Pitchers will be required to bat in the next three games. It's the middle three games of the Major Baseball League (MBL) finals and starting tonight the games will be played in St. Louis, which is in the National Conference, the last entity with such a requirement.
Over 100 years ago managers had already reconciled themselves to the fact that pitching was so dominant and therefore so important that good eyesight and an ability to hit were no longer qualities that they sought in their pitchers. Pitchers needed to pitch. When their turn in the batting order came along, the manager simply accepted the fact that they would make out much more often than the other players.
Forty years ago the old American League (AL) led the way with a stupid rule that allowed a hitter to be designated to bat for the pitcher. But it was better than having the pitcher continue to bat. What was needed was a designated fielder, not a designated hitter.
In 1999 the AL and NL merged but still did not bother to resolve the rule difference. A few years later this was compounded by commissioner Allen Huber "Bud" Selig who thought it would be neat idea to spice up the All Star game between the two conferences by having the game determine which conference winner would get an extra game at home in the tournament finals, formerly the World Series. This is really embarrassing.
In 2013 Boston has that extra game, which includes not only home field advantage but also home rule advantage: the designated hitter DH. That's a big plus in game seven. Home field advantage is big because baseball allows non-uniform playing areas and teams can form their rosters to take advantage of their home park, in this case Fenway Park, probably the most oddly shaped of all current parks and also with a 37 foot wall in left. That really enhances also having the DH. David Ortiz is possibly the last big time DH as teams seemed to have drifted to rotating players through the DH spot.
National Conference proponents emphasize that their rule has more strategy, which seems to boil down to these alternatives:
1. remove the pitcher while he is pitching;
2. wait for the pitcher's spot in the batting order and pinch hit for the pitcher.
Doesn't seem like much, certainly not nearly enough to allow players with limited batting skills to waste plate appearances. If the bottom of the order is due up next inning, you can run down to the store and get more refreshments and return without missing much. The bottom of the order is BORING. Nobody wants to see the bottom of the order. Get rid of it.
Six players should both bat and play the field. No golfers out there who only swing. All batters must play the field. However, why have all fielders bat? If it's a good idea, and it is, to not have a bad hitting pitcher bat, then why have a bad hitting catcher bat or a bad hitting shortstop. Skip them. Eliminate the bottom of the order.
Six is the minimum number of batters so that a batter does not come up with himself on base. Batters would then have about as many plate appearances as batters faced by starting pitchers. There's some symmetry in that and it makes for better comparisons such as how many home runs hit/allowed by individuals.
So while you're monitoring tonight's game and the next two consider this proposal. I'm assuming that most people outside of Boston and St. Louis do not have enough interest to actually spend four hours watching the game and will be doing pretty much anything else at the same time to stay awake.
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