this: NL pitcher SHOULD bat, and AL goes by the DH rule. Same with NL Home games, AL should go by the DH rule too to liven the game up ONLY for their team. In the World Series when the AL team is at home: they go by the DH rule regardless. With the All-Star game, regardless of the ballpark, they go by the DH rule.

[Astro]

What I think: When interleague games surface, the AL home games should go like this: NL pitcher SHOULD bat, and AL goes by the DH rule. Same with NL Home games, AL should go by the DH rule too to liven the game up ONLY for their team. In the World Series when the AL team is at home: they go by the DH rule regardless. With the All-Star game, regardless of the ballpark, they go by the DH rule.

Because that is real fair for the NL team...

[antihipster]

First of all, I would say that I definately dislike the designated hitter. The designated benchwarmer, uh, I mean hitter, is a terrible rule which takes a lot of strategy out of the game.

On the otherhand, there should either be a dh or not be one. Inner-league play and the World Series are nothing more than a cocophony because it is a total burden on the game about deciding who will be dh'ing. It is time MLB decides either to use the dh for both league or to scrap the rule altogether.

Of course in a more perfect world, the NL version of the game would be played 100% of the time.

[trosmok]

Is there any rule difference other than the DH which causes such a difference between the AL and NL "styles of play"?

As far as I know, both Major Leagues plan to continue using wooden bats -- and both still play nine innings with three outs per inning. Can you IMAGINE what it would be like if either league decided to use aluminum bats? (Pitchers wouldn't be able to buy life insurance!)

There used to be separate umpire crews, league offices, and even league presidents in the AL and NL, but I don't recall any specific rules that differentiated the two major leagues.

All pro leagues use wooden bats, and more and more localities, HS, Colleges, and even Little Leagues, are banning that gawdawful aluminum crap, and going back to ash, maple, and hickory sticks. Evidently, the mad scientists at the Easton aluminum company have developed weapons that have a frighteningly dangerous "trampoline" effect when a baseball is struck squarely by them. Give me the crack of the bat not a "ping" any day.

[Lindseynelson]

The nail was hit squarely on the head by the poster that reminded us all that the Players Union would never go for it far too much money in big time contracts for old timers and one dimensionals

[west coast orange and black]

the players union is on record that they would drop the dh in favor of adding one more player to team rosters.
but, that is something that the owners have been unwilling to do.

stalemate.

[bluezebra]

The purity and sanctity of the game may have been threatened to some by the DH. I'm curious, would people like David Ortiz (not like there's anyone else like him) be playing 1B otherwise?

What I'm asking is, what would the folks here do with guys who can either only hit, or whose fielding isn't worth writing home about, but their bat speaks for itself?

"What "purity and sanctity"? The game has changed radically over the past 40 years or so. The height of the mound has been raised and lowered so many times, it's surprising some pitchers don't get the bends. A pitcher who holds the opposition to four runs or less in six innings, is considered to have a "quality start". Forty years ago, that sent him to the bullpen, the minors, or to Hamburger U. If a manager went to the mound to take the ball from pitchers like Bob Gibson, Don Drysdale, et al, he'd be in a wrestling match. Today, a base hit, and the pitcher is looking to the 'pen for relief. A pitching staff has more "specialists" than a doctors' convention.

I'm an "Old Timer" (saw my first game in 1936), and I like the DH. Iwould have loved to see a 60-year-old Ted Williams still hitting line drives to the outfield.

Bob

[Yankeebiscuitfan]

I have voted to keep it the way it is. Most pitchers can not hit, so the DH solves that problem.

But I like it the way it is. IMO it is a nice tactical game during the World Series and Interleague Play.

[Dontworry]

I don't really care, in the end the DH won't be rid of. AL fans would have a fit, and if they tried to force the NL to adopt it then their fans would have a fit. For now, it's going to stick around for one league and not the other until one or the other gradually adopts the views of the DH that the other league has.

It can be fun, but it can also be a reason for an over the hill player to continue his career when he should've retired 2 or 3 years earlier. In some instances it might help someone reach personal milestones, but people before the DH didn't get the same advantage. Also, there is a certain amount of added strategy that a manager must have to deal with the fact that he has a pitcher coming up to bat. It puts the pressure on him...does he leave the pitcher in to face the next batter, or take him out for a BP guy even though they're only 1 out away from their turn at bat- and the pitcher's spot is coming up? There are a million reasons why it adds somethign to the game, and makes a manager and his decisions important (double switches, etc).

Disclaimer: That's the reasons why I like the NL rules that a pitcher must hit, so anyone else is welcome to explain why they like having the DH and hopefully without insulting others, I know I've done my best. Lets at least try to say why we LIKE our respective league's rule, and not why we DON'T like the other league's rule.