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Designated hitter

Designated hitter

Overview
In baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...

 in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter (abbreviated DH), to bat in place of the pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...

 each time he would otherwise come to home plate, rather than replace him by pinch-hitting
Pinch hitter
In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead ; the manager may use any player that has not yet entered the game as a substitute...

. Since then, most collegiate, amateur, and professional
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....

 leagues have adopted the rule or some variant; MLB's National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...

 and Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League
Central League
The or is one the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consists of six teams from around the country,The Central League...

, are the most prominent professional leagues that do not use a designated hitter.
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Encyclopedia
In baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...

 in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter (abbreviated DH), to bat in place of the pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...

 each time he would otherwise come to home plate, rather than replace him by pinch-hitting
Pinch hitter
In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead ; the manager may use any player that has not yet entered the game as a substitute...

. Since then, most collegiate, amateur, and professional
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....

 leagues have adopted the rule or some variant; MLB's National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...

 and Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League
Central League
The or is one the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consists of six teams from around the country,The Central League...

, are the most prominent professional leagues that do not use a designated hitter.

The rule


In Major League Baseball, the designated hitter is a hitter who does not play a position, but instead fills in the batting order for the pitcher. DH at the MLB level may be used for the pitcher only as stated in Rule 6.10. In any case, use of the DH is optional, however, the manager must designate a DH prior to the start of the game; failure to do so forfeits the right to use the DH, and the pitcher must then take his turn at bat. The designated hitter may not play a field position and he may only be replaced by another player not currently in the lineup. However, the designated hitter may become a position player at any point during the game; if he does so, his team forfeits the role of the designated hitter, and the pitcher or another player (possible only in case of a multiple substitution) must bat in the newly opened spot in the batting order. The designated hitter could also become the pitcher, in which case any subsequent pitcher, or a pinch hitter, must hit when that spot in the batting order comes up again (save for a further double switch, as above). Likewise, if a pinch-hitter bats for some other player (such as, hypothetically, the first baseman) 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 DH would have to assume a field position (in this hypothetical, play first base save, of course, for switching defensive positions with a teammate(s)).

In addition, unlike other positions, the DH is "locked" into the batting order and no multiple substitution may be made to alter the batting rotation of the DH. In other words, a double switch involving the DH and a position player 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 discussed in the previous paragraph, however, the double switch becomes fully available, and may well be used via necessity, should the former DH be replaced in the lineup.

If a pinch-hitter bats, or a pinch-runner runs, for the DH, he then becomes the DH.

Interleague play



In Major League Baseball, (for interleague play
Interleague play
Interleague play is the term used to describe regular season Major League Baseball games played between teams in different leagues, introduced in . Before the 1997 season, teams in the American League and National League did not meet during the regular season...

 and the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...

), the home team is the determining factor, with the rules of the home team's league applying to both teams; if the game is played in an American League park the designated hitter is in effect, however, in a National League park the pitcher must bat or be replaced with a pinch hitter.

This has applied to the All-Star Game
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...

 as well, but in 2010, Major League Baseball announced the designated hitter rule would apply for every All-Star Game; while the 2010 game
2010 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 2010 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 81st midseason exhibition between the All-Stars of the American League and the National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball...

 was already to have the DH, the 2011 game
2011 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 2011 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 82nd in-season exhibition game between the All-Stars of the National League and the American League ; the leagues composing Major League Baseball. The event was held on Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, home of the...

 was the first played in a National League park with a DH.

Forfeiting the right to a DH


In practice, it is very rare for a team to forfeit its right to a DH, even by substitution. The following are known instances in regular season games (not counting interleague play) of an American League pitcher coming to bat:
  • There have been four occasions where a team deliberately elected not to start a designated hitter in an American League ballgame, all between 1974 and 1976. The pitchers for those games were Ferguson Jenkins
    Ferguson Jenkins
    Ferguson Arthur "Fergie" Jenkins, CM, is a Canadian former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He was a three-time All-Star and the 1971 NL Cy Young Award winner. In 1991, Jenkins was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. During a 19-year career, he pitched for four different teams,...

     (1 for 2, a single) on October 2, 1974 for the Texas Rangers
    Texas Rangers (baseball)
    The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...

     at Minnesota, Ken Holtzman
    Ken Holtzman
    Kenneth Dale Holtzman is a left-handed former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played most of his career for the Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics...

     (0 for 2) for the Oakland A's against the California Angels on September 27, 1975, Ken Brett
    Ken Brett
    Kenneth Alven Brett was a Major League Baseball pitcher and the second of four Brett brothers who played professional baseball, the most notable being the youngest, George Brett.Ken played for 10 teams in his 14-year MLB career.Born in Brooklyn, Ken Brett grew up in southern California and was an...

     for the Chicago White Sox on July 6, 1976 at the Boston Red Sox
    Boston Red Sox
    The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

    , and again on September 23, 1976 for Chicago against the Twins. (Brett went 0 for 3 in both games.)

  • Up 10-1 in the 8th inning of a game played on September 3, 1973, the Milwaukee Brewers
    Milwaukee Brewers
    The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...

     elected to send DH Bobby Mitchell into left field, thereby forfeiting their right to use a DH. Relief pitcher Eduardo Rodríguez
    Eduardo Rodríguez (baseball)
    Eduardo Rodríguez Reyes [Volanta] was a professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball from through for the Milwaukee Brewers and Kansas City Royals , mostly as a relief pitcher. Listed at 6' 0", 185 lb., Rodríguez batted and threw right-handed...

     accordingly came to bat in the ninth -- and hit an RBI triple, sealing the Brewers' 13-5 win over Cleveland.

  • In a 3-3 tie in the 8th, on a game played on June 12, 1974, the Milwaukee Brewers moved DH Tim Johnson to SS for defensive insurance, giving up their DH in the process. Reliever Tom Murphy
    Tom Murphy (baseball)
    Thomas Andrew Murphy is a former professional baseball pitcher who played twelve seasons for the California Angels, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, and Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball.He was one of only two American League pitchers to get a...

     then pitched into the 13th inning, hitting a single in his two at-bats. He lost the game, however, in the 13th, as the Kansas City Royals emerged 4-3 victors. Oddly, Murphy picked up the relief effort from Eduardo Rodriguez, the last AL pitcher to get a hit in a game.

  • On June 27, 1976, the Detroit Tigers
    Detroit Tigers
    The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...

     lost their DH in a game at the Boston Red Sox in the first inning when DH Rusty Staub
    Rusty Staub
    Daniel Joseph "Rusty" Staub is an American former Major League Baseball right fielder, designated hitter, and first baseman. He enjoyed a 23-year baseball career with 5 different teams...

     went to right field instead of Alex Johnson
    Alex Johnson
    Alexander Johnson Alexander Johnson Alexander Johnson (born December 7, 1942, in Helena, Arkansas is a former professional baseball player. He was an outfielder and designated hitter over parts of 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, California Angels,...

