Editing Designated hitter (section)

==Major League Baseball rule==
The designated hitter is a player who does not play a [[Baseball positions|position in the field]], but instead replaces the pitcher in the [[Batting order (baseball)|batting order]]. However, a [[starting pitcher]] (but not [[relievers]]) may choose to also start as the designated hitter, so that the pitcher bats for himself. The DH may only be used for the pitcher (and not any other [[position player]]), as stated in Rule 5.11.<ref name="baseball rules (5.11 and otherwise)" /> Use of the DH is optional, but must be determined before the start of the game. If a team does not begin a game with a DH, the team's pitchers (or [[pinch hitter]]s) must bat for the entire game.<ref name="MLB DH glossary" />

The designated hitter can be moved to a fielding position during the game. If the DH is moved to another position, his team forfeits the role of designated hitter,<ref name="MLB DH glossary">{{Cite web |url=https://www.mlb.com/glossary/rules/designated-hitter-rule |title=What is a Designated Hitter Rule? &#124; Glossary |website=Major League Baseball |language=en-US |access-date=May 12, 2019}}</ref> and the pitcher or another player (the latter possible only in case of a multiple substitution) would bat in the spot of the position player replaced by the former DH. If the designated hitter is moved to pitcher, any subsequent pitcher (or pinch-hitter thereof) would bat should that spot in the batting order come up again (except for a further multiple substitution). Likewise, if a pinch-hitter bats for a non-pitcher, and then remains in the game as the pitcher, the team would forfeit the use of the DH for the remainder of the game, and the player who was DH would become a position player (or exit the game).

The DH substitution rule has an exception: If a starting pitcher started simultaneously as the designated hitter, that player will remain as DH to bat for his relievers after being replaced as pitcher, likewise remaining as starting pitcher if he was pinch hit or pinch run for by a bench player who'd become the new designated hitter. The exception was added by MLB for the 2022 season, coincident with the introduction of the universal DH. It has been widely nicknamed the "Ohtani rule" as a nod to [[Shohei Ohtani]], at the time a [[Two-way player#Baseball|two-way]] star pitcher and hitter for the [[Los Angeles Angels]] who had sometimes batted for himself in the past, but had to leave games as hitter or move to another position on the field when relieved as pitcher due to the limitations of the old rule.<ref name="shohei-ohtani-rule-approved">{{Cite web |url=https://www.mlb.com/press-release/press-release-mlb-mlbpa-announce-rule-changes-for-2022-season |title=MLB, MLBPA announce rule changes for 2022 season |date=March 31, 2021 |website=MLB.com |language=en |access-date=March 31, 2021}}</ref> The rule change was subsequently applied for international-level games, starting with the [[2023 World Baseball Classic]].

Unlike other positions, the DH is "locked" into the batting order. No multiple substitution may be made to alter the batting rotation of the DH. In other words, a [[Double switch (baseball)|double switch]] involving the DH and a position player (with the exception of players started as starting pitcher and designated hitter) is not legal. For example, if the DH is batting fourth and the catcher is batting eighth, the manager cannot replace both players so as to have the new catcher bat fourth and the new DH bat eighth. Once a team loses its DH under any of the scenarios already discussed, the double switch becomes fully available, and may well be used via necessity, should the former DH be replaced in the lineup.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Summary of designated hitter use in MLB by season and league/event
|-
! Season(s) || National League !! American League !! World Series !! All-Star Game !! Interleague play
|-
| Before 1973|| No  || No  || No  || No  || N/A
|-
| 1973–1975  || No  || Yes || No  || No  || N/A
|-
| 1976–1985  || No  || Yes || Yes in even years, No in odd years || No || N/A
|-
| 1986–1988  || No  || Yes || Home team rule || No || N/A
|-
| 1989–1996  || No  || Yes || Home team rule || Home team rule || N/A
|-
| 1997–2009  || No  || Yes || Home team rule || Home team rule || Home team rule
|-
| 2010–2019, 2021 || No || Yes || Home team rule || Yes || Home team rule
|-
| 2020, 2022–present || Yes || Yes || Yes || Yes || Yes
|}

