Editing Designated hitter (section)

==Background and history==
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 |source = December 19, 1891<ref name=SportingLife1891>{{cite newspaper|page=1|title=A POINT OF PLAY: Messrs. Temple and Spalding Agree That the Pitcher Should be Exempt From Batting|date=December 19, 1891|volume=18|number=12|magazine=The Sporting Life|url=https://digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll17/id/49454/|access-date=August 25, 2024}}</ref>
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The rationale for the designated hitter rule arose early in the history of professional baseball. During the 1880s, an increased emphasis on improving the specialized skill of pitching contributed to a decline in pitcher [[Batting average (baseball)|batting averages]].<ref name=Cronin>{{cite web|first=John|last=Cronin|title=The Historical Evolution of the Designated Hitter Rule|website=[[Society for American Baseball Research]]|url=https://sabr.org/journal/article/the-historical-evolution-of-the-designated-hitter-rule/|access-date=August 25, 2024}}</ref> In 1891, during negotiations surrounding the merger of the [[American Association (1882–1891)|American Association]] and [[National League (baseball)|National League]], team executives J. Walter Spalding of [[New York Giants (baseball)|New York]] and [[William Chase Temple]] of [[Pittsburgh Pirates|Pittsburgh]] proposed competing ideas to eliminate the pitcher from the batting order.<ref name=SportingLife1891/><ref name=Cronin/> Temple's proposal "favored the substitution of another man to take the pitcher's place at the bat when it came his turn to go there," while Spalding proposed removing the pitcher's turn from the batting order, reducing its length to eight players.<ref name=SportingLife1891/> Temple's proposal was voted down by a narrow margin prior to the 1892 season.<ref name=Cronin/>

The idea of a designated hitter was raised by [[Philadelphia Athletics]] manager [[Connie Mack]] in 1906,<ref name="SI Wulf">{{cite magazine|url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1993/04/05/distinguished-history-who-was-the-first-designated-hitter-ron-blombergs-name-may-be-a-bit-of-trivia-but-the-impact-of-the-dh-since-73-has-not-been-trivial|title=Distinguished History|author=Wulf, Steve|magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]]|date=April 5, 1993|access-date=March 31, 2008}}</ref> however, his proposal received little support.

Pitchers rejected the idea of giving up hitting. In 1910, [[Addie Joss]] stated, "if there is one thing that a pitcher would rather do than make the opposing batsmen look foolish, it is to step to the plate, especially in a pinch, and deliver the much-needed hit."<ref name=Cronin/> A 1918 article in ''[[Baseball Magazine]]'' attributed to [[Babe Ruth]] stated, "the pitcher who can't get in there in the pinch and win his own game with a healthy wallop, isn't more than half earning his salary in my way of thinking."<ref name=Cronin/><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Ruth |first=Babe |author-link=Babe Ruth |date=February 1918 |title=Why a Pitcher Should Hit—My Ideal of an All 'Round Ball Player |magazine=Baseball Magazine}}</ref> Nevertheless, in the late 1920s, National League president [[John Heydler]] made several attempts to introduce a 10th-man designated hitter as a way to add more offense to the game.<ref name="SI Wulf"/> Several managers were interested in the idea and intended to implement it during [[spring training]] in 1929.<ref name=Cronin/> However, Heydler's proposal was not adopted as an official rule change, and he advised teams to have pitchers bat during spring training in order for them to prepare for the regular season.<ref name=Cronin/>

