It's time for the National League to adopt the DH

ESPN ^ | January 24, 2016 | Jim Bowden

[MinorityRepublican]

The change: Implement the designated hitter rule in the National League.

How it would work:

The DH rule would be in effect for all professional games in every league at all levels -- with no exceptions.

I spent most of my front-office career in the National League, and have always preferred the game played without the DH rule. I like the late-inning strategies, the double-switches and deciding whether to take out your best pitcher when you're tied or down a run. I also like the fact that the bench and bullpens are more important in game strategy without a DH. It makes the game more entertaining.

The more pressing issue, however, is one of fairness and competitiveness. When an American League team plays a National League team, one of them has an unfair advantage based of whichever rule is being used for that particular game. If the Red Sox are playing an NL team in Fenway Park, Boston will have the game's best DH in David Ortiz, while its NL opponent will probably have to turn to its fourth outfielder or backup first baseman as its DH. When they play at an NL park, the Red Sox will have to relegate their best hitter to a pinch-hitting role. As silly as that sounds, that's how baseball has been operating.

[who_would_fardels_bear]

Like I said in an earlier post, if they want to increase overall competitiveness they should make baseball more like football, i.e. each club has three teams:

1. Batters
2. Base runners/stealers
3. Defense

That way each player can hone their one set of skills and not waste time or energy on the other skills. If you have the occasional "Bo Knows" who can bat and run fast or bat and field balls then great, but otherwise have just a bunch of specialists.

Of course that would be a total abomination, but if we're gonna go down that path with a DH, why not go all the way to the absurd conclusion?

[Alberta's Child]

I've never had a major preference one way or another, but I'm leaning toward the DH in spite of my "traditionalist" approach to baseball. I say this in light of the fact that the NL is the only prominent baseball league that still has pitchers bat.

If nothing else, it makes a lot of sense to change the NL rules so the home team doesn't have such a distinct advantage late in a game when a visiting team that pinch-hits for the pitcher and loses the pitcher for the bottom half of the inning.

[Fhios]

Don t get George Will all riled up just yet. Let s wait until a Trump nomination is secure so George can just slip into a coma from all the vapors.

[Alberta's Child]

Look what happened to him. He was such a phenomenal hitter that he was moved to the outfield ... because it was a waste of talent to have him playing only every fourth day.

[Alberta's Child]

Tom Glavine and John Smoltz are two "modern era" hall of fame pitchers with great batting averages.

You've actually just made a great argument for the DH.

Glavine was a lifetime .186 hitter, and Maddux hit .171 over his career. If this is what counts as "great" among pitchers, then they shouldn't be allowed near a batter's box. Any position player who hits that poorly finds himself a career AAA player -- at best.

[Alberta's Child]

One thing I think would help is to limit teams to two pitching changes per game - that gives a starter, a middle reliever, and a closer.

I'll throw a little wrinkle into that.

Can a manager get around that rule by moving his pitcher to another position on the field for an inning or two, then bring him back to pitch later in the game?

[BluesDuke]

DH in the National League?!? *sputter . . . choke . . . Communists! . . . Bolsheviks! . . . square dance callers!!!!! . . .*

Madison Bumgarner's 2015 home runs (hit, not surrendered).

Trivia:

* Warren Spahn surrendered both the first home run of Willie Mays's career and, almost a decade and a half later, the only home run of Sandy Koufax's.

* Speaking of Spahn, he's one of five pitchers to hit 30+ homers in their pitching careers. The others: Wes Ferrell (38), Bob Lemon (37), Red Ruffing (36), Spahn (35), and Earl Wilson (30, the most of any expansion-era pitcher).

* One of the reasons the Minnesota Twins were able to push the 1965 World Series to a seventh game (getting themselves another date with a Koufax shutout) was starter Jim (Mudcat) Grant hitting one into the seats in the sixth.

* Rick Camp, Atlanta Braves relief pitcher. His home run in the bottom of the eighteenth re-tied the infamous 1985 game between the Braves and the Mets that started on the Fourth of July and ended early in the morning on the fifth of July. "If this team needs me to hit a home run to win a game," he cracked, "they're in trouble." The game went to a nineteenth inning . . . and the Mets battered Camp for five runs in the top, with the Braves able to answer with only a single RBI in the bottom. Final score: 16-13.

* Tony Cloninger, 1966 Braves, on the third of July: two grand slams in back-to-back at-bats; nine runs batted in (still a record for pitchers), and the Braves batter the Giants 17-3.

