The designated hitter (DH) in baseball has been a hot topic for Major League Baseball. The DH has only been used in the American League. According to history.com, in January of 1973 owners of Major League Baseball approved this. That way a pinch hitter could bat for the pitcher which would still allow him to stay in the game. The National League doesn’t use this rule and pitchers hit in the lineup. There has been talk to change the rule but it won’t happen this year. Should the National League use the DH?
ESPN stated that Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said, “The most likely result on the designated hitter for the foreseeable future is the status quo. The vast majority of clubs in the National League want to stay where they are.” The National League doesn’t seem to want the DH. For years they have used a pitcher to hit in the lineup. Major League Baseball has two options, they could use the DH in both leagues or keep it the way it is.
If MLB stays with the DH, then use it in both leagues. This would allow for teams to add another hitter into the lineup which could equal more runs scored in a game. When American League teams travel to a National League ballpark they wouldn’t need to add a pitcher into the batting lineup. The rules would be the same.
They could also decide to keep it the same where the National League pitchers hit while the American league doesn’t. At least in the National League park pitchers have to hit. They may not get on base all the time but they do move runners around. Sure it may not create more scoring but teams have scoring opportunities. This, though, isn’t fair to American League teams because pitchers don’t hit during those games. Major League Baseball needs to find a compromise where the National League uses the DH.
How can the DH rule be changed in MLB?
Hey Brian. I am all for that. Why wouldn’t they want to add a batter to the lineup?