Difference between revisions of "Designated hitter"
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(New page: A '''designated hitter''' is a position in baseball. Designated hitters do not play defensive positions, and only bat. They do so in place of the pitcher. The designated hitter was con...) |
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| − | A '''designated hitter''' is a position in [[baseball]]. Designated hitters do not play defensive positions, and only bat | + | [[Image:The 1882 Cincinnati Red Stockings.jpg|left|120px]] |
| + | A '''designated hitter''' (abbreviated as DH) is a position in [[baseball]]. Designated hitters do not play defensive positions, and only bat. The designated hitter was controversially introduced by [[Major League Baseball]]'s American League in 1973, and most leagues use the position now, the most notable exception being Major League Baseball's National League. In Major League Baseball the designated hitter bats in place of the pitcher. Under many amateur leagues, the DH can replace any player in the field, usually the weakest batter. To this day, many baseball purists feel that this dilutes the game and that pitchers should bat. Although American League teams are not required to assign a designated hitter, in practice, all do. | ||
| − | [[ | + | In inter-league games featuring American League and National League games, when the American League team is the host, the National League team may assign a designated hitter and almost always does<ref>The last exception was in 2018 when the Oakland Athletics hosted their Bay Area rivals San Francisco Giants; the Giants scheduled starting pitcher (Madison Bumgarner, one of the best-hitting pitchers in Major League Baseball who has actually been used successfully as a pinch-hitter) hit in his position for the game.</ref>; conversely when the National League team is the host, the American League team must have the pitcher hit. This rule was waived during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, possibly as a prelude to making it a National League rule as well. |
| + | |||
| + | == References == | ||
| + | *[https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/baseball/beginners/glossary.html Baseball Glossary] WETA. | ||
| + | *[http://www.nocryinginbaseball.com/glossary/glossary.html Baseball Glossary OF TERMS] | ||
| + | *[http://www.baseball-reference.com/about/pitch_glossary.shtml Pitching Glossary] | ||
| + | *[http://www.baseball-reference.com/about/bat_glossary.shtml Batting Glossary] | ||
| + | *[http://web.baseballhalloffame.org/index.jsp Hall of Fame] National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. | ||
| + | == See also == | ||
| + | *[[Baseball]] | ||
| + | *[[Major League Baseball]] | ||
| + | == External links == | ||
| + | *[http://mlb.mlb.com/index.jsp The Official Site of Major League Baseball] | ||
| + | *[http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp Minor League Baseball] | ||
| + | *[http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/features/alumni/article.jsp?article=history BASEBALL HISTORY] Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association. | ||
| + | *[http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/features/alumni/stats.jsp Stats] | ||
| + | {{baseball}} | ||
Latest revision as of 23:24, October 22, 2020
A designated hitter (abbreviated as DH) is a position in baseball. Designated hitters do not play defensive positions, and only bat. The designated hitter was controversially introduced by Major League Baseball's American League in 1973, and most leagues use the position now, the most notable exception being Major League Baseball's National League. In Major League Baseball the designated hitter bats in place of the pitcher. Under many amateur leagues, the DH can replace any player in the field, usually the weakest batter. To this day, many baseball purists feel that this dilutes the game and that pitchers should bat. Although American League teams are not required to assign a designated hitter, in practice, all do.
In inter-league games featuring American League and National League games, when the American League team is the host, the National League team may assign a designated hitter and almost always does[1]; conversely when the National League team is the host, the American League team must have the pitcher hit. This rule was waived during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, possibly as a prelude to making it a National League rule as well.
References
- Baseball Glossary WETA.
- Baseball Glossary OF TERMS
- Pitching Glossary
- Batting Glossary
- Hall of Fame National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc.
See also
External links
- The Official Site of Major League Baseball
- Minor League Baseball
- BASEBALL HISTORY Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association.
- Stats
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- ↑ The last exception was in 2018 when the Oakland Athletics hosted their Bay Area rivals San Francisco Giants; the Giants scheduled starting pitcher (Madison Bumgarner, one of the best-hitting pitchers in Major League Baseball who has actually been used successfully as a pinch-hitter) hit in his position for the game.