To DH or Not to DH - rudyjuly2's Blog

rudyjuly2's Blog

To DH or Not to DH

Posted on April 9, 2009 at 09:58 AM.

As a Tiger fan and someone who watches far more American League baseball, I�ve always preferred the designated hitter. I�ve always said, why have the pitcher hit when batters don�t have to pitch? What�s so exciting about watching a designated rally killer swing the bat? Even if the pitcher gets the rare hit, it wasn�t that exciting. Furthermore, terrible hitters batting in the eighth spot will get a lot of intentional walks just to face the pitcher. I understand the strategy but that guy didn�t deserve to get on base. It just wasted my time so they could get to the rally killer. Plus some great older players can still last a few years longer as DHs and the extra offense can be fun to watch. Who doesn�t like to see home runs?

But then I started to play some games in the National League in the Show on my PS3. While the pitchers still kill rallies, the late game strategies add a lot to the game. There are few late game strategies with using your bench and managing your hitters in the AL. You set your lineup card and it doesn�t change. You might pinch hit for a specific batter-pitcher match-up in the late innings but that�s about it. In the NL, you have to decide how long you keep your starting pitcher in. Do you take him out early or leave him in to pinch hit? Do you try to squeeze another inning out of him knowing he�s due to bat the next inning or do you take him out a little earlier with a double switch? Players that can actually play multiple positions suddenly have more value. Using the double switch and managing the depth on your bench and in your bullpen offers a ton of late game strategy in the NL simply unseen in the AL.

Typically, fans tend to prefer the rules as they are for their respective leagues. In some ways I like the uniqueness of both leagues. At the very least, the host team during inter-league play should use the other league�s rules. As a Tiger fan, I want to see NL rules when Milwaukee comes to town. Let Pittsburgh use the DH when the Tigers go there. Expose the fans to the different styles of play. That would be more interesting than the status quo. I�m not sure if the DH will ever be removed but I�m leaning towards eliminating it.