    . The pitcher, Frank MacCormack
    Frank MacCormack
    Frank Louis MacCormack is a former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners .-External links:...

    , took Johnson's place in the lineup, went 0 for 3, and pitched six innings before being relieved by John Hiller
    John Hiller
    John Frederick Hiller is a former left-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Detroit Tigers. After suffering a heart attack in 1971, he returned to the team and recorded 38 saves in – a major league record until 1983, and a team record until 2000...

    . The Tigers won 4–2 in 11 innings at Boston.

  • In the midst of an 18-8 loss to Kansas City on Wednesday, August 29, 1979, the Milwaukee Brewers
    Milwaukee Brewers
    The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...

     made several position changes, willingly losing their DH in the process. Amongst other moves, 3B Sal Bando
    Sal Bando
    Salvatore Leonard Bando is a former third baseman and executive in professional baseball who played for the Kansas City & Oakland Athletics and Milwaukee Brewers . He batted and threw right-handed. During the A's championship years of 1971-75, he captained the team and led the club in runs batted...

     was moved to pitcher in the 4th inning -- he hurled three innings, going to bat in the fifth as a pitcher and popping up. In the 7th, Bando and 2B Jim Gantner
    Jim Gantner
    James Elmer Gantner was a Major League Baseball player who spent his entire career with the Milwaukee Brewers .-Background:...

     switched positions, though while a pitcher Gantner never made it to the plate as a batter. The next inning, Buck Martinez (normally a catcher) entered the game as the Brewers sixth pitcher of the day. As a pitcher, Martinez batted in the 9th, stroking an RBI single. For each of Bando, Gantner and Martinez, all of whom played in over 1,000 ML games, this game was their lone appearance in the majors as a pitcher.

  • In his first of three major league pitching appearances for the Toronto Blue Jays
    Toronto Blue Jays
    The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....

    , Bob Bailor
    Bob Bailor
    Robert Michael Bailor is a former right-handed utility player in Major League Baseball, best known for his speed and for being difficult to strike out...

    , normally a position player, was moved from shortstop to pitcher in the 7th inning in a game on August 4, 1980, replacing Tom Buskey
    Tom Buskey
    Thomas William Buskey was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for eight seasons. He played for the New York Yankees from 1973 to 1974, the Cleveland Indians from 1974 to 1977, and the Toronto Blue Jays from 1978 to 1980. He died in Harrisburg, PA from injuries involving an auto accident on...

     (who had been ejected from the game for throwing at a batter). Simultaneously, Garth Iorg
    Garth Iorg
    Garth Ray Iorg is a former Major League Baseball player who played his entire career for the Toronto Blue Jays.-Career:After attending College of the Redwoods, Iorg was drafted in the 8th round in the 1973 Major League Baseball Draft by the New York Yankees...

     moved from third to shortstop, and Steve Braun
    Steve Braun
    Steve Braun is a Canadian television and movie actor from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Braun's credits include The Immortal, a TV show in which he and co-star Lorenzo Lamas hunted demons; The Trip, a independent film about coming of age in the HIV era; and Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle , a major motion...

     was inserted at third, replacing DH Otto Velez
    Otto Vélez
    Otoniel "Otto" Vélez Franceschi was a Major League Baseball outfielder from to . He was nicknamed "The Swatto"....

     in the line-up. This meant that the Jays lost their DH. Bailor finished out the game as a pitcher, and came to bat in the ninth and popped out.

  • On September 26, 1987, Detroit Tigers
    Detroit Tigers
    The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...

     designated hitter Darrell Evans
    Darrell Evans
    Darrell Wayne Evans is a former third baseman and first baseman in Major League Baseball who played from 1969 to 1989 with the Atlanta Braves , San Francisco Giants and Detroit Tigers . He is also the former manager and director of player personnel for the Victoria Seals of the Golden Baseball...

     moved to first base in the bottom of the seventh inning in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays
    Toronto Blue Jays
    The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....

    , causing pitcher Mike Henneman
    Mike Henneman
    Michael Alan Henneman was a pitcher with a 10-year career from 1987 to 1996. He played for the Detroit Tigers and Texas Rangers, both of the American League, and the Houston Astros of the National League....

     to be inserted into the first baseman's spot in the batting order. Henneman batted for himself in the ninth, but struck out attempting to bunt. The Blue Jays scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth to win the game 10–9 in the midst of a pennant race, with Henneman taking the loss.

  • The Seattle Mariners' Brian Holman
    Brian Holman
    Brian Scott Holman is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He is now the Managing Director and Principal for Ronald Blue & Co.'s branch office in Kansas City, Kansas....

     was in the midst of a perfect game bid against Oakland on April 20, 1990, when Pete O'Brien was moved from DH to 1B in the eighth inning. Seattle therefore lost their DH and Holman batted for himself in the ninth, reaching base on a error by the second baseman. Holman subsequently lost his perfect game bid with two out in the bottom of the ninth, when pinch hitter Ken Phelps
    Ken Phelps
    Kenneth Allan Phelps, nicknamed "Digger", is a former Major League Baseball designated hitter and first baseman. During an 11-year baseball career, he played from 1980-1990 for six different teams, but he played primarily with the Seattle Mariners...

     hit a home run. Holman retired the next batter to end the game, winning 6-1.

  • In the first game in Chicago's
    Chicago White Sox
    The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...

     New Comiskey Park
    U.S. Cellular Field
    U.S. Cellular Field is a baseball ballpark in Chicago, Illinois. Owned by the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, it is the home of the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball's American League. The park opened for the 1991 season, after the White Sox had spent 81 years at old Comiskey Park...

     (April 18, 1991), the Detroit Tigers'
    Detroit Tigers
    The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...

     designated hitter, Tony Phillips
    Tony Phillips
    Keith Anthony Phillips is a former Major League Baseball utility player who had an 18-year career from to . He played regularly at three infield positions, primarily as a second baseman, but also had significant time as a shortstop and third baseman...

     replaced starting shortstop Alan Trammell
    Alan Trammell
    Alan Stuart Trammell is a retired American baseball shortstop of the Detroit Tigers from to . Trammell, nicknamed "Tram", played his entire career with the Tigers, highlighted by a World Series championship in and an American League East division championship in . Although his arm was not...

     in the field during a 16–0 Tigers' win, causing starting pitcher Frank Tanana
    Frank Tanana
    Frank Daryl Tanana is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He was the California Angels' 1st round draft pick in 1971....

     to hit. Tanana struck out swinging to Donn Pall
    Donn Pall
    Donn Steven "The Pope" Pall , is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1988-1998. He is currently a Community Relations Representative for the White Sox.-External links:...

     in his only plate appearance of his complete game shutout of the White Sox.

