A little more than a month ago, while browsing this very website prior to succumbing to the temptation to spend way too much time playing fantasy owner/gm, I was especially captivated by a single sentence. Discreetly placed among the mundane details of League play and configuration options is a simple yet powerfully meaningful phrase. If I may quote. “Because of the philosophical convictions of our founders, our game never uses the DH.” !!!!!
Hail to the Founders!! Long live the Founders!!
To the NSB Founders I offer my most humble thanks.
Just to be clear, I am no fan of the DH. I consider it a pestilence over the landscape of baseball. Fortunately for me, as a National League fan, the infection is confined to the American League and I fervently hope it shall spread no further.
I was reminded of those “philosophical convictions” earlier today as I read an article about Adam Dunn’s curious regression since being signed by the White Sox to bash the long ball and pile up rbi’s. Known as a power hitter, Dunn is apparently determined to do his part to help opposing AL pitchers keep their ERA down and pad their strikeout totals. He’s hitting .169, has struck out 150 times and sports a lusty .298 slugging average. But, giving credit where credit is due, that is one point higher than his OBP. His eleven homers and 40 rbi’s trail Paul Konerko’s team leading 28 homeruns and 84 rbi’s by more than a little bit. AL pitchers don’t seem to perceive the “power threat” either as Dunn also has drawn two fewer walks than Konerko. I know it’s an unfair comparison, but I simply can’t resist…Cliff Lee is hitting .212 and has a slugging average of .364. Granted he’s hit only 2 homers but that works out to one every 27.5 AB compared to Dunn’s 1/32.3. Lee has struck out once every 2.5 AB compared to Dunn’s once every 2.37. How thrilled the Pale Hose and their fans must be with their designated hitter…
Since its inception in MLB at the start of the 1973 season, the DH rule has been the subject of much controversy. Proponents claim it makes the game more interesting and allows players nearing the end of their careers to contribute a while longer. Opponents argue that it dilutes managerial strategy and is no more than a gimmick to put fannies in the seats.
Baseball has undergone many rules changes during its existence, some designed to prevent ‘trickery’ such as the infield fly rule. Others attempted to strike a balance between offense and defense so that neither had a distinct advantage. Until the DH rule, which simply put, was intended only to increase the owners’ revenue. In the late 60’s pitching dominated baseball as evidenced by Carl Yastrzemski winning the AL batting title in 1968 with a .301 average and Bob Gibson’s 13 shutouts and 1.12 ERA the same season. AL owners, aware of the fans lust for the long ball were determined to find a way to profit from it. And so they did five years later.
The supporters of the DH will ask “Who wants to watch the pitcher strike out anyway? It’s boring.” Probably the same people who watch Adam Dunn strike out…
