"Gary, would you like to see the DH rule in the National League? Do you like the rule or not? I’ve been a Mets fan since 1973 and will die one. My joke has always been, I have two favorite teams -- the Mets and anyone who beats the Atlanta Braves. Thanks, Dave Hill, Ogden, Utah.
Dave, I think a lot of Mets fans share your sentiments, although they might substitute the word 'Yankees' for 'Braves.' As for the DH, the answer is a definitive 'NO.' It’s an awful rule, always has been and really detracts from the beauty of the game, the strategy and the fan experience. Hopefully, someday the game will be rid of this abomination."
My first reaction is, why is anybody still questioning the existence of the DH, as if the existence of the DH was up for debate?The DH rule has been in effect since 1973. That's 33 years. That's 1/3rd of baseball's existence. The DH rule is not going anywhere.
The DH is used in every professional baseball league in the world except for the NL. The DH is used in the minor leagues of NL teams. The DH is used in college and high school. The DH is used in every foreign country and even in the World Baseball Classic.
Why? Fans like the DH.
The beauty of the game is not pitchers striking out on three pitches. The fan experience is not enhanced by pitchers striking out on three pitches. The Strategy* argument is quite dubious, and most fans don't get all that jazzed up about managerial strategy, anyway. As Tom Kelly said, double switches ain't rocket science.
* Gary Cohen and many others seem to confuse "strategy" with "move." In many instances, when an NL pitcher is pinch-hit for, the "strategy" is a no-brainer.
Tie game, 8th inning, 2 on, 2 out. You pinch hit for the pitcher. 100% of the time. The game situation just made the decision for the manager. It's an easy decision. It is an easy decision masquerading as complex strategy.
In the AL, when do you take out your pitcher? It's not always such an easy managerial decision. Just ask Joe Torre as he flips a coin and chooses between Tanyon Sturtze and Scott Proctor.
End of *
I know fans like the DH. I also think players like the DH.
Let's go with the idea that the different rules generally lead to different types of play. The so-called "NL style" is small ball and the so-called "AL style" is sit back and wait for a three-run homerun by a big, strong, slow guy who can't field.
Now, it's 2006 and all the Corey Pattersons and Quinton McCrackens of the world look around. What do they see?
They see the AL is dominating the NL. I don't care so much about All Star games or even World Series results. Just list the best teams in major league baseball. List the best players in major league baseball. The AL is where it's at.
My hunch is that the DH has a lot to do with this. Players like to rake and they like to play on offenses that rake. Come to the AL and I promise, we won't ask you to bunt.
Join us. Join us. Join the Dark Side. Baseball is good when you score runs and drive them in. Your agent will like us, too. You can drive in 100 runs every year.
I don't know if the trend will continue. The current AL dominance might be an aberration. Check back in ten years and the NL might be dominant again.
But, if the trend continues, the NL might be forced to adopt the DH in order to attract the game's best hitters. I wouldn't bet on it, but I know this is far more likely than the AL getting rid of the DH.
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