  • Leading 11-1 in the 7th inning of a game played on August 2, 1991, the Texas Rangers made a plethora of defensive changes -- including moving DH Geno Petralli
    Geno Petralli
    Eugene James Petralli is a former professional baseball player. He played all or part of twelve seasons in Major League Baseball from 1982 to 1993, primarily as a catcher.- Early life :...

     to 3B, thereby losing their DH. This allowed reliever Mike Jeffcoat
    Mike Jeffcoat
    James Michael Jeffcoat , is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1983–85, 1987–92, and 1994. He played college baseball for Louisiana Tech. He is now the head coach of the Texas Wesleyan University baseball team.-External links:...

     to come to bat in the ninth. Jeffcoat hit an RBI double, and later came around to score the Rangers 15th and final run in a 15-1 pasting of the Milwaukee Brewers.

  • On May 23, 1996, the Boston Red Sox elected to lose their DH in the late innings, sending DH Jose Canseco
    José Canseco
    José Canseco Capas, Jr. is a Cuban-American professional baseball manager, outfielder, and designated hitter for the Yuma Scorpions of the North American League and former Major League Baseball player. He is the identical twin brother of former major league player and current teammate Ozzie Canseco...

     out to play left field with a 9-4 lead in the 8th. Sox starter Roger Clemens
    Roger Clemens
    William Roger Clemens , nicknamed "Rocket", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who broke into the league with the Boston Red Sox, whose pitching staff he would help anchor for 12 years. Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards, more than any other pitcher. He played for four different teams over...

     hit for himself in the bottom of the 8th inning, and singled. The Red Sox won the game 11-4.

  • Attempting to hold on to a 6-5 lead on June 9, 1996, the California Angels made some defensive changes in the bottom of the 9th, including moving DH Rex Hudler
    Rex Hudler
    Rex Allen Hudler is a former Major League Baseball utility player. He played a total of thirteen seasons after being a first round draft pick of the New York Yankees in 1978.-Playing career:...

     to 2B. Reliever Troy Percival
    Troy Percival
    Troy Eugene Percival is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He gained fame as a closer. During a 14-year baseball career, he pitched from 1995-2009 for four different teams, pitching primarily with the California/Anaheim Angels...

    , however, blew the save and allowed the Cleveland Indians to tie the score, and the game went into extra innings. Percival batted for himself in the 10th and struck out. Later, pitcher Ryan Hancock
    Ryan Hancock
    Ryan Lee Hancock is a retired professional baseball player who played 1 season for the California Angels of Major League Baseball. He was one of two American League pitchers to get a hit during the 1996 season on June 9. The other AL pitcher to get a hit that year was Roger Clemens on May...

     came into the game, and hit for himself in the 13th. Hancock singled and came around to score the go-ahead run in what turned out to be a 8-6 victory for the Angels.

  • On August 16, 1997, in the 8th inning of a 5-5 tie against the New York Yankees
    New York Yankees
    The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

    , the Texas Rangers
    Texas Rangers (baseball)
    The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...

     made several defensive changes, including moving DH Ivan Rodriguez
    Iván Rodríguez
    Iván Rodríguez Torres , nicknamed "Pudge" and "I-Rod", is a Major League Baseball catcher...

     to catcher, thereby losing their DH. Texas Rangers reliever John Wetteland
    John Wetteland
    John Karl Wetteland is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who specialized as a closer. During a 12-year career , he pitched for four different teams: the Los Angeles Dodgers, Montreal Expos, New York Yankees, and Texas Rangers.-Playing career:Wetteland was signed by the Dodgers as their second...

     consequently batted for himself in the 10th inning -- and hit an RBI double in an 8-5 Rangers win.

  • An unusual instance of an American League team forfeiting its right to the DH happened on July 22, 1999 to the Cleveland Indians
    Cleveland Indians
    The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...

     in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays
    Toronto Blue Jays
    The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....

    . Manny Ramirez
    Manny Ramírez
    Manuel "Manny" Arístides Ramírez Onelcida is a retired Dominican-American professional baseball outfielder. He was recognized for great batting skill and power, a nine-time Silver Slugger and one of 25 players to hit 500 career home runs. Ramirez's 21 grand slams are third all-time, and his 28...

    , the designated hitter, accidentally went into right field in the top of the 2nd instead of Alex Ramirez
    Alex Ramírez
    Alexander Ramón Ramírez is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who currently plays for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball. He played in Major League Baseball for the Cleveland Indians and Pittsburgh Pirates...

    , causing some confusion. The Indians lost their DH, Alex Ramirez was out of the lineup, and Charles Nagy
    Charles Nagy
    Charles Harrison Nagy is an American former Major League Baseball All-Star right-handed pitcher who played for 14 seasons in the major leagues from to , mostly with the Cleveland Indians, and currently serves as the pitching coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks.-Early life and amateur career:Nagy...

     was forced to hit in Alex Ramirez's place going 0 for 2. John McDonald later pinch-hit for Nagy in the 6th inning.

  • On August 10, 1999, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
    Tampa Bay Rays
    The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...

     brought in third baseman Wade Boggs
    Wade Boggs
    Wade Anthony Boggs is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He spent his 18-year baseball career primarily with the Boston Red Sox, but also played for the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Devil Rays...

     to pitch against the Baltimore Orioles
    Baltimore Orioles
    The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...

     in a blowout in favor of Baltimore. Boggs, peculiarly, was put into the DH's place in the lineup at the same time he was being brought into the game to pitch. Pitcher Boggs grounded out in his only at bat.

  • In a game played on July 31, 2000, Boston Red Sox DH Darren Lewis
    Darren Lewis
    Darren Joel Lewis is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Oakland Athletics , San Francisco Giants , Cincinnati Reds , Chicago White Sox , Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox ; he played his final season in 2002 with the Chicago Cubs...

     was moved to CF in the 8th inning, and the Red Sox consequently lost their ability to use a DH. Pitcher Hipolito Pichardo
    Hipólito Pichardo
    Hipólito Antonio Pichardo Balbina is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for three teams between and . He batted and threw right-handed....

     batted for himself in the 9th, striking out.

