Designated hitter
Designated hitter (DH) refers to a tenth player in baseball and softball who is only used on the offensive in a game ; one of the nine defensive players is then not used on the offensive. In baseball beats and DH only runs instead of the pitcher (bowler), while softball, however, a team can have a DH for one use any defensive player.
The rule was introduced in some leagues in the 1960s because most pitchers are pretty bad at the stroke as they need to focus on throwing training. One hoped for higher scores and fewer “strike outs” on average. At the same time, however, a strategic element of the game is lost. Experience has shown that a pitcher who has to hit himself throws a little fairer; because if he were to deliberately and forbidden to throw the ball against a batsman's body, the opposing pitcher threatened him the same if he got the stroke himself. So fans are divided on this rule - some find it improves baseball, others think it destroys traditional baseball.
In principle, there is no obligation to use a designated hitter, it is always permitted to do without it.
The two American major leagues differ in terms of the designated hitter rule. While this rule has been used in the American League since 1973, it doesn't exist in the National League . For games between two teams from leagues that regulate this differently, the rules of the respective home team apply. If an American League team plays away for a team in the National League (e.g. during the World Series ), the American League team must either sacrifice its designated hitter (possibly as a pinch hitter ) or bring it to a regular field position. In the World Series 2013 z. B. offered the American League representative Boston Red Sox in the away games against the St. Louis Cardinals (National League) on his designated hitter David Ortiz as first baseman . He completed his unfamiliar defensive duties without errors and won the World Series MVP Award . Since the majority of the fans in both leagues apparently agree to the currently applicable rule, this difference will probably remain in place for the foreseeable future.
Designated hitters are played in the German leagues, as well as in international matches, in almost all national leagues outside the USA and also in the American school and college leagues and most of the professional minor leagues . Only minor league teams in the higher performance classes AAA and AA then play without DH if both teams are part of a national league team during an encounter. In Japanese professional baseball , one of the two leagues, the Central League , also waives the DH rule. In American amateur leagues with a recreational character, DH is sometimes played with and sometimes without.
In softball, the DH was replaced by the Designated Player (DP) in 2004. With this rule, some restrictions that applied to the DH have been removed.
Web links
- Official rules of the MLB for Batter (see 6.10 for Designated Hitter)
- Explanations of the DH on Baseball-Reference.com