I’m a National League guy and I’ve never been a big fan of the DH. It’s not a superiority thing or an elitist thing — I know that pitchers can’t bat — it’s just a familiarity thing in my case. I’ve watched tons more NL ball than AL ball in my lifetime, I just like it better, and you have as much a chance at talking me out of that position than you do talking the Pope out of Catholicism.
The Philadelphia Daily News’ Bill Conlin hates the DH too — he hates just about everything — but unlike me, he’s ready to surrender:
The American League went from All-Star Game whipping boy and an entity
lacking the NL’s diversity and overall pizzazz to where it is today:
dominant for the simple reason that nine hitters in a lineup are better
than eight.And where the disparity really kills the National League in the World
Series and in the equally lamentable interleague play is in the No. 9
spot. With their DHs typically power bats of the Matsui, David Ortiz,
Vlad Guerrero stripe, most teams configure their lineups to put speed
and contact at No. 9. A second leadoff hitter, if you will . . .. . . Once again, I call for the National League to restore the measure of
competitive balance the DH rule has drained from the game since 1973.
It’s not because I like it – although the National League sometimes
reminds me of an auto industry where the automatic transmission was
never invented.
I can’t argue with the underlying logic, and that’s saying something here because I can argue with just about everything Bill Conlin says. But he’s right: it’s not aesthetically pleasing to watch fat, old players who can’t play defense anymore, but there’s no escaping the fact that they’re more effective in the batter’s box than a pitcher. And while there are other things in play leading to the AL’s competitive advantages — having two teams in the Yankees and Red Sox driving higher payrolls being chief among them — the DH has contributed to that as well. George Will probably said it best in his book Men at Work:
“The best case for the DH is this: It represents that rarest of
things, the triumph of evidence over ideology. The anti-DH ideology is
that there should be no specialization in baseball, no division of
labor: Everyone should play “the whole game.” That theory is
obliterated by this fact: Specialization is a fact with or without the
DH. Most pitchers only go through the motions at bat.”
I’m almost always going to go with evidence over ideology, but in this case I’ll make an exception. Personally I hope the NL holds out. Not everything has to be about offense and vive la difference, don’t you know.
But I understand if they cave one day. It may be better for Major League Baseball in the long run, even if it doesn’t make for better baseball form an aesthetic point of view.
-
- Grant - Nov 11, 2009 at 10:49 AM
-
“although the National League sometimes reminds me of an auto industry where the automatic transmission was never invented.”
I would have no problem with this.
-
- CI - Nov 11, 2009 at 11:06 AM
-
i grew up on the AL, but now have become a huge NL fan. While pitchers in the early innings aren’t exciting to watch hit, having the pitcher bat makes management of the game entirely more interesting, especially in later innings. Do you double-switch? Should I let him go another inning knowing his spot is coming up next inning? It also makes the bench players more critical to the success of a team, which to me makes baseball even more of a team game.
-
- Scott - Nov 11, 2009 at 11:19 AM
-
If the DH is such a good thing, (I don’t agree that it is) why not go the next step and copy football. Have 9 on defense and 9 on offense?
Of course, this is a stupid idea, as is the DH. There is nothing worse than watching a fat, slow, broken down player (Jim Thome?). At one time baseball players were athletes. Someone that can’t run, throw or field is basically a slow-pitch softball player. Get them out of the game.
-
- Mike Dark - Nov 11, 2009 at 11:22 AM
-
I disagree, the anti-DH ideology is not about anti-specialization, it is about the strategy added to the game when a pitcher is part of the lineup, such as: leave the pitcher because he is up third, double switches, don’t bean a guy in the back because you have to step in the box next inning. To me, it has far more to do with the pitcher than the extra batter in the lineup.
It would be a sad day if the NL ever switched to the DH. “Not all change is progress.”
-
- BigBBFan - Nov 11, 2009 at 12:04 PM
-
So far all the comments are Fractional (excuse me, National Leaguers. I am so sick of hearing of all the “stragety involved in the double switch…takes all the IQ of about 70 to figure that out.
