Designated hitter

Baseball is not the game that you thought it was. It has not been since 1973 when the first designated hitter was used. A designated hitter does not play defense, their one and only job is to hit for the pitcher. It has made the game stray away from its roots. Many say the designated hitter has improved baseball by making it more entertaining but in reality these players are ruining the sanctity of the game because they do not follow the same rules that all of the other players have to follow. The designated hitter changes how baseball is played dramatically. It creates a divide in the fan base and is now argued over almost every day. A designated hitter can be seen to have special treatment because they do not have to be out in the field on defense as well as not having to worry about their playing time. In 1972 the first designated hitter was Larry Eugene Hisle, who batted for a pitcher apart of the Minnesota Twins in a pre-season game (Nillson). Hisle ended up hitting a home run with two runners on base as well as a grand slam in the game. A grand slam is when a batter hits a home run with runners on first, second, and third base. The designated hitter was…

MLB’s Designated Hitter Rule: Should It Stay or Should It Go? 1. Overview On April 6, 1973 Ron Blomberg of the New York Yankees stepped up to the plate to hit on an opening day game at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox. So began the now 43 year debate over the designated hitter (DH) rule. Major League Baseball’s (MLB) “Official Baseball Rules” state in part: (a) (6.10(b)) The Designated Hitter Rule provides as follows: (1) A hitter may be designated to bat for the starting pitcher and all…

Due to the sports’ tendency to summarize itself into an alphabet soup of statistics, (RBIs, BBs, Ks, WAR, etc.) a player’s career ends up boiled down to little more than the numbers produced before retirement. In a vacuum, Ortiz’ numbers aren't poor; ranking 32nd, 10th, and 17th in total bases, doubles, and home runs hit all time, as well as near the top in many other ways to rank a hitter’s prowess (Baseball Ref: Leaders.) His numbers in fact, compare favorably to another player considered one…

THE GAME OF BASEBALL The game of baseball, at any level, can be a very competitive sport. Whether it is tee ball or the pro level, everyone has something to offer to that competitiveness. Each level of baseball teaches the player the fundamentals they will need to be successful at the next level in their career. Baseball also teaches players to be more social and to make new friends they would other wise never know. It is also an amazing way to get exercise and get into to shape. Tee ball is…

The Peculiar Character of Judge Goodwill Banner The novel “The Natural” by Bernard Malamud is a story about a character named Roy Hobbs and his unique experience with major league baseball. Roy interacts with many unique characters through the story, however Judge Goodwill Banner stands out amongst all of the others. Through Judge Goodwill Banner Malamud tells a deep story. In the story the Judge servers to be a constant presence over the club while still remaining somewhat mysterious. The…

Sports are extremely time consuming and require dedication and hard work. Baseball has played a critical role in my life ever since I could walk. The older I got, the more baseball has become competitive to me. Baseball is more than just a game to me, it is more like a lifestyle. Day-in and day-out, I work on my hitting stance and pitching form to better my performance on the field. No matter what anyone says, baseball is one of the greatest sports that this country has had the opportunity to…

Baseball vs. Softball Ted Williams once said “Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer.” Softball is exactly the same way. Some people may say softball and baseball are the same sport. However, they may be similar in some ways, but there are also some major differences. In softball, the ball is normally bigger than a baseball. Also, the bases are 60ft apart. In baseball the bases are 90 ft apart.Girls tend to…

The Creation of Baseball Since 1839 baseball has been known as America’s pastime but to others it is even more than that. And as the history is unclear about the sport it might have been even longer than that. The start of baseball has a lot of discrepancy on how the game was started, where it was started, and who the sole creator was. With others believing baseball simply evolved from other sports. For the most part all of these are true statements with a few exceptions to them. The belief is…

There are many things that I would like to do in the future. For example one of my long term goals is to become a professional baseball player. I've always loved to play sports. Another one of my goals is to become an engineer and technology will be involved in professions compared to engineering. In the future technology could have a chance to take over sports. Technology could change the way that sports are played or it could also take over the jobs of referees or umpires. There are various…

The Chosen by Chaim Potok describes an unexpected friendship between two people. Daniel “Danny” Saunders and Reuven Malter were playing baseball against each other when Danny’s pitch hit Reuven in the eye. It shattered Reuven’s glasses and left him with a piece of glass in his eye. While Reuven was in the hospital, Danny went to visit him and that’s where their friendship began. Because they are friends, Reuven helps Danny from quitting on his dreams of becoming a psychologist. With a little bit…