  • In the second game of a doubleheader
    Doubleheader (baseball)
    A doubleheader is a set of two baseball games played between the same two teams on the same day in front of the same crowd. In addition, the term is often used unofficially to refer to a pair of games played by a team in a single day, but in front of different crowds and not in immediate...

     between the Minnesota Twins
    Minnesota Twins
    The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...

     and Chicago White Sox
    Chicago White Sox
    The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...

     on July 6, 2007, the Twins initially used their starting catcher, Joe Mauer
    Joe Mauer
    Joseph Patrick Mauer is a Major League Baseball catcher for the Minnesota Twins. He is the only catcher in Major League history to win three batting titles...

    , as the DH because Mauer had started the first game at catcher. The starting catcher for the second game, Mike Redmond
    Mike Redmond
    Michael Patrick Redmond is a former Major League Baseball catcher.Redmond graduated from Gonzaga Preparatory School in 1989. He attended Gonzaga University. Mike and his wife Michele have two sons.Redmond made his Major League debut with the Florida Marlins on May 31, 1998...

    , however, was forced to leave the game in the first inning due to injury after accidentally being struck in the head by the bat of Jim Thome
    Jim Thome
    James Howard "Jim" Thome is a Major League Baseball player for the Philadelphia Phillies. He is the eighth player to hit 600 home runs in the major leagues. He is widely considered a future Hall of Famer.-Cleveland Indians :...

    , and Mauer had to take the field as the replacement catcher. Twins starting pitcher Matt Garza
    Matt Garza
    Matthew Scott Garza is a United States professional baseball pitcher with the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball.-Amateur career:He attended Washington Union High School and Fresno State.-Minnesota Twins:...

     thus was forced into the batting order and became the first American League pitcher to bat in a regular-season American League game since Hipolito Pichardo
    Hipólito Pichardo
    Hipólito Antonio Pichardo Balbina is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for three teams between and . He batted and threw right-handed....

     on July 31, 2000. Garza went 0-for-2, but picked up the win in a 12-0 victory over the White Sox.

  • On May 19, 2008, the Minnesota Twins surrendered their DH position in a game vs. the Texas Rangers
    Texas Rangers (baseball)
    The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...

     in Minneapolis. Twins Manager Ron Gardenhire
    Ron Gardenhire
    Ronald Clyde "Gardy" Gardenhire is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and current manager of the Minnesota Twins.He is six feet tall and weighed 175 pounds during most of his baseball career....

     had to use rookie pitcher Bobby Korecky
    Bobby Korecky
    Robert John Korecky is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher who is currently in the Toronto Blue Jays organization...

     as a hitter in the 11th inning of the game; Korecky had only pitched in five major league games prior to this and had never had a major league at-bat. Nevertheless, Korecky hit the first pitch he saw into right field for a single, becoming the first Twins pitcher to get a hit in an American League game since the implementation of the DH rule. The inning ended with Korecky stranded at 3rd base with the bases loaded. Korecky ended up getting his first major league win in this game as the Twins won 7–6 in 12 innings.

  • On May 17, 2009, Tampa Bay Rays
    Tampa Bay Rays
    The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...

     manager Joe Maddon
    Joe Maddon
    Joseph John Maddon is the Major League Baseball manager for the Tampa Bay Rays.He previously served as interim manager of the Anaheim Angels in both 1996 and 1999. He was also a long-time bench coach for the team.-Early life and career:Maddon attended Lafayette College, where he played baseball...

     incorrectly listed both Ben Zobrist
    Ben Zobrist
    Benjamin Thomas "Ben" Zobrist is an American baseball player currently with Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Rays. A switch-hitter who throws right-handed, he has exhibited a versatility to play most positions with the exception of pitcher and catcher. He has been the Rays' starting second...

     and Evan Longoria
    Evan Longoria
    Evan Michael Longoria is a Major League Baseball third baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays. Formerly, Longoria was a star infielder for the Long Beach State University baseball team, the Cape Cod League MVP, and the Big West Co-Player of the Year.He made his major league debut for the Rays in , and...

     as third basemen in the starting lineup against the Cleveland Indians
    Cleveland Indians
    The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...

    . Maddon's intent was for Zobrist to play at third and Longoria to be the DH. In the middle of the first inning, Cleveland manager Eric Wedge
    Eric Wedge
    Eric Michael Wedge is a Major League Baseball manager and former catcher, and is the current manager of the Seattle Mariners. As a player, Wedge attended Northrop High School in Fort Wayne and played on the school's state champion baseball team in 1983...

     brought Maddon's error to the umpire
    Umpire (baseball)
    In baseball, the umpire is the person charged with officiating the game, including beginning and ending the game, enforcing the rules of the game and the grounds, making judgment calls on plays, and handling the disciplinary actions. The term is often shortened to the colloquial form ump...

    s' attention, and the Rays were forced to forfeit their DH, remove Longoria from the lineup since Zobrist played the top half of the first inning at third base (Longoria was available as a substitute since he never appeared in the game before that point), and bat starting pitcher Andy Sonnanstine
    Andy Sonnanstine
    Andrew Michael Sonnanstine is a relief pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays. Sonnanstine is a graduate of Wadsworth High School in Wadsworth, Ohio, and attended Kent State University...

     at Longoria's place in the order
    Batting order (baseball)
    The batting order, or batting lineup, in baseball is the sequence in which the nine members of the offense take their turns in batting against the pitcher. The batting order is the main component of a team's offensive strategy. The batting order is set by the manager before the game begins...

    —third. This was the first time a pitcher was in the initial batting order in a game between two American League teams since Ken Brett in 1976. Sonnanstine went 1 for 3 with an RBI double, and picked up the win in a 7-5 Tampa Bay victory.

  • On June 11, 2011, Toronto Blue Jays
    Toronto Blue Jays
    The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....

     second baseman Mike McCoy
    Mike McCoy (baseball)
    Michael Howard McCoy is a Major League Baseball utility player for the Toronto Blue Jays organization. He bats and throws right-handed...

     was moved from second base to pitcher in the top of the ninth, as the Jays were losing a 16-4 rout against the Boston Red Sox. Rather than use bench player at second base, third-baseman Jayson Nix
    Jayson Nix
    Jayson Truitt Edward Nix is an American professional baseball utility player for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball.-Early life:...

     moved to second base and DH Edwin Encarnacion
    Edwin Encarnación
    Edwin Elpidio Encarnación , is a Dominican Republic Major League Baseball utility player with the Toronto Blue Jays. The 6 ft 2 in, 235-pound Encarnación bats and throws right-handed....

     was inserted at third base. McCoy pitched a three-up, three-down ninth, and then batting as a pitcher, grounded out in the bottom of the inning.