Serious momentum to implement the designated hitter was absent until the pitching dominance of the late 1960s. In 1968, [[Bob Gibson]] led the major leagues with a [[live-ball era]] record 1.12 [[earned run average|ERA]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gibsobo01.shtml |title=Bob Gibson Stats |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en |access-date=May 14, 2019}}</ref> For the first time since 1908, the [[American League|American]] and National Leagues had a collective batting average below .240;<ref name="leagueAverages">{{cite web|title=League by League Totals for Batting Average|website=Baseball Almanac|url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/hitting/hibavg4.shtml}}</ref> [[Carl Yastrzemski]] led the American League in hitting with only a .301 mark.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/y/yastrca01.shtml |title=Carl Yastrzemski Stats |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en |access-date=May 14, 2019}}</ref> After the season, in order to increase offensive output, the height of the [[pitcher's mound]] was reduced from {{convert|15|to|10|in|cm}}, and the upper limit of the [[strike zone]] was lowered from the top of a batter's shoulders to his armpits.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Clair |first=Michael |date=December 3, 2015 |title=Four stats that showed why baseball had to lower the mound after 1968 |url=https://www.mlb.com/cut4/why-was-the-mound-lowered-in-1968/c-158689966 |access-date=May 14, 2019 |website=MLB.com}}</ref> In 1969, the [[International League]] and four other minor leagues began a four-year trial period for the designated hitter.<ref name=Cronin/><ref name=lglzemns>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=J7BfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3zIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5586%2C5661598 |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=(Idaho) |agency=Associated Press |title=Is AL's pinch hitter rule legalized manslaughter? |date=January 28, 1973 |page=17}}</ref> The American League allowed its use in spring training in 1971,<ref name=sbuhtrs>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=depWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kO0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5244%2C2365670 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |agency=Associated Press |title=New AL rule to allow sub-hitters |date=March 7, 1971 |page=4, sports}}</ref> however, when the minor league trial period ended, the American and National Leagues could not agree on implementation.<ref name=Cronin/>
[[File:Ron Blomberg 1972.jpg|thumb|150px|right|[[New York Yankee]] [[Ron Blomberg]] was the first designated hitter during a regular seasons game.]]
Like other experimental baseball rule changes of the 1960s and 1970s, the DH was embraced by [[Oakland Athletics]] owner [[Charlie O. Finley]]. On January 11, 1973, Finley and the other American League owners voted 8–4 to approve the designated hitter for a three-year trial run.<ref name=Cronin/><ref name="SI Wulf"/><ref name=lglzemns/><ref name=ppalpiph>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-VQqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=WVMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4806%2C3645534 |work=Pittsburgh Press |agency=UPI |title=AL to put in pinch hitter |date=January 12, 1973 |page=26}}</ref><ref name=altudph>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=F7BfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3zIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5708%2C2339641 |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=(Idaho) |agency=Associated Press |title=American League to use designated pinch hitters |date=January 12, 1973 |page=20}}</ref> The National League chose not to implement the DH; it was intended for the two leagues to agree on a common rule at the end of the American League's trial.<ref name=Cronin/> On April 6, 1973, [[Ron Blomberg]] of the [[1973 New York Yankees season|New York Yankees]] became the first designated hitter in MLB history, facing [[1973 Boston Red Sox season|Boston Red Sox]] right-hander [[Luis Tiant]] in his first [[plate appearance]]. Blomberg was [[base on balls|walked]] on five pitches with the bases loaded in the first inning.<ref name=bwlpy>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TM9OAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-gEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6314%2C3838926 |work=Toledo Blade |location=(Ohio) |agency=Associated Press |title=Boston wallops Yanks, 15 to 5 |date=April 7, 1973 |page=19}}</ref><ref name=bbyblmb>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FW1YAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0fcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6527%2C3731066 |work=The Bulletin |location=(Bend, Oregon) |title=Yanks' Blomberg becomes first dh |date=April 7, 1983 |page=9}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BOS/BOS197304060.shtml |title=April 6, 1973 New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox Box Score and Play by Play |publisher=Baseball-Reference.com |date=April 6, 1973 |access-date=June 19, 2011}}</ref> As expected, the American League posted a higher batting average than the National League in 1973. This trend held in every season in which the American League employed the designated hitter but the National League did not between 1973 and 2021.<ref name="leagueAverages"/>

