From
the baseball’s humble
beginnings at Elysian Fields in Hoboken, New
Jersey in the mid
1840s until 1972, pitchers
had their turn at-batlike everybody
else. Sure, pitchers spent most
of their time perfecting their craft
and generally hitting came second. Yet, there have always been
a handful of good hitting pitchers in the league, even today.
Then, in 1973, Major League Baseball
commissioner Bowie Kuhn, with some pressure from American League
owners like Charlie Finley, implemented the designated
hitter into the American League rule
books. Sorry pitchers, no more hitting.
On Opening Day 1973, Ron Blomberg became the first designated
hitter in major league history. Blomberg, a number one pick by
the Yankees back in 1967, enjoyed his best season in ‘73;
hitting .329 in 100 games for the Yankees. Unfortunately, Blomberg
suffered several injuries during his career, and he retired in
1978. Still, his first bat used as a designated hitter in ‘73
sits proudly in the archives of the baseball hall of fame. He
may have not set the world on fire, but Blomberg was the first
of many sluggers to hit without playing in the field.
Doesn’t that last sentence sound kind of odd? A baseball
player who does not play in the field? He has no defensive position?
When the players run out onto the field to take their positions,
the DH just gets to sit there? The designated hitter is only in
the game for half of the time. Actually, if you consider the number
of at-bats per nine innings, it’s maybe more like a third
of the time the designated hitter in even in the game. But, he
gets to hit and that is what the designated hitter is all about,
offense.
Remember, only five years before, 1968, was immortalized as “The
Year of the Pitcher.” Yaz' won the AL batting crown, he hit
.301, the lowest leading average ever. Denny McLain won the AL
MVP and Cy Young, winning 31 games. Bob Gibson, Don Drysdale,
Fergie Jenkins and the young arms of Koosman and Ryan dominated
the hitters in ‘68. Sure enough, pitchers success continued
into the seventies. The decision to implement a designated hitter
was an attempt to create more offense, more runs. American League
owners thought an experiment like the designated hitter might
help to restore fan interest and mend the dwindling attendance
in their parks. At the time, the National League had outhit the
American League from 1964 to 1972.
But, back to 1973. Major League Baseball basically split into
two leagues when the designated hitter arrived. Sure, the game
is fundamentally played the same, yet different strategies apply
to the traditional National League style of baseball with that
of the American League game. In theory, National League managers
only have to worry about the first seven batters because if the
eighth batter gets up, you can walk him to get to the pitcher,
a common situation of the game that is often predictable. In theory,
it sounds great, unless the pitcher can hit. Then, the theory
goes out the window. In the American League, there may be as many
as nine good hitters in the starting line-up.
Another difference between leagues is that the pitchers hitting
spot becomes part of the overall strategy for a National League
manager. A manager must utilize the nine spot wisely, especially
in the later innings of a game. Therefore, pinch hitters are an
integral part of the National League strategy, kind of like a
mini-designated hitter. A pinch hitter comes into the game cold,
at any moment and is expected to get on base. Like the designated
hitter, the pinch hitter’s bat is the most important aspect
of his game.
Since the DH began, the American League potentially has more hitters.
A extra guy gets to bat who is not a pitcher. It seems simple.
Sure, the designated hitter has prolonged some careers like Orlando
Cepeda, Dave Winfield, Joe Carter, Edgar Martinez and Rafael Palmeiro.
Sure, it’s created more hits and more home runs. Sure, the
bullpen is more expendable in the American League game. Sure,
we are in the midst of an offensive era in baseball. Sure, no
one wants to hang it up. But, is the experiment still relevant?
Now, it’s 2003, the 30 year anniversary of the designated
hitter. But, the real question is baseball’s little experiment
still good for the game? Yes and no. Former Red Sox pitcher Bill
Lee says no. Lee was a guy who enjoyed hitting, it was part of
his game. A pitcher likes to be able to help himself out at-bat,
it’s empowering. In Ken Burns PBS documentary series titled
Baseball, Lee told the story of his infamous last at-bat in a
Red Sox uniform in 1972. He hit a triple, which, according to
Lee would have been an inside-the-park job but he couldn’t
find the third base coach down the third base line, so Lee went
half way to home and retreated back to third. Lee is pretty proud
of that story. He was a pitcher who took pride in his hitting.
I am sure there are some pitchers in today’s game who take
as much pride in their hitting as Lee did. If you look back through
the history of the game, there have been some good hitting pitchers.
Warren Spahn hit over thirty home runs in his career. Bob Gibson,
Don Drysdale and others could hit as well. And of course, let’s
not forget the greatest hitting pitcher of all-time, the mighty
Babe Ruth. Sure, Ruth’s legacy has been centered mostly on
his powerful hitting, but the Babe was one of the best pitchers
of the 1910s, until he was traded to the Yankees in 1920.
In today’s game, there are some decent hitting pitchers in
the National League. Mike Hampton, Livan Hernandez, Greg Maddux,
and Woody Williams to name a few. Even American League pitchers
of today must pay at least a little attention to their hitting,
after all, anyone could be traded to the National League, right?
Plus, with the advent of inter league play, another obvious financial
ploy, American League pitchers hit in National League ballparks.
Just the other day, while watching the day’s baseball highlights,
I saw video of David Wells, pitcher of the Yankees, chugging around
first and heading towards second. It was fun just to watch the
guy run at full speed. Imagine him trying to steal a base? I’d
get out of the way.
Well, the designated hitter is not going anywhere. It has prolonged
the careers of several sluggers, which is great for the fans.
After all, no one wants to see their favorite players retire.
It allows American League pitchers to sometimes throw deeper into
the late innings of the game rather than being yanked for a pinch
hitter. But, a pitchers best insurance against getting pulled
out of a game is the wielding of a competent bat.
But, at the same time, as far as the prolonged career concept
goes, I have more respect for guys who know when to hang it up.
Tony Gwynn could have asked to be traded late in his career, ending
up as a designated hitter in the American League. But it was more
important for Gwynn to retire as a Padre. Ripken and McGwire could
have hung around a few more years, picking up some more at-bats.
Instead, those players, along with many others decided to move
on and leave the game of baseball. Knowing when to quit has got
to be a huge dilemma for any professional athlete.
Well, like it or not, the designated hitter is not going anywhere.
The climate of baseball is similar to the U.S. political structure,
it is a slow moving beast and change comes gradually over long
periods of time. It is a struggle of opposing sides, mainly between
the players and owners. The problems solved by free agency(for
the players, at least) created an even bigger mess which has snowballed
and snowed the average American family in their homes, unable
to afford tickets to a major league baseball game. Eight work
stoppages/strikes have further distanced fans forever from the
game. Yet, abolishing the designated hitter still seems appealing,
probably because of my National League bias. Baseball might lose
a Ron Blomberg or two, but who knows what it might gain.