  • On July 25, 2011, Minnesota Twins
    Minnesota Twins
    The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...

     first baseman Michael Cuddyer
    Michael Cuddyer
    Michael Brent Cuddyer is a Major League Baseball right fielder who is currently a free agent. He bats and throws right-handed, and wore number 5 for Minnesota Twins.-High school:...

     was moved to pitcher in the bottom of the eighth, as the Twins were losing 20-5 to the Texas Rangers
    Texas Rangers (baseball)
    The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...

    . Cuddyer loaded the bases with one out, but then got Elvis Andrus
    Elvis Andrus
    Elvis Augusto Andrus Torres is a Major League Baseball shortstop for the Texas Rangers.Entering , he was rated by Baseball America as the No. 2 prospect in the Atlanta Braves organization...

     and David Murphy to fly out. He then came up to bat in the top of the ninth, and reached on a fielding error by pitcher Neftali Feliz that scored Twins center fielder Jason Repko
    Jason Repko
    Jason Edward Repko is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Minnesota Twins. Naturally a centerfielder, his career has been slowed by numerous injuries.-High school years:...

    .

In the following instances, a team forfeited their right to a DH, but due to pinch-hitters or other factors, a pitcher did not actually end up making a plate appearance:
  • On September 5, 1976, New York Yankees
    Yankee
    The term Yankee has several interrelated and often pejorative meanings, usually referring to people originating in the northeastern United States, or still more narrowly New England, where application of the term is largely restricted to descendants of the English settlers of the region.The...

     starting pitcher Catfish Hunter
    Catfish Hunter
    James Augustus "Catfish" Hunter , was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. During a 15-year baseball career, he pitched from 1965-1979 for both the Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees...

     pinch-hit for second baseman Sandy Alomar, Sr.
    Sandy Alomar, Sr.
    Santos "Sandy" Alomar, Sr., or in the Spanish naming system Santos Alomar Conde is a former Major League Baseball second baseman who played for the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves , New York Mets , Chicago White Sox , California Angels , New York Yankees , and Texas Rangers . Alomar was a...

     in top of the 6th inning and stayed in the lineup as the pitcher for the Yankees
    New York Yankees
    The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

     in the bottom half of the inning. César Tovar
    César Tovar
    César Leonardo Tovar , nicknamed "Pepito" and "Mr. Versatility", was a Venezuelan professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball for the Minnesota Twins , Philadelphia Phillies , Texas Rangers , Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees...

    , the one-time designated hitter in the game, then took over at second base. (Note: There is now a section of the rule that states that the game pitcher may only pinch-hit for the designated hitter; therefore, this move would have been allowed then, but now it would be prohibited.)

  • During the month of September, 1980, Baltimore Orioles
    Baltimore Orioles
    The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...

     manager Earl Weaver
    Earl Weaver
    Earl Sidney Weaver is a former Major League Baseball manager. He spent his entire 17-year managerial career with the Baltimore Orioles . Weaver was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996.-Playing career:After playing for Beaumont High School in St...

     inserted a pitcher into the DH slot but would use a hitting specialist (such as Benny Ayala
    Benny Ayala
    Benigno Ayala Felix is a former Major League Baseball player who had a 10-season career from to . He played outfield, first base, and designated hitter. He played for the New York Mets and St...

     or Terry Crowley
    Terry Crowley
    Terrence Michael Crowley is a former Major League Baseball player who now serves as the interim bullpen coach for the Baltimore Orioles.-Player career:...

    ) to pinch-hit when the designated hitter's first turn came up. There was a game on September 17, 1980, during which the Orioles and the Detroit Tigers
    Detroit Tigers
    The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...

     both used the short-lived strategy. (Note: Due to the loophole of which Earl Weaver took advantage, there was a rule change shortly thereafter that states the DH must come to bat at least once, unless the opposing team changes pitchers.)

  • In the bottom of the 8th on July 15, 1993, the Seattle Mariners' Jeff Nelson was moved from the pitcher position to left field. The strategy allowed Nelson to stay in the game while left-handed pitcher Dennis Powell
    Dennis Powell
    Dennis Clay Powell is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball. He pitched from 1985-1993 for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Seattle Mariners. He also played one season in Japan in 1995 for the Kintetsu Buffaloes....

     came in to pitch to Mike Greenwell
    Mike Greenwell
    Michael Lewis Greenwell is a former left fielder in Major League Baseball who played his entire MLB career with the Boston Red Sox . He briefly played a few games for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan , before retiring. Greenwell was nicknamed "The Gator." He batted left-handed and threw right-handed...

     in a game at Boston. By moving the pitcher into a defensive position, Nelson was put into the designated hitter's spot in the batting order while the new pitcher (Powell) was placed into the left fielder's place in the batting order. (It is very uncommon to see this particular move in an American League ballgame due to the DH.) Powell's turn in the batting order came up in the top of the ninth: Pete O'Brien pinch hit for him. Left fielder Nelson was then moved back to pitcher, and pitched in the bottom of the ninth.

  • On October 1, 2000, the Detroit Tigers
    Detroit Tigers
    The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...

     willingly surrendered the DH position late in a game against the Minnesota Twins
    Minnesota Twins
    The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...

    . With the Tigers and Twins out of playoff contention, Tigers manager Phil Garner
    Phil Garner
    Philip Mason Garner is a former infielder in Major League Baseball for the Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants from 1973 to 1988...

     decided beforehand that utility player Shane Halter
    Shane Halter
    Shane David Halter is a former Major League Baseball infielder/outfielder and right-handed batter.-High school years:...

     would play all nine defensive positions
    Baseball positions
    There are 9 fielding positions in baseball. Each position conventionally has an associated number which is used to score putouts...

    . Halter began the game batting 8th and playing first base. At the start of the 8th inning, Halter moved to pitcher. In a series of corresponding defensive changes, Bobby Higginson
    Bobby Higginson
    Robert Leigh Higginson is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Detroit Tigers. He has a career batting average of .272. He attended Frankford High School and Temple University....

     moved from DH to left field and the Tigers lost the DH. After Halter walked
    Base on balls
    A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...

     the only batter he faced (Matt LeCroy), he moved to second base, Brad Ausmus
    Brad Ausmus
    Bradley David "Brad" Ausmus is a former All Star catcher in Major League Baseball, and currently a special assistant for the San Diego Padres....

     moved from second base to first base, and first basemen Robert Fick
    Robert Fick
    Robert Charles Fick is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. In 2002, he was named to the American League All-Star Team.-Career:...

     moved to pitcher, where he was immediately replaced by relief pitcher Matt Anderson
    Matt Anderson
    Matthew Jason Anderson is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher who is currently a free agent.-Early life and college career:...

    , who would bat ninth. Anderson was replaced by closer Todd Jones for the top of the ninth inning. When Jones' spot in the order came up in the bottom of the ninth, he was pinch hit for by Billy McMillon
    Billy McMillon
    William Edward McMillon is a former professional baseball player who played outfielder in the Major Leagues from -. He attended Clemson University....

