From the article: Baseball Rules & Strategy
To stimulate more offense in the game, the American League adopted the designated hitter rule in 1973, allowing a hitter to bat in the lineup in place of the pitcher in AL games. In all games played in AL parks - interleague, All-Star Games and the World Series - this rule is in effect? Should both leagues play under the same rules? Should the AL drop the DH? Or should the National League adopt the DH? You Make The Call
Get rid of the DH
- I say it should go, it has always ruined the game in my opinion. Not to mention it has spread like a plague to other lower levels of baseball.
- —Guest Doc
DH doesn't make any sense
- If you are good enough to play in the field, then you are good enough to bat, plus all DH's are usually old and need to retire. They are just taking chances away from Triple-A players.
- —Guest CATFISH
Drop the DH
- Well, I'm happy to see someone asking this question -- an experiment that was in one league. In my opinion, drop it like a bad habit.
- —Guest dave silverwood
Drop the DH
- I agree with all the above posts. Get rid of it! Play the game the way it was meant to be played. The same way for both leagues.
- —johnfour
Drop DH
- Yes, drop the DH, make the true lineup go to bat, no excuses. Both leagues - same rule.
- —Guest Tom H
Drop the DH
- I can't stand the DH rule. Its usefulness is gone. No need for more offense. A pitcher in the lineup gives the opposing pitcher a relative stressless hitter to face, helps save his arm. Plus the DH takes a whole layer of strategy out of the game. I grew up a Twins fan but prefer the National League style of baseball.
- —Guest Dale
Drop the AL DH
- 1) It just adds another statistic 2) Pitchers CAN hit: Check the records 3) More player payroll, more fan costs
- —Guest Ken D. Kribbs
Old timer
- I'd love to see pure baseball as it was in the 50's and 60's - no DH, no free agency. No rent-a-player, and imposition of salary cap. In today's economy, the top players should make no more than $2-3 million a year. That's being generous. Technology should bring about a device to be worn by home plate umpires that would help eliminate poor judgment calls. When Selig steps down, an independent sports panel should hire someone who has no ties with major league owners. Something must be done about leveling the income to promote true competition. Without that, small and mid-level teams will disappear, a very small league with big-buck owners will dominate baseball. Those of us living in small-market areas will have to watch TV rather than attend a game.
- —Guest Bill Kendrick
Drop the DH
- A gimmick whose time is over. Go back to pure baseball with strategy of lifting a pitcher in the 6th or letting him bat, sacrifice bunting and if your going to plunk somebody, you might get plunked. (See Clemens vs. Piazza.)
- —Guest Rick
Well, DUH!
- The DH is an abomination. As for elongating older players' careers, what is the MLB meant to be, a Job Centre? Are these older players short of a bob or two? Of course not, they'll be fine. Let 'em be fit enough to field or move over for other talent that is.
- —Guest JJ (UK)
NO MORE DH
- I'll be glad to see it go - it's not the same game with a DH.
- —Guest JRSCHOON
the dh
- the dh is not needed, baseball better served without it
- —Guest David Silverwood
good bye DH
- DH was added by the weak American league to bolster attendance. Time for it to go. Toughest decisions for NL mgr involve pitcher removal/pinchhit
- —Guest wfcd24
Time to have the same rules
- It's quirky to explain to people why the AL and NL have different rules and how they must reconcile them in the World Series. As someone who grew up watching American League baseball, I always favored the DH. But there's a part of National League strategy that adds to the enjoyment of the game. So I'm coming around to the idea that the DH is a fad that deserves to go the way of bell-bottom pants and disco balls. Let's play by one set of rules.
- —Guest Baseball Guide Scott Kendrick
