A view from the Dugout.........

9th June 2009.

It's a game of two halves!!
By "Ron Blomberg"

We are lucky in the UK. We don't have the designated hitter rule. Like most of baseball around the globe, we make our pitchers swing the lumber. OK, so the majority of our pitchers not only make contact, but actually do more than just provide some additional infield practice. Pitching is a difficult skill and so at our level, anyone who can throw a strike from 60'6" away, is usually more than capable of sending said pitch back in the direction from which it came. You don't often see a pitcher batting in the nine slot. There are exceptions to every rule and a certain ex-Maverick (apologies Paul), appeared to having batting skills that were in inverse proportion to his pitching skills (bunting aside). This was even harder to explain when you consider he played off a single figure golf handicap!

Even in the US, this is the general rule.........but then there is the American League.

On planet AL, pitchers are confined to the mound and not allowed to run the base paths, unless of course you are Roger Clemens who has been known to cross over to this part of the field, often with a broken bat handle in his possession.* The oft cited reason for this is that it produces more excitement for the fans, as you don't have to contend with the foregone conclusion of pitcher striking out every 9th at bat and ruining whatever rally may be going. There are also the following added benefits:

- Games can last almost 5 hours.........which means they are still going on by the time we wake up in the UK (if on the West Coast)
- Sumo wrestlers can pitch, since they don't have to run the bases....equality for all!
- We get to see more of those managers impersonating bike riding, lycra clad cyclists, but without the figure, as they come to change their pitcher for the 8th time
- No need to worry about strategy - just send someone up to the plate to swing away. After all the game is all about power not finesse
- We don't have to have separate Old Timers games. They can just play on as a designated hitter

I'm sure it is not a case of pitchers just being lazy (although I could probably cite quite a few that would prefer just to get back on the mound as soon as possible). There is no doubt that being able to play on past an age when you normally have retired, is appealing. You may also have noticed that some DH's are playing that position for one very good reason...........have you seen them with a glove on!! I always thought baseball was a game of offense and defense. If you can't hack it in the field, then that is what LF and RF are for. And if you still can't cut the mustard there, then that in itself is going to increase scoring (which I seem to remember was the original idea for having a DH). Don't even get me going on the subject of a DH winning the MVP award. The only reason he doesn't cost his team runs in the field.....is because he isn't in the field. So does that mean DH's should be considered for the gold glove awards, on the basis of no errors

So is this likely to change? I doubt it. I still think the majority like to see 15-3 scorelines, rather than competitive, well pitched 4-3 games. If it last 4 hours instead of 3, then there is more time for another hot dog and a beer. Admittedly, if the strike zone was just a fraction bigger than a pack of cards, then it would perhaps give a bit more credence to helping the batting team (but that is for another blog). There is also the problem of pitchers being allowed to throw inside, with little if any comeback to themselves personally. What better way to focus the mind of a pitcher when he wants to back that batter off the plate to realise, that if he cuts it too fine, then his next at bat waits for retribution.

Plaudits must go to David Ortiz this season, who is doing his bit to re-address the balance, by batting like a pitcher in the DH spot. But in general this is a lone shining light.

Will this ever come to the UK? Well, although I can see where we could take advantage of having someone play DH and not have to field, it is rarely the case the other way round. We also have the problem, that if we ever have sufficient players to put a team of 10 on the field, then it is more than likely that that extra person would be umpiring, scoring or coaching. That said there are times when I would quite have liked that umpire to be out playing rather than calling that 3rd strike on me just because I swung at one that was a touch high.....must have been his fault of course!!!