    , who singled. The next hitter, Hal Morris
    Hal Morris
    William Harold Morris III is a former first baseman in Major League Baseball who played primarily for the Cincinnati Reds. He attended Munster High School in Munster, Indiana, and the University of Michigan. Morris was the Player of the Year while attending Munster High School...

    , singled in the game winning run, scoring Halter. The Tigers, using 15 position players and making use of expanded rosters, won 12–11 on the final game of the season. The Tigers and Twins tied an American League
    American League
    The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...

     record for total players used with 42.

  • There have been times when a manager may willingly surrender the DH position late in a game. During the 2005 American League Division Series
    2005 American League Division Series
    -Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs. New York Yankees:†: Game was postponed due to rain on October 8-Game 1, October 4:U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, Illinois...

     between the New York Yankees
    New York Yankees
    The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

     and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
    Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
    The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...

    , New York had Bernie Williams
    Bernie Williams
    Bernabé Williams Figueroa Jr. is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and Puerto Rican musician.-Early life:...

     slated as the designated hitter. Late in the game, manager Joe Torre
    Joe Torre
    Joseph Paul Torre is a former American professional baseball player and manager who currently serves as Major League Baseball’s Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations. A nine-time All-Star, he played in Major League Baseball as a catcher, first baseman and a third baseman for the...

     took Williams out of the DH and put him in center field because of Williams' superior defensive play. Since the Yankees already had the lead, not giving up any more runs was more important to Torre than having a better hitter hit for the pitcher in the game at the time, Yankees closer Mariano Rivera
    Mariano Rivera
    Mariano Rivera is a Panamanian right-handed baseball pitcher who has played 17 years in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees. Nicknamed "Mo", Rivera has served as a relief pitcher for most of his career, and since 1997, he has been the Yankees' closer...

    . Because a double switch was used, it was not necessarily a negative situation to have Rivera bat. Rivera's place in the order would have only come up if the Yankees batted around, which would have inherently meant their lead would have been further increased at that late point in the game anyway, giving more cushion for the Yankees' best relief pitcher to close out the game.

  • On May 28, 2009, Minnesota Twins
    Minnesota Twins
    The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...

     catcher Mike Redmond
    Mike Redmond
    Michael Patrick Redmond is a former Major League Baseball catcher.Redmond graduated from Gonzaga Preparatory School in 1989. He attended Gonzaga University. Mike and his wife Michele have two sons.Redmond made his Major League debut with the Florida Marlins on May 31, 1998...

     was ejected from a game in Minneapolis against the Boston Red Sox
    Boston Red Sox
    The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

     after disputing umpire Todd Tichenor
    Todd Tichenor
    Todd Frederick Tichenor is an umpire in Major League Baseball. He wears number 97.Tichenor has worked in both the American League and National League since 2007. Tichenor began the 2008 season as a Minor League call-up umpire, working spring training and getting called up to the Majors if needed...

    's call on a close play at home plate. Because Minnesota's normal starting catcher Joe Mauer
    Joe Mauer
    Joseph Patrick Mauer is a Major League Baseball catcher for the Minnesota Twins. He is the only catcher in Major League history to win three batting titles...

     was in the game as the DH and no other catcher was available, Minnesota was forced to forfeit the DH position for the remainder of the game. The pitcher was replaced with a pinch hitter both times it came up in Boston's 3–1 victory.

  • On August 19, 2009, Oakland Athletics
    Oakland Athletics
    The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....

     catcher Landon Powell
    Landon Powell
    Landon Reed Powell is a catcher and first baseman for the Oakland Athletics.Powell attended the University of South Carolina. In 2002, his first season playing for them, he had a .292 batting average with 12 home runs and was part of the team that went to the College World Series...

     was pinch-run for by Nomar Garciaparra
    Nomar Garciaparra
    Anthony Nomar Garciaparra is a former Major League Baseball player. After playing parts of 9 seasons as an All-Star shortstop for the Boston Red Sox, he played third base, first base, and designated hitter for the Oakland Athletics, first base and third base for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and...

     in a game against the New York Yankees
    New York Yankees
    The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

    . Garciaparra stayed in the game at first base and designated hitter Kurt Suzuki
    Kurt Suzuki
    is a Major League Baseball catcher for the Oakland Athletics.-College career:Suzuki played at Cal State Fullerton. Cal State Fullerton captured the 2004 College World Series championship, thanks to Suzuki's two-out RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning, giving the Titans a 3-2 win over the...

     ended up replacing Powell at catcher. The A's ended up forfeiting their designated hitter because of the switch.

  • On October 19, 2009, in the ALCS
    2009 American League Championship Series
    The American League Championship Series , the second round of the 2009 American League playoffs, was a best-of-seven game series matching the two winners of the 2009 American League Division Series...

     Game 3 New York Yankees
    New York Yankees
    The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

     designated hitter Jerry Hairston
    Jerry Hairston, Jr.
    Jerry Wayne Hairston, Jr. is a Mexican-American professional baseball utility player.-Professional career:...

     replaced left fielder Johnny Damon
    Johnny Damon
    Johnny David Damon is an American professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter. From 2000–2008, he was third among active players in runs and seventh in hits and stolen bases . He is currently second among active leaders in triples , five behind Carl Crawford...

     in the outfield in the 10th inning. This move forfeited their designated hitter and made the pitcher spot come up third in the 11th inning.

  • On September 13, 2010, Tampa Bay Rays
    Tampa Bay Rays
    The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...

     catcher Kelly Shoppach
    Kelly Shoppach
    Kelly Brian Shoppach is a Major League Baseball catcher for the Tampa Bay Rays. He is nicknamed Shop.Shoppach was traded to the Indians from the Boston Red Sox organization on January 28, 2006, as part of the same deal that saw outfielder Coco Crisp sent to Boston and highly regarded prospect Andy...

     was replaced by pinch-runner Desmond Jennings after Shoppach was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the 8th in a tight pitchers duel between the Rays' David Price
    David Price (baseball)
    David Taylor Price is an American Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays. Price was selected first overall in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft by the Rays and made his major league debut in September 2008.Price pitched out of the bullpen during the Rays' run...

     and the Yankees
    New York Yankees
    The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

    ' CC Sabathia. Dioner Navarro
    Dioner Navarro
    Dioner Favian Navarro Vivas is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher, who is a free agent.-New York Yankees:In 2000, Navarro was signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent...

     moved from designated hitter to catcher to start the 9th inning, thereby sacrificing Tampa Bay's designated hitter. By the time the DH spot was due up to bat in the 10th inning, pitcher Joaquin Benoit was pinch-hit for by Dan Johnson, who singled to right field.

