Should the Designated hitter be for both leagues?

Question

I mean, pitchers are worthless as hitters as it is. Wouldn't it make more sense to establish both leagues having the DH rule?

Answer 1

NO, THE GAME IS GREAT THE WAY IT IS CAUSE WE GET TO SEE OLD STARS STILL PLAY AND AT THE SAME TIME IT CREATES A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE AL AND NL WHICH CAUSES US TO HAVE A DEBATE LIKE THIS.

Answer 2

Not all pitchers are 'worthless' with the lumber. Tommy Glavine and Maddox and John Shmolz spring to mind (old Braves fan). I think it takes a lot of stragegy out of the game. Do you pinch hit for a guy who is throwing a great game when the score is tied 0-0 in the 7th inning? When you replace pitchers, do you have to make a double switch, pulling one of your fielders to alter your batting order?
Generally I have switched from being an American League fan to a National League rooter primarily because of the DH. They say it adds offense but a 2-1 game where decisions about pinch hitting are paramount in the NL are far more exciting for me.
Another thing no DH adds is the pinch hitter, the guy who comes off the bench to hit for a pitcher. In the AL, this is a forgotten art - the starting 9 stays in pretty much all the time.
So, all in all, I would like to see the DH eliminated from MLB. But it won't, so here's hoping the NL keeps it out and pitchers get their hacks.

Answer 3

yes. The entire mlb would be even but right now the AL is the dominant league and huge part of it is because the NL has terrible 9 spot batters (some times in Dontrell Willis's case 7 spot). I think it would improve the competitiveness of the game instead of one league dominanting while the other is so far behind. in interleague play this year the AL destroyed the NL in interleague play this year with an 154-98 record. Although I am a AL fan I don't think it is fair to let the NL lose so badly.

Answer 4

absolutely not, the DH rule takes away from the strategy of the game, managers dont have to decide when to take pitchers out or when to insert a pitch hitter,...how many kids have you ever heard say i want to be a dh wheni grow up, the dh spot lets players who shouldnt play like sammy sosa (orioles) stay in the game

Answer 5

Th DH didn't even exist until the 70's, so why can't they do away with it? Oh yeh it keeps guys like Edgar Martinez who didn't bring a glove to the ball park for like 5 years in the game. I feel that if you can't field, you shouldn't be able to bat. I really think it should go away. The existance of the DH takes away so much strategy from the game.

Answer 6

If they both had that rule then there wouldnt be much separating the AL and the NL. And I take offence to that because I am a Pitcher, I am also my teams clean up hitter. So watch how you generalize us pitchers.

Answer 7

well then there wouldn't be a clear difference between the leagues. if all the rules were the same, then teams might want to change leagues, like milwaukee, which used to be AL but now is stuck in a 6 team NL central. talk about crowded.

Answer 8

i hate having the pitcher hit, excuse me, bunt or strike out
in the nl you pitch around the 8th hitter to get to the pitcher. In the american league you have had batting champs batting 9th.Really who goes to a game to see a pitcher hit...not me. I would much rather see david ortiz hit or any dh for that matter

Answer 9

I despise the DH rule. AL fans like it, so they can keep it, but NL fans don't like it, we prefer the strategy involved with making a pitcher hit vs. using a pinch hitter, etc.. Good post!

Answer 10

YES!! The National League is boring, and the DH would liven up the games and provide consistency across the board for baseball.

Chow!!

Answer 11

I think it would be better to make the pitchers bat. It would balance the game out, and it would cause teams to make the pitchers work on other aspects of their games than just throwing the ball. How about having a good all-around game, rather than one great aspect to your game???