Also forget the Red Sox/Yankee argument. Check the interleague stats. The AL has kicked NL butt for several years and that is 50/50 as to home park.
Most National League games are as exciting as watching grass grow.
To hell with small Balls….long live the long ball.
-
- whoisyourdadddy - Nov 11, 2009 at 12:47 PM
-
If you don’t like American League Baseball don’t watch it…….
the same goes for the National League. Need some cheese for the WHINE ?
-
- Mode - Nov 11, 2009 at 12:53 PM
-
So, you’re saying it’s more “aesthetically pleasing” to watch any pitcher hit than watching Matsui, Ortiz, or Guerrero hit?
There were 360 more intentional walks in the NL than the AL last year, are those “aesthetically pleasing?”
Evolution will prevail. pitchers hitting = gills, DH = lungs.
(sorry, I couldn’t think of a better evolution metaphor)
-
- Mode - Nov 11, 2009 at 12:58 PM
-
“They do say,” Mr. Adams said to Old Man Warner, who stood next to him, “that over in the north village they’re talking of giving up the lottery.”
Old Man Warner snorted. “Pack of crazy fools,” he said.
h/t Shirley Jackson
-
- David Silverwood - Nov 11, 2009 at 1:25 PM
-
ok the dh has the appeal of a root canal only weak and nitwitted fans should support it . The experiment is a quality check which anyone who supports it has no idea of what baseball is, lets all get behind a motion to ban this absurd baseball pimple.
-
- Mike - Nov 11, 2009 at 1:35 PM
-
Lets restore “balance” by abolishing the DH. Not all pitchers can’t hit…a pitcher hitting a HR is one of the most exciting things in the game
A DH is just like the other 8 hitters…more of the same. Having the pitcher hit is something different, an entire dimension to the game that the AL lacks. Why strip the game of it’s interesting aspects?
If all we want is long balls, lets let ARod hit in all 9 spots in the order
-
- Mode - Nov 11, 2009 at 1:36 PM
-
I’ve heard the “why not just have 9 on defense and 9 on offense?” argument. Here’s the problem, nobody’s saying we should do that.
What’s being said is that after over 100 years of statistical evidence, most pitchers literally cannot hit their weight. (alright, maybe literally doesn’t actually work here, but you know what I mean.)
Did you know that 4 of the starters on the NL champ Phillies had negative OPS+s?
Did you know that Greg Maddux had a lifetime 5 OPS+?
-
- Mode - Nov 11, 2009 at 1:50 PM
-
“a pitcher hitting a HR is one of the most exciting things in the game”
Answer “why?” to this question and you have the answer as to why there is a DH in the first place.
A DH is just like the other 8 hitters…more of the same.
Meaning they can actually hit. Which is the escence of being in a batting order.
Having the pitcher hit is something different, an entire dimension to the game that the AL lacks
It’s a dimension that is a proven failure for over 100 years.
-
- Mode - Nov 11, 2009 at 1:56 PM
-
No David, you’re a towel.
-
- Tom - Nov 11, 2009 at 2:15 PM
-
So there are a few different issues here:
1. What does one league or another being better even mean?
2. Does that translate to World Series victories?
1. is always going to be subjective at best and religion at worst. A lot of people have been using the All Star game as a metric for that. I think by just about any measure the good AL teams RIGHT NOW have fewer weaknesses and the AL has fewer laughers, e.g. Pittsburgh, San Diego. AL style of play? More money for free agents? Aging DHs aging more gracefully? I don’t know.
But the DH has been around for 3+ decades and during that time there have been periods of NL dominance of the All Star game and overall quality, just as the AL takes it now. The astroturf era was definitely better for the NL. Probably not a matter of the NL style, just more teams built around astroturf.
I still prefer the NL since switching teams is for douchebags.
ANd I don’t think 1. has much of anything to do with 2.
-
- Total - Nov 11, 2009 at 2:26 PM
-
There is nothing worse than watching a fat, slow, broken down player
Really? It’s worse than watching a pitcher wave helplessly at three fastballs or struggle to lay down a bunt? It’s worse than watching a “I’m not good enough to hit higher than #8″ hitter get an intentional walk?