  • On July 30, 2011, in the 2nd game of a double-header against the Baltimore Orioles
    Baltimore Orioles
    The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...

    , New York Yankees
    New York Yankees
    The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

     DH Nick Swisher
    Nick Swisher
    Nicholas Thompson "Nick" Swisher is an outfielder for the New York Yankees. Swisher is a switch hitter who throws left-handed....

     was switched over to his traditional Right Field position in the top of the 8th inning, while starting pitcher Ivan Nova
    Iván Nova
    Iván Manuel Nova Guance is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees.-Career:Nova was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New York Yankees in 2004. At the end of the 2008 season, Nova had not advanced beyond Class-A Advanced, where he pitched for the Tampa Yankees...

     was replaced by Luis Ayala
    Luis Ayala
    Luis Ignacio Ayala is a Major League Baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He is 6' 2" and weighs 190 lbs. and bats and throws right-handed.-Mexican League:...

    . While the Yankees forfeited their right to a DH in the process, the 8th inning ended before Ayala would have come up to bat, and as the Yankees were the home team and leading, the bottom of the 9th inning was not played.

Other DH oddities

  • On June 11, 1988, New York Yankees
    New York Yankees
    The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

     manager Billy Martin
    Billy Martin
    Alfred Manuel "Billy" Martin, Jr. was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager. He is best known as the manager of the New York Yankees, a position he held five different times...

     made the unusual choice to insert a starting pitcher into the DH slot, Rick Rhoden
    Rick Rhoden
    Richard Alan Rhoden is a professional golfer and was a Major League Baseball pitcher. During his 16 year baseball career, he played for the Los Angeles Dodgers , Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros of the National League; and the New York Yankees of the American League.-Early years:Rhoden was...

    , who was known as a superior hitting pitcher. Rhoden went 0 for 1 with a groundout and a sacrifice fly
    Sacrifice fly
    In baseball, a sacrifice fly is a batted ball that satisfies four criteria:* There are fewer than two outs when the ball is hit.* The ball is hit to the outfield....

     to right field, earning him an RBI. He was pinch hit for by José Cruz
    José Cruz
    José Cruz Dilan is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He is also the former first base coach for the Houston Astros. During his 19-year baseball career, he played from 1970-1988 for three different teams, playing primarily for the Astros...

     in the Yankees' 8–6 victory over the Baltimore Orioles
    Baltimore Orioles
    The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...

    .

  • Pitcher Mark Langston
    Mark Langston
    Mark Edward Langston is an American former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched for the Seattle Mariners , Montreal Expos , California and Anaheim Angels , San Diego Padres , and Cleveland Indians...

     pinch-ran for designated hitter Hubie Brooks
    Hubie Brooks
    Hubert Brooks, Jr. is a former Major League Baseball player. During his career, he played as a third baseman, shortstop and right fielder for the New York Mets , Montreal Expos , Los Angeles Dodgers , California Angels and Kansas City Royals .Brooks played varsity baseball...

     in the top of the 9th inning, scored on a single, and then was in the remainder of the extra-inning game as the DH finishing with two strikeouts in a game at the Chicago White Sox
    Chicago White Sox
    The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...

     on June 10, 1992.

  • During the 2003 season, Brooks Kieschnick
    Brooks Kieschnick
    Michael Brooks Kieschnick is a former Major League Baseball player. He was primarily a relief pitcher and left-handed pinch hitter...

     of the Milwaukee Brewers
    Milwaukee Brewers
    The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...

     became the first player in major league history to hit home runs as a pitcher, designated hitter, and pinch hitter in the same season.

  • The most RBIs (in a single game) by a designated hitter was nine by the New York Mets
    New York Mets
    The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...

    ' Carlos Delgado
    Carlos Delgado
    Carlos Juan Delgado Hernández is a retired Puerto Rican professional baseball player. With 473 home runs and 1,512 RBI, he holds the all-time home run and RBI records among Puerto Rican players....

     on June 27, 2008 in an Interleague game at Yankee Stadium.

  • Because of the DH in American League games, there have been fewer opportunities for pitchers to bat and fewer hits by pitchers. In American League ballgames since 1973, only a handful of pitchers have been successful in limited plate appearances. Those pitchers are: Eduardo Rodríguez
    Eduardo Rodríguez (baseball)
    Eduardo Rodríguez Reyes [Volanta] was a professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball from through for the Milwaukee Brewers and Kansas City Royals , mostly as a relief pitcher. Listed at 6' 0", 185 lb., Rodríguez batted and threw right-handed...

     hit a triple in 1973, Fergie Jenkins and Tom Murphy
    Tom Murphy (baseball)
    Thomas Andrew Murphy is a former professional baseball pitcher who played twelve seasons for the California Angels, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, and Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball.He was one of only two American League pitchers to get a...

     both hit singles in 1974, catcher Buck Martinez as a pitcher singled in 1979,, Mike Jeffcoat
    Mike Jeffcoat
    James Michael Jeffcoat , is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1983–85, 1987–92, and 1994. He played college baseball for Louisiana Tech. He is now the head coach of the Texas Wesleyan University baseball team.-External links:...

     hit a double in 1991, Roger Clemens
    Roger Clemens
    William Roger Clemens , nicknamed "Rocket", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who broke into the league with the Boston Red Sox, whose pitching staff he would help anchor for 12 years. Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards, more than any other pitcher. He played for four different teams over...

      and Ryan Hancock
    Ryan Hancock
    Ryan Lee Hancock is a retired professional baseball player who played 1 season for the California Angels of Major League Baseball. He was one of two American League pitchers to get a hit during the 1996 season on June 9. The other AL pitcher to get a hit that year was Roger Clemens on May...

     both hit singles in 1996, John Wetteland
    John Wetteland
    John Karl Wetteland is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who specialized as a closer. During a 12-year career , he pitched for four different teams: the Los Angeles Dodgers, Montreal Expos, New York Yankees, and Texas Rangers.-Playing career:Wetteland was signed by the Dodgers as their second...

     doubled in 1997, Bobby Korecky
    Bobby Korecky
    Robert John Korecky is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher who is currently in the Toronto Blue Jays organization...

     hit a single in 2008, and Andy Sonnanstine
    Andy Sonnanstine
    Andrew Michael Sonnanstine is a relief pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays. Sonnanstine is a graduate of Wadsworth High School in Wadsworth, Ohio, and attended Kent State University...

     hit an RBI double in 2009.

