by Gary Cain

Created on: March 12, 2009

To bat, or not to bat, that is the question.
According to Major League Baseball's current rulebook, all interleague games played in National League (NL) parks follow the NL's no-designated-hitter (DH) rule, meaning both teams' pitchers have to bat. The converse is true in American League (AL) parks, wherein the DH is allowed to bat instead of the pitcher. Since the AL pitchers only bat and run the bases during interleague games played in NL stadiums, and rarely even practice hitting or base-running otherwise, the AL is placed at a competitive disadvantage in such games. In actuality, the price to at least one AL team has been even bigger.

The DH or no-DH rule has been controversial since its introduction in 1973 in the American League. In June last year the rhetoric exploded after AL New York Yankee star pitcher Chien-Ming Wang severely injured his foot while running the bases during an interleague game in Houston versus the NL Astros and was unable to play for the rest of the season. Hank Steinbrenner, Yankees co-chairman, angry over the loss of his ace pitcher, subsequently fumed that the NL should join the 21st century and adopt the DH rule.

Although I've followed NL teams for the past three decades, on the DH subject I have to agree with the AL's Mr. Steinbrenner.
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a business which exists to make a profit. Teams have made huge investments in their players and want and need them to remain healthy and able to perform at their top level to maximize the teams' chances of success and attract the most fans. Teams especially don't want to see their star players get injured, even more so if the injuries can be avoided. That is precisely Mr. Steinbrenner's point, that his top pitcher was hurt unnecessarily, because he was only running the bases after batting due to the NL's no-DH rule.
Under AL rules his pitcher never would have been on base at all, so his injury was completely needless and avoidable.
With Wang out of the rotation, the Yankees went on to miss the playoffs for the first time in fourteen years, a serious hit to the Yankees' pocketbook.

Consider the situation in professional football.
The NFL has instituted several rules in recent years to protect the quarterbacks, arguably the most valuable players for most teams, from injuries so as to keep them healthy and in the game. A sound business decision. Since pitchers are baseball's equivalent of quarterbacks, with the ball in their hands at the start of each play, it makes sense for

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