=== Interleague play and exhibitions (until 2021) ===
{{See also|Home advantage#Causes}}
In Major League Baseball, during [[interleague play]] between 1997 and 2021, the DH rule was applied to a game based on the rules of the home team's league. If the game was played in an American League park, the designated hitter could be used; in a National League park, the pitcher must bat or else be replaced with a pinch-hitter. On June 12, 1997, [[San Francisco Giants]] outfielder [[Glenallen Hill]] became the first [[National League (baseball)|National League]] DH in a regular-season game, when the Giants met the American League [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]] at [[Globe Life Park in Arlington|The Ballpark in Arlington]] in interleague play.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TEX/TEX199706120.shtml |title=June 12, 1997 San Francisco Giants at Texas Rangers Box Score and Play by Play |publisher=Baseball-Reference.com |date=June 12, 1997 |access-date=June 19, 2011}}</ref>

At first, the DH rule was not applied to the [[World Series]]. From 1973 to 1975, all World Series games were played under National League rules, with no DH and pitchers required to bat.<ref name="MLB DH glossary" /> For [[1976 World Series|1976]], it was decided the DH rule would apply to all games in the World Series, regardless of venue, but only in even-numbered years.<ref name="MLB DH glossary" /> [[Cincinnati Reds]] first baseman [[Dan Driessen]] became the first National League designated hitter in the regular season or postseason; he was the DH in all four Series games that year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wolf |first=Gregory H. |date=May 1, 2014 |title=Dan Driessen |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/c6981560 |access-date=May 15, 2019 |website=[[Society for American Baseball Research]]}}</ref> This practice lasted through [[1985 World Series|1985]]. Beginning in the [[1986 World Series]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/10/19/sports/world-series-86-sports-times-designated-hitter-rule-unfair-don-baylor.html|title=THE WORLD SERIES '86: SPORTS OF THE TIMES; The Designated Hitter Rule Is Unfair to Don Baylor|work=The New York Times|first= George|last= Vecsey|date=October 19, 1986|access-date=May 27, 2021}}</ref> the DH rule was used in games played in the stadium of the American League representative.<ref name="dh rule world series">{{Cite web |url=https://www.sportingnews.com/au/baseball/news/world-series-2016-dh-rule-rob-manfred-cubs-indians-kyle-schwarber/1fphzt7hsv2fj177ilp5wcn0to |title=World Series DH rule is not changing any time soon, MLB's Rob Manfred says |last=Dinotto |first=Marcus |date=October 29, 2016 |website=www.sportingnews.com |language=en |access-date=May 11, 2019}}</ref>

There was initially no DH in the [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star Game]]. Beginning in 1989, the rule was applied only to games played in American League stadiums.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ALS/ALS198907110.shtml |title=July 11, 1989 All-Star Game Play-By-Play and Box Score |publisher=Baseball-Reference.com |access-date=June 19, 2011}}</ref> During this era, if the All-Star Game was scheduled for an American League stadium, fans would vote for the DH for the American League's starting lineup, while the National League's manager decided that league's starting DH. Since 2010, the designated hitter has been used by both teams, regardless of where the game is played.<ref>{{cite web|author=John Schlegel |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100428&content_id=9645460&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb |title=Modifications in place for All-Star Game &#124; MLB.com: News |publisher=Mlb.mlb.com |access-date=June 19, 2011}}</ref>

For the [[2021 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|2021 All-Star Game]], MLB granted an exception to the DH rule because [[Los Angeles Angels]]' [[Shohei Ohtani]] was selected as both starting DH and starting pitcher. Ohtani started the game as both a pitcher and the DH and was replaced as pitcher after one inning but remained in the game as the DH without the American League having to forfeit the use of a DH. The American League would have lost the DH if either Ohtani, or a player replacing him at DH, had played a position in the field other than pitcher.<ref>{{cite web|author=Rhett Bollinger |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/ohtani-to-start-on-hill-bat-leadoff-in-2021-all-star-game |title=Ohtani to start as pitcher, bat leadoff in ASG &#124; MLB.com: News |publisher=Mlb.mlb.com |access-date=July 13, 2021}}</ref>