  • Catfish Hunter
    Catfish Hunter
    James Augustus "Catfish" Hunter , was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. During a 15-year baseball career, he pitched from 1965-1979 for both the Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees...

     singled in 1973,, Ken Brett
    Ken Brett
    Kenneth Alven Brett was a Major League Baseball pitcher and the second of four Brett brothers who played professional baseball, the most notable being the youngest, George Brett.Ken played for 10 teams in his 14-year MLB career.Born in Brooklyn, Ken Brett grew up in southern California and was an...

     singled in 1976,, and Tim Lollar
    Tim Lollar
    William Timothy Lollar is a former professional baseball pitcher. He played all or part of seven seasons in Major League Baseball from 1980-86 for the New York Yankees , San Diego Padres , Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox , primarily as a starting pitcher.- Early career :Lollar played...

     singled in 1986, but although known as pitchers, in these instances these players were in the game as pinch hitters, NOT as pitchers.

  • The 1976 World Series
    1976 World Series
    The 1976 World Series matched the defending champion Cincinnati Reds of the National League against the New York Yankees of the American League, with the Reds sweeping the Series to repeat. The Reds became the only team to sweep an entire multi-tier postseason. The Reds are also the last National...

     was the first time the designated hitter was used in a National League park; from 1976 through 1984, during even-numbered years, the designated hitter was used the entire series regardless of venue. Beginning in 1986, the league rules of the home team for each game would be the determining factor for that game.

  • April 10, 2007 was the first time the designated hitter was used at a National League park during a regular-season game. The Cleveland Indians, having already had their home-opening series against the Seattle Mariners postponed in its entirety because of a major winter storm, and the three games rescheduled for later in the season, and facing the same prospect in their next series against the Anaheim Angels, were forced to move those games to Milwaukee. This was the first time American League rules were used in Milwaukee since 1997 and the first time at Miller Park.

Background and history


The rationale for the designated hitter rule is that, with a few exceptions — most notably Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...

, who began his career as a pitcher with the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

 — pitchers are usually weak hitters who ordinarily perform once every four or five games. The designated hitter idea was first floated by Philadelphia Athletics manager Connie Mack
Connie Mack (baseball)
Cornelius McGillicuddy, Sr. , better known as Connie Mack, was an American professional baseball player, manager, and team owner. The longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball history, he holds records for wins , losses , and games managed , with his victory total being almost 1,000 more...

 in 1906. The rumors were that he grew weary of watching Eddie Plank
Eddie Plank
Edward Stewart Plank , nicknamed "Gettysburg Eddie", was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He is the first left-handed pitcher to win 200 games and then 300 games, and now ranks third in all-time wins among left-handers with 326 career victories and first all-time in career shutouts by a...

 and Charles Bender flail away at pitches and call it batting. Mack's innovative proposal received little support and was even lambasted by the press as "wrong theoretically." The notion did not die. In the late 1920s, National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...

 president John Heydler
John Heydler
John Arnold Heydler was an American executive in Major League Baseball.-Biography:Born in La Fargeville, New York, he began working as a printer, eventually being employed at the U.S. Government Printing Office....

 made a number of attempts to introduce a 10th man designated hitter as a way to speed up the game, and almost convinced National League clubs to agree to try it during spring training in 1929. However, momentum to implement the DH did not pick up until the pitching dominance of the late 1960s. In 1968, Denny McLain
Denny McLain
Dennis Dale "Denny" McLain is a former American professional baseball player, and the last major league pitcher to win 30 or more games during a season —a feat accomplished by only thirteen players in the 20th century....

 won 31 games and Bob Gibson
Bob Gibson
Robert "Bob" Gibson is a retired American professional baseball player. Nicknamed "Hoot" and "Gibby", he was a right-handed pitcher who played his entire 17-year Major League Baseball career with St. Louis Cardinals...

 had a 1.12 ERA, while Carl Yastrzemski
Carl Yastrzemski
Carl Michael Yastrzemski is a former American Major League Baseball left fielder and first baseman. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989. Yastrzemski played his entire 23-year baseball career with the Boston Red Sox . He was primarily a left fielder, with part of his later career...

 led the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...

 in hitting with a .301 average. After the season, the rules were changed to lower the mound from 15 to 10 inches and change the upper limit of the strike zone from the top of a batter's shoulders to his armpits. In addition, in 1969 spring training, both the American League and National League agreed to try the designated pinch hitter (DPH), but they did not agree on the implementation. Most NL teams chose not to participate. On March 6, 1969, two games utilized the new DPH rule for the very first time. Two newly formed expansion teams, the Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...

 and the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...

 would participate in one such game, and the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

 and Washington Senators in the other. On March 26, 1969, Major League Baseball nixed the idea for the time being. Like other experimental baseball rule changes of the 1960s and '70s, the DH was embraced by Oakland A's 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.

On April 6, 1973, Ron Blomberg
Ron Blomberg
Ronald Mark Blomberg , nicknamed Boomer, is a former Major League Baseball designated hitter, first baseman, and right fielder...

 of the New York Yankees became the first designated hitter in Major League Baseball history, facing Boston Red Sox right-handed pitcher Luis Tiant
Luis Tiant
Luis Clemente Tiant Vega , born November 23, 1940 in Marianao, Cuba, , is a former right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Cleveland Indians , Minnesota Twins , Boston Red Sox , New York Yankees , Pittsburgh Pirates and California Angels...

 in his first plate appearance
Plate appearance
In baseball statistics, a player is credited with a plate appearance each time he completes a turn batting. A player completes a turn batting when: He strikes out or is declared out before reaching first base; or He reaches first base safely or is awarded first base ; or He hits a fair ball which...

. "Boomer" Blomberg was walked
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...

.

Naturally, the result of the first season of the DH was that the American League posted a higher batting average than the National League, something which has remained consistent to this day.

The designated hitter offers American League managers two options in setting their teams' lineups: they can either rotate the role among players (for example, using a left-handed hitting DH against a right-handed pitcher and vice-versa) or they can employ a full-time designated hitter. It also allows them to give a player a partial day off. The adoption of the designated hitter rule has virtually eliminated the use of the double switch in the American League.

At first, the DH rule was not applied to the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...

. In 1976
1976 World Series
The 1976 World Series matched the defending champion Cincinnati Reds of the National League against the New York Yankees of the American League, with the Reds sweeping the Series to repeat. The Reds became the only team to sweep an entire multi-tier postseason. The Reds are also the last National...

, it was decided the rule would apply to all games, regardless of venue, but only in even-numbered years. This practice lasted until 1985
1985 World Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 19, 1985 at Royals Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri-Game 2:Sunday, October 20, 1985 at Royals Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri...

. The next year
1986 World Series
The 1986 World Series pitted the New York Mets against the Boston Red Sox. It was cited in the legend of the "Curse of the Bambino" to