At the end of its three-year trial period, the American League kept the designated hitter, while the National League still refused to adopt it. In response to increases in American League attendance because of the DH,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Domazlicky |first1=Bruce R. |last2=Kerr |first2=Peter M. |date=1990 |title=Baseball Attendance and the Designated Hitter |journal=The American Economist |volume=34 |issue=1 |pages=62–68 |issn=0569-4345|jstor=25603837 |doi=10.1177/056943459003400107 |s2cid=167785726 }}</ref> the National League held a vote on August 13, 1980, to determine whether or not to adopt it. A majority of the 12 member teams was necessary to pass the rule, and the measure was expected to pass.<ref name="phillies abstain DH vote">{{Cite web |last=Moulton |first=David |title=David Moulton: How a fishing trip and the Phillies kept the DH out of the National League |url=http://www.naplesnews.com/columnists/sports/david-moulton-how-a-fishing-trip-and-the-phillies-kept-the-dh-out-of-the-national-league-ep-39187750-342974662.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160326100035/http://www.naplesnews.com/columnists/sports/david-moulton-how-a-fishing-trip-and-the-phillies-kept-the-dh-out-of-the-national-league-ep-39187750-342974662.html |archive-date=March 26, 2016 |access-date=May 12, 2019 |website=Naples News}}</ref> However, when the teams were informed that the rule would not take effect until the 1982 season, [[Philadelphia Phillies]] vice president [[Bill Giles (baseball)|Bill Giles]] was unsure of how the team owner, [[Ruly Carpenter]], wanted him to vote. Unable to contact Carpenter, who was on a fishing trip, Giles was forced to abstain from voting.<ref name="phillies abstain DH vote" /> Prior to the meeting, [[Harding Peterson]], general manager for the Pittsburgh Pirates, was told to side with the Phillies however they voted. The final tally was four teams voting for the DH (the [[Atlanta Braves]], [[New York Mets]], [[St. Louis Cardinals]], and [[San Diego Padres]]), five votes against (the [[Chicago Cubs]], [[Cincinnati Reds]], [[Los Angeles Dodgers]], [[Montreal Expos]], and [[San Francisco Giants]]), and three abstentions (the Phillies, Pirates, and [[Houston Astros]]).<ref name=ppgppss>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=T4BIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_20DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5389%2C1747224 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |last=Feeney |first=Charley |title=Pirates pass as NL nixes the DH rule |date=August 14, 1980 |page=12}}</ref> Five days after that meeting, the Cardinals fired their general manager, [[John Claiborne (baseball executive)|John Claiborne]], who was the leading proponent for the adoption of the DH rule, and the National League never held another vote on the issue.<ref>ESPN Baseball Tonight, airdate Friday, 12am, July 12, 2013</ref>

The designated hitter was not used in the [[World Series]] from 1973 to 1975.<ref name=Cronin/> Between 1976 and 1985, the DH was used in the World Series during even-numbered years, while pitchers batted in odd-numbered years.<ref name=Cronin/> In 1986, the rule was changed to implement designated hitters only in World Series games in which the home team was from the American League.<ref name=Cronin/> This rule was also adopted for [[interleague play]] during the regular season upon its introduction in 1997.<ref name=Cronin/>

As time passed, the designated hitter rule enabled American League managers to employ diverse strategies in setting their teams' lineups. Managers could rotate the DH role among part-time players (for example, using a left-handed batter against a right-handed pitcher and vice versa), or they could employ a full-time designated hitter against all pitchers. Healthy regular lineup players gained the ability to take a partial day off by not playing the field, while aging, injured, and injury prone players gained the opportunity to bat without being exposed to re-injury while fielding.<ref name="Designated Hitter {{!}} Glossary"/> By 2009, only a handful of players compiled over 400 at-bats as a DH each year.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/153438-should-the-mlb-go-to-a-league-wide-dh-let-the-debate-begin |title=Should the MLB Go to a League-Wide DH? Let the Debate Begin |last=Mease |first=Andrew |date=April 9, 2009 |website=Bleacher Report |language=en |access-date=May 15, 2019}}</ref> This trend continued, even with the eventual onset of the universal designated hitter.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Keyser |first=Hannah |date=2024-03-29 |title=The DH Is Universal, but Good DHs Are Rare |url=https://www.theringer.com/2024/03/29/mlb/mlb-designated-hitters-universal-dh-decline |access-date=2025-04-15 |website=The Ringer}}</ref>