-
- jamie - Nov 11, 2009 at 3:11 PM
-
the reason that the AL team has an inherent advantage in the world series over the NL is that the NL can’t get a good hitter to sign to them. matsui would never sign a contract to get 150AB’s in the NL when he can get 600+ in the AL.
so they say that both teams are playing a DH. the NL DH will never be the kind of hitter the AL will have. add on the fact that the AL has an average team salary of around 10 million more. that right there makes up for the DH.
-
- Simon DelMonte - Nov 11, 2009 at 3:37 PM
-
There’s no reason a pitcher can’t be a good hitter. It’s my understanding that most players who pitch in high school play other positions some of the time, and there learn to hit. We’ve seen pitchers converted to hitters in mid-career (see under Ankiel, Rick). And the greatest (white pre-WWII) player of all time began as a pitcher.
The DH is just not necessary.
Too bad there’s no way to get rid of it anymore. But I don’t like it and I never will.
-
- (Not That) Tom - Nov 11, 2009 at 3:47 PM
-
“There’s no reason a pitcher can’t be a good hitter”
Other than than the ability to be a good hitter (as well as a good pitcher) at the major league level requires a considerable amount of time, effort, and dedication on its own?
Face it; the entire game of baseball is an exercise in specialization. The concept of a DH is no more asinine than the concept of a closer or pinch runner.
-
- Will - Nov 11, 2009 at 3:55 PM
-
I’m with Scott. If players shouldn’t have to play both offense and defense, let’s specialize some more. DHs tend to become that because their only skill is hitting – they can’t run, and they can’t field.
Why not have Designated Runners, instead of pinch runners, and Designated Fielders. Omar Quintinilla is a great middle infielder. He’s a pretty fair runner, too. But he can’t hit to save his life. Why not convert him to a DF and free up a bat in the lineup?
-
- Tom - Nov 11, 2009 at 4:03 PM
-
@Will
You’re not nearly imaginative enough. We should pare each team down to their best 3. Bat them 3 times over for a lineup of 9 and use ghosties to cover all the running. Wouldn’t want to wear out those millionaire calves!
On defense, clone 4 copies of Jose Offerman for the infield, 3 copies of Manny Ramirez for the outfield and have David Wells toss softballs to is battery-mate Tim McCarver, Jr.
Wouldn’t want those fans to get bored watching a pitcher’s duel.
-
- Mode - Nov 11, 2009 at 4:21 PM
-
“There’s no reason a pitcher can’t be a good hitter”
I don’t know where you’re going with this. You do realize there is over 100 years of evidence showing how poorly pitchers hit, right?
-
- HP3 - Nov 11, 2009 at 4:34 PM
-
It seems not so long ago when the NL was competing better in the World Series, that the pundits said the NL teams had the advantage because their teams were built without a DH and the AL had more trouble adjusting to the NL game because of their reliance on the DH. I guess whoever wins has the advantage.
Personally, I don’t like the DH, but the anti-DH faction is fighting a losing battle. I absolutely could have lived without the extra years of Reggie, Frank Thomas, Thome, etc., etc.,
-
- Mode - Nov 11, 2009 at 4:39 PM
-
You mean like the pitchers duels in game 1 and 2 ANA vs NYY?
Or maybe you missed that there were 51 runs scored in the NLCS in 5 games while there were 52 runs scored in 6 games of the ALCS.
-
- Tom Downes - Nov 11, 2009 at 5:06 PM
-
I think you need to talk to Prof. Frink and grab one of his sarcasm detectors.
-
- Tom - Nov 11, 2009 at 5:13 PM
-
Can anyone actually demonstrate that the AL has been systematically better since the introduction of the DH?
I think the fairest sense of better would be World Series victories since that’s what fans care about.
AL: 21
NL: 15
Personally I would put the Yankees separately which would then be:
AL: 15
NL: 15
NYY: 6
Both of those results are statistically consistent with the premise the leagues are equally likely of winning the World Series.
Which means we can argue about this forever.
