Poll: What Do You Think of the Designated Hitter Rule?
March 11, 2008 by Geoff Young
Filed under News
I’m not a fan of the designated hitter rule. Either you’re out there playing or you’re not. That means if you’re a pitcher, you’re taking your turn at bat. Conversely, if you’re in the lineup, you’re taking the field.
The other thing that bugs me about the DH is this: Why does he have to hit for the pitcher? I’m pretty sure that the Minnesota Twins, for example, would be better off hitting for Nick Punto when Livan Hernandez is on the mound.
Just sayin’…
{democracy:41}
Growing up in New England the DH never bothered me but now that I live in an NL city (San Diego), I can’t stand it. I’d much rather watch Greg Maddux lay down a perfect bunt on the first pitch than see some fat oaf swing for the fences.
The DH rule is a sham. What is it supposed to do? Make baseball more exciting? It doesn’t. Last year AL teams averaged 9.34 hits/game and NL teams averaged 9.18 hits/game. That comes out to about one extra hit every six games. When comes to runs AL teams averaged 4.90 runs/game and NL teams averaged 4.71 runs/game. That means they score one more run every five games. I just looked at my morning papers from April 1 & 2 and analyzed the box scores. In the NL pitchers and their pinch hitters were 11 of 53 with 6 RBIs. That is a batting average of .208. In the AL DHs were 10 of 52 with 7 RBIs, a BA of .193. If it wasn’t for Jim Thome the DH numbers would have been far worse, 7 of 43 with 3 RBIs and a BA of .163. The DH does not do what it claimed it would do. The entire rule should be wiped out thoughout the sport at every level. There is only one place that the DH is justified and that is the All-Star game.