The Pinstriped Baseball Lane

Ok, so baseball will happen in 2020, but it will come at the expense of new rules and regulations because of the coronavirus. One of the new rules that will be implemented in this year’s July baseball is the idea of a Universal DH.

I take it that many of you know what the term, “Universal DH” means, but for those who don’t, I will do my best to give an explanation.

So, first off, DH, stands for “designated hitter”. A designated hitter’s job is to do nothing but hit, meaning that a team can assign a player in the line up to bat in place of the pitcher and the pitcher only. Until recently, the DH was only implemented in the American League, but because of COVID-19, baseball officials have decided to extend the ruling to the National League. Hence, the term, “Universal DH“.

For now the DH will be used in both leagues, but going forward, there is nothing set in stone yet. Now, that is what I want to talk about today. I will give you my opinion on it, but feel free to disagree or agree with me.

I believe there should have always been a “Universal DH“. For me, I would like to think that I am not the only one that believes the rule brings uniformity to the game. With that being said, the NL was the only entity not using it. I know many people may disagree with me, while others might agree with my belief. Personally, as a Yankees fan, I am glad that my team does not have to send their pitchers to the batter’s box.

I know for my team, the bullpen is an asset, while the starting rotation has had its ups and downs. In my opinion, pitchers set the tone of the game and the DH rule provides balance to a team.

In other words, what I mean is, the DH avoids unnecessary injuries. Put it this way, who are some of the games elite starters and elite bullpen weapons? Just to name a few, you have Noah Syndergaard, Gerrit Cole, Masahiro Tanaka, Clayton Kershaw, Dellin Betances , Jared Hughes, Stephen Strasburg and Max Scherzer. All these guys, along with others have worked hard at their craft and in turn their pitching has become some of the most deceptive performances in the game. I don’t know about anyone else, but I don’t want to run the risk of having anyone in my pitching arsenals getting injured. Especially, because there is the possibility of an opposing batter getting drilled by a pitch or even having a pitcher getting hurt while running the bases and attempting to steal a base. The way I see it is very simple, if a pitcher gets hurt because there is no DH ruling, then a team loses a hitter and a pitcher. That’s two positions vacated in one shot. What are you going to do then, especially if you depended on them to be available in big games? Your team just gained two voids on their roster, how will they play their best baseball?

I like the DH spot, it offers flexibility. A pitcher doesn’t have to run the risk of pulling a muscle the previous inning, and then have to push on to pitch the next inning. Quite frankly, that might just cause stress on a pending injury, no one wants that. The spot also serves as a rotating day off for other guys on the team. This means guys on defense can get some rest from being in the field, which would also prevent fielders from getting injured. Whether you are a batter or not, being on offense and in the batter’s box can be a sketchy thing, because you never know when a wild pitch can come at you. Also, like I said before, you always have the possibility of hurting yourself while running the bases and even diving to steal a base.

The DH just make sense and that is why I believe it is too risky to play baseball without it. I would like to see the rule stay in place beyond this season.