In 1973, the designated hitter (DH) position was introduced into the American League and has ever since been implemented into modern day professional and amateur baseball. The purpose of the designated hitter is to add a batter in place of the pitcher, meaning they cannot take the field while playing defense. Recently in 2022, the National League also adopted the designated hitter position as a part of the 2022-26 collective bargaining agreement, making it universal to the MLB’s rulebook and becoming a common practice in the sport. In 1997, interleague play started, allowing both National and American leagues to compete against each other during the regular season. However, the implementation of the designated hitter position in the American League caused conflicts when an opposing league’s team competed against each other. For example, when an American League team competed at a National League team’s home field, the pitchers were not allowed a designated hitter, putting them at a disadvantage since they were only hitting for a fraction of their games (and applying oppositely for National League teams). Theo Epstein, former president of the Cubs, advocated for the National League’s implementation of the position so that both halves of the MLB could play under the same rules.
When regarding the designated hitter position, most baseball fans appreciate the addition of the position because it allows for more hits and runs, making baseball more exciting. Before the addition of the rule, most pitchers would be below average at hitting, leading to an almost automatic out.
“The designated hitter provides more offense and a more exciting game overall for the fans,” said Baltimore Orioles Owner Peter Angelos. “That was the initial reason for authorizing the designated hitter and I think that reason still pertains. The purists feel that it alters the game from a standpoint of strategy. I think that is true. You do lose something there. But I think in the overall you gain by providing more offensive capability. That is important because baseball has a tendency at times to be slow-moving and unexciting. This adds another dimension of excitement to the game and that’s why I support it.”
On the other hand, baseball traditionalists see the designated hitter position as a bad addition to the sport, as it takes away from the original rules of the game. The number of traditionalists today is small, due to the large adaptation of the position in almost all levels of baseball. Most traditionalists are either old baseball fans or coaches that support the roots of the game.
In conclusion, the designated hitter position has proved to be a strong addition to the rules of the MLB due to the increased offensive potential on teams. Due to the competitiveness of modern day baseball, the position has been implemented on almost all teams for pitchers with the exception of certain pitchers such as Shohei Ohtani. The position has and will continue to grow the sport, making it more exciting and competitive.