Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Designated hitter


On this date in 1973, Major League owners approve the use of the Designated Hitter in the American League on an experimental three-year basis.

"I screwed up the game of baseball. Baseball needed a jolt of offense for attendance, so they decided on the DH. I never thought that it would last this long." - Ron Blomberg (the first DH ever) in 2003

2 comments:

Al Penwasser said...

I prefer the pitcher being used in the line-up. I like it when the manager has to make a decision whether and when to pull his pitcher, especially late in the game when a jolt from a pinch-hitter may be necessary. But, what do you do when your pitcher is "lights out?" A baseball conundrum. But, since I'm a Yankees fan (go ahead, ridicule me), I must watch DHs who really can't play in the field anymore (e.g., Papi, Damon, POSada, etc.). If only the AL got rid of the DH....<>

Contrary Guy said...

Agree 100%.