The Astros moved to the American League in 2013, giving each league 15 teams and requiring interleague play throughout the entire season. There was debate within MLB to unify the rules of the two leagues, with either the American League returning to its pre-1973 rules and having the pitcher hit or the National League adopting the DH.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120320&content_id=27435474&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb |title=Debate over the designated hitter still rages &#124; MLB.com: News |publisher=Mlb.mlb.com |access-date=August 15, 2012}}</ref> In January 2016, MLB commissioner [[Rob Manfred]] indicated that consideration was given to the National League adopting the DH for the 2017 season, when a new collective bargaining agreement would take effect.<ref>{{cite web |last=Oz |first=Mike |date=January 21, 2016 |title=The National League is getting closer to adding DHs, maybe in 2017 |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/the-national-league-is-getting-closer-to-adding-dhs--maybe-in-2017-194448854.html |access-date=January 21, 2015 |publisher=Yahoo Sports}}</ref> However, he later backtracked, saying that he did not envision such a change being made in the near future.<ref>{{cite web |last=Crasnick |first=Jerry |author-link=Jerry Crasnick |date=January 26, 2016 |title=Rob Manfred: No foreseeable change to DH rule coming |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/14643947/mlb-commissioner-rob-manfred-says-no-foreseeable-change-designated-hitter-rule-coming |access-date=March 29, 2016 |website=[[ESPN]]}}</ref> Accordingly, the DH rule was not then adopted by the National League.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/how-mlb-could-make-a-designated-hitter-compromise-and-occasionally-keep-pitchers-at-the-plate/|title=How MLB could make a designated hitter compromise and occasionally keep pitchers at the plate|last=Perry|first=Dayn|date=February 4, 2020|website=CBS Sports|access-date=February 27, 2020}}</ref>

In 2020, as a health and safety measure due to the [[impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on baseball|impact of the COVID-19 pandemic]], the National League used the DH for the first time.<ref>{{Cite web|title=New rules in place for 2020 season|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-rule-changes-for-2020|access-date=July 23, 2020|website=MLB.com|language=en}}</ref> For the first time since 1972 (the final year before the American League adopted the DH), the National League had the higher seasonal batting average of the two leagues.<ref name="leagueAverages"/> At least one of the proposals released during negotiations between MLB and the [[Major League Baseball Players Association|Major League Baseball Players' Association]] (MLBPA) regarding the 2021 season's rules included the so-called "universal DH," but an impasse led to a temporary return to National League pitchers hitting in that year.<ref>{{Cite web|date=June 20, 2020|title=MLB 2020 season proposal timeline: Owners' offers and union counteroffers|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29290117/mlb-deal-line-owners-offers-union-counteroffers|access-date=July 23, 2020|website=[[ESPN]]|language=en}}</ref>

On April 4, 2021, an American League team voluntarily declined to use a designated hitter in their starting lineup for the first time since 1976, when the [[Los Angeles Angels]] placed starting pitcher [[Shohei Ohtani]] second in the batting order.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bollinger |first1=Rhett |title=Ohtani CRUSHES HR in first two-way start |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/shohei-ohtani-pitching-batting-second |website=MLB.com |language=en |date=4 April 2021}}</ref> This was also the first time since 1903 that a pitcher had been listed as the second hitter in the starting lineup.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/shohei-ohtani-pitching-batting-second|title=Shohei Ohtani pitches, hits home run vs. White Sox|website=[[MLB.com]]}}</ref> On June 23, 2021, Ohtani made history again when, for the first time, an AL team did not use the designated hitter and an NL team did. While the Angels declined the DH privilege, the visiting Giants opted to use it, starting [[Alex Dickerson]] at DH.<ref>{{cite web|last=Bollinger|first=Rhett|date=June 23, 2021|title=Historic DH decision leads Halos to wild loss|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/shohei-ohtani-pitches-vs-giants-angels-forgo-designated-hitter|access-date=July 13, 2021|website=mlb.com|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ANA/ANA202106230.shtml|access-date=July 13, 2021|website=baseball-reference.com|title=San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Angels Box Score, June 23, 2021}}</ref>

On February 10, 2022, Manfred announced plans for a universal DH beginning with the [[2022 MLB season|2022 season]].<ref name="nldh">{{cite magazine|last=Shapiro|first=Michael|title=Rob Manfred Announces MLB Will Implement Universal DH in 2022|url=https://www.si.com/mlb/2022/02/10/mlb-implement-universal-dh-2022-rob-manfred-press-conference-lockout-negotiations|magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]]|language=en|date=February 10, 2022|access-date=February 10, 2022}}</ref> The rule was ratified as part of a new collective bargaining agreement with the MLBPA on March 10, 2022,<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2022-03-10 |title=When do games start? When will free agents sign? Everything you need to know as MLB lockout ends |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/33399466/mlb-mlbpa-reach-labor-agreement-everything-need-know-lockout-ends |access-date=2022-03-10 |website=[[ESPN]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=MLB and MLBPA agree to new CBA pending ratification |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-mlbpa-agree-to-cba |access-date=2022-03-10 |website=MLB.com |language=en}}</ref> after which both leagues have continuously employed the designated hitter.<ref name=":0" />