* Ten pitchers ever have hit game-winning home runs:

---Lou Sleater (Tigers), against Wally Burnette (Athletics). 30 May 1957.
---Bob Grim (Yankees), against Willard Nixon (Red Sox). 5 September 1957.
---Dixie Howell (White Sox)*, against Wally Burnette (Athletics). 6 September 1957. (Yes, it makes poor Burnette the only man in baseball history to surrender two walkoff bombs to a pitcher.)
---Murry Dickson (Athletics), against Artie Portacarrero (Orioles). 26 May 1958.
---Glen Hobbie (Cubs), against Vinegar Bend Mizell (Pirates, and future Original Met, of course). 25 August 1960.
---Lindy McDaniel (Cubs), against Billy Pierce (Giants). 6 June 1963.
---Juan Marichal (Giants), against Elroy Face (Pirates). 21 September 1966.
---Steve Hargan (Indians), against Chuck Dobson (Athletics). 19 June 1967.
---Jim Hardin (Orioles), against Moe Drabowsky (Royals). 10 May 1969.
---Craig Lefferts (Padres), against Greg Minton (Giants). 25 April 1986.

(*---Not to be confused with the catcher of the same name.)

[brothers4thID]

Sorry, maybe my memory is tainted by having watched them play as a die-hard Braves fan.

[Dilbert San Diego]

Brings back memories of Tony Cloninger hitting two grand slams in one game. Interesting to note that feat has been accomplished by a handful of players in all of baseball history, but one of them was by a pitcher.

[KarlInOhio]

Why not just go to 50 man teams with completely separate offense and defense like football? That way you could have the 9 best hitters not being bothered with how good they can catch and throw while the best fielders too. The quality of the game would increase greatly. Then you can add designated runners so the hitters would only have to run to first and then be replaced by specialists.

[SunkenCiv]

The DH should be implemented during interleague games, but only when it's a NL park; and in interleague play during the AL parks, all should play without DH. And, everyone who worries about this as if it's a life or death issue needs to chop up their psych meds and snort them, the other way isn't working.

[Tallguy]

Ditto that!

[BluesDuke]

The DH should be implemented during interleague games . . .

Actually, in-season interleague play ought to be done away with except for the All-Star Game. (And don't get me started on how broken the All-Star Game is . . .)

[llevrok]

How about adopting the GH (Gay Hitter). Let him prance up to the Batter’s Box.

Been done. Called an A-Rod.

[BluesDuke]

The idea of the designated runner was actually tried. The name: collegiate track star Herb Washington, working as a sportscaster in Michigan after his graduation when he got a call to become a baseball player. The team: The 1974 Oakland Athletics. The results:

* Washington held out for a no-cut contract and got it. ($40,000 for the season; this, of course, was a year before Andy Messersmith would pitch without a contract and get himself ruled a free agent after the season, ending the reserve era.)

* Because his face was too fine to grow a full mustache, Washington penciled in a believable one with an eyebrow pencil to collect Charlie Finley's once-fabled mustache bonus.

* Washington was 1-for-5 in his first five stolen base attempts.

* Milwaukee first baseman George Scott almost fooled him with the hidden ball trick, telling Washington he needed to step off the pad so Scott could clean the pad---but Washington saw the ball in Scott's mitt and wasn't fooled, for once.

* Near season's end, manager Alvin Dark offered Washington his first chance to pinch-hit---against Nolan Ryan. (Washington demurred, saying he hadn't hit all year and it was foolish to start now. What he probably wanted to say: Are you nuts?!?)

* With the A's down a run in the ninth in Game Two of the 1974 World Series, Washington was sent out to pinch run . .. and was picked off. (It was the A's only loss in that Series; Washington didn't show up in any of the other games.)

* Washington was cut in May 1974 after thirteen games with only two thefts. Said A's captain Sal Bando when Washington was cut: "I'd feel sorry for him---if he was a player."

* There was a happy postscript: Washington eventually became a successful McDonald's franchiser, and has worked for the Federal Reserve Bank in New York (including a stint as its director), while marrying and raising two children; his son, Terrell, is now the general manager for Washington's franchising concern.

[BluesDuke]

That should have been May 1975 when Herb Washington was cut.

[Alberta's Child]

Maybe your memory is tainted by the fact that those ARE excellent batting averages for pitchers. LOL.

[Alberta's Child]

Washington's 1974 season was one of the most bizarre statistical anomalies in baseball history:

- 92 games played
- 29 stolen bases
- 0 plate appearances (yes, that's ZERO)

[Hot Tabasco]

The DH rule protects asshole pitchers who throw at opposing players...........They don't have to bat.

If any rule changes should be made, eliminate the DH from the AL.........

[Hot Tabasco]

I like the DH. I would rather see runs scored than pitchers beaned.

I'd rather see pitchers beaned in retaliation of their own attempted beaning..........