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PadresFan104 -> RE: Designated hitter (5/16/2006 7:42:47 PM)
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Gotta love Wikipedia:
"A designated hitter (often shortened to "DH"), is an official position adopted by Major League Baseball's American League in 1973 that allowed teams to boost sagging offensive performances by designating a player to bat in place of the pitcher. It should be noted that no team is required to use a DH.
The designated hitter may not play a field position and he may only be replaced by another player not currently in the lineup. However, the designated hitter may change positions to become a position player at any point during the game. However, if he does so, his team forfeits the role of the designated hitter. Thus, the pitcher or a pinch hitter must bat in the newly-opened spot in the batting order.
The rationale was that, with a few exceptions, pitchers are usually weak hitters. Babe Ruth was an outstanding all-around player; a prolific hitter who had begun his career as an equally prolific pitcher with the Boston Red Sox, and soon began playing in the field on days he did not pitch (to prevent severe arm injury, a given pitcher will perform once every 5 games). However, Ruth was eventually made a full-time outfielder during his first year as a member of the New York Yankees, 1920, and pitched very sporadically afterward.
On April 6, 1973, first baseman Ron Blomberg of the New York Yankees became the first designated hitter in Major League Baseball history, facing Boston Red Sox right-handed pitcher Luis Tiant in his first plate appearance. "Boomer" Blomberg was walked.
Strategically, the designated hitter offers American League managers two primary options: they can either rotate the role among players, using left-handed hitting DHs against right-handed pitchers and vice-versa, or they can employ a full-time designated hitter. The adoption of the designated hitter rule has virtually eliminated the use of the double switch in the American League.
On June 12, 1997, San Francisco Giants outfielder Glenallen Hill became the first National League player to be the DH in a regular-season game against the American League's Texas Rangers at the Ballpark in Arlington, Texas (now Ameriquest Field in Arlington). When the Milwaukee Brewers moved from the AL to the NL in 1998, the Brewers no longer used the DH on a regular basis."
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