[mccabed]

I never understood the baseball purists who say "this is how baseball is supposed to be played". Why exactly?

The strategy? Yeah - that double-switch really has me tuning in. Should the pitcher bunt or should we pinch hit for him? Wow - revetting stuff right there.

Bottom line - pitching is such a specialized task that it makes no sense whatsoever to water it down by requiring these guys to do other things that quite frankly they suck at. Let's have placekickers in football also have to play on offense and defense while we're at it. Hitting is a specialized skill as well and requires constant repetition. Pitchers pitch once every 5 days. Do the math.

Who would you rather pay $100 to see hit 4 times in a game? David Ortiz or Jon Lester?

[The BGS & PSA9 Collector, ThoseBackPages]

the lackluster, brow-beaten American League decided starting in the 1973 season, there would be a Designated Hitter that would hit for the pitcher, to help with attendance

[Mikeyt3]

After watching Tim Wakefield, a former National Leaguer, trying to hit on Saturday there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the DH weakens the inherent strategy of the game and overall skills of players in favor of low-attention span fans who need more Offense to keep their flitting interests. Pretty sad. Baseball is like a Chess game...each pitch is important and to substitute power for dynamics just helps to make the case for the lower-browed aspects of the modern American sports mentality (bang, crash, blood, fight, drool). This is why there isn't a clock or instant replay or whistles or absurdly overused penalty flags. Baseball is a thing of beauty in its execution and it has been tainted since the DH was installed. It is nothing short of a monstrosity of basic fundamentals to watch an Interleague game in a National League park. The DH should be scrapped as it hinders the proper use of the rules as well as the every day player management.

[southernplayalistic]

I kind of like that the AL and NL have this difference. It makes the world series and interleague a little more interesting.

[hallsgator]

Hevy Wrote:expensive starting pitchers have no business hitting anymore.
the national league is the only league in professional baseball that doesnt use a DH.

In the Southern League, when they visiting team is a NL affiliate, the pitchers hit.

[r2d2]

hallsgator Wrote:

Hevy Wrote:expensive starting pitchers have no business hitting anymore.
the national league is the only league in professional baseball that doesnt use a DH.

In the Southern League, when they visiting team is a NL affiliate, the pitchers hit.

Also in the Pacific Coast League

[EricChavezCollector3]

mccabed Wrote:I never understood the baseball purists who say "this is how baseball is supposed to be played". Why exactly?

The strategy? Yeah - that double-switch really has me tuning in. Should the pitcher bunt or should we pinch hit for him? Wow - revetting stuff right there.

Bottom line - pitching is such a specialized task that it makes no sense whatsoever to water it down by requiring these guys to do other things that quite frankly they suck at. Let's have placekickers in football also have to play on offense and defense while we're at it. Hitting is a specialized skill as well and requires constant repetition. Pitchers pitch once every 5 days. Do the math.

Who would you rather pay $100 to see hit 4 times in a game? David Ortiz or Jon Lester?

If you take that view then there should really by an offensive team and a defensive team on each team. 9 guys that can hit, 9 guys that can field, I'm sure their have been great defensive players that have never made it into the MLB because they couldn't hit, and there are hitters that make the MLB that can't field worth peanuts (aka Adam Dunn) but if you can't succeed at all aspects of your job then you obviously aren't doing a very good job. I have much more respect for pitchers that can handle a bat hit/bunt than most players on the field (Zambrono sp? is a beast)

I personally think the DH is a joke, but respect a league where two different games can be played, it definitely makes things more interesting especially when they play each other.

And to answer your question, I hate the Red Sox so I"d rather none of them get 4 hits in a game but of the two definitely Lester.

[RandomH]

The DH ruined Baseball.

[gonzagacubs]

injuries are a part of the game....get over it.

[Mullet]

jmh5434 Wrote:The national league is the way baseball is supposed to be played if a pitcher can't run the bases without getting hurt then he has some issues.

I couldn't agree more. Baseball is a game with just as much hitting as fielding and pitching. If you can't hit, or even run the bases without hurting yourself then you shouldn't be playing. It's as simple as that. The whole DH thing should be dropped from baseball.