Trigger alert! The designated hitter. (baseball)

[JW]

So, not paying deep attention to the MLB recently, is this full DH in the National League now? Sigh. Can't they leave one thing in the world unspoiled? Already dealing with the unbelievable nonsense of putting a runner in scoring position (preemptively) during extra innings.

But the DH . . . . drag me out to the ball game.

Isn't it MORE boring when the pitcher doesn't hit? It's the added necessity of strategy. As the pitcher, the "most of the time" guarantee of 1 hitter that sucks, gives you a break to catch up in your head, allows a certain amount of pitching around the 8 hitter if the situation requires it, in fact in can influence the game plan tremendously. It works backwards into the lineup, where you're thinking how to get thru to the pitcher for out 3 in a difficult situation which will force him to hit or come out of the game for a pinch hitter. Or if you're coasting it creates situations where you pitch differently perhaps more challenging to some good hitters, to try to get the pitcher leading off the next inning for a hopeful first out. It forces managers to make all kinds of difficult decisions, and play, dare I say, National League ball. Hit and runs, agressive baserunning, sacrifice bunts, trying not to burn a bullpen guy for no reason, making good pinch hitting decisions that can influence things defensively too when you go out on the field. It's crazy how much more fun this is to watch. My opinion anyway.

Salt in the wound that the American League wins like 8 out of every 10 all star games too.

 

[crazydoc]

Baseball just ain't the game it used to be. I guess the fans want to see less pitching and more hitting. Follow the money.

"Last season, umpires checked all starting pitchers multiple times and all relievers either at the end of his first inning or when removed, whichever occurred first. Caps, gloves and fingertips were checked."

“Starting pitchers should continue to expect more than one mandatory check per game,” Hill wrote. “Each relief pitcher will be subject to at least one check when he enters the game, at the conclusion of the inning in which he entered the game, or when he is removed from the game. In general, inspections will be conducted between innings or after pitching changes to avoid a delay of the game and to allow the umpire to perform a thorough check of the pitcher."

https://www.usnews.com/news/sports/...-for-more-random-checks-for-sticky-substances
https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/...own-his-pants-during-foreign-substance-check/

 

[JW]

It's okay, some kind of smart nano tech will be able to biometrically sense any foreighn substances, and will speed up the game. Hackable by the Astros, we'll found out.

 

[hodad]

Unbelievable nonsense of putting a runner in scoring position

That, to me, is worse than the DH (and yes, I'm an NL fan who has always opposed the DH.) I care a lot less about baseball now that our local team is owned by a faceless multibillion $$$ corporation that is based 1500 or so miles away. But the new extra innings BS is an insult to the game. Utterly ridiculous. A travesty.

 

[Ricardus]

MLB is a corporation, and like all corporations their interests are in maximizing profits. The sanctity of the game doesn't matter to them, and hasn't mattered in quite a while. Expect them to add more meaningless wildcard teams and wildcard games just so they can sell more TV ads.

Good lord. It's going to end up like hockey where 3/4 of the teams make the playoffs.

 

[john12ax7]

In the never ending quest to ruin the game next year will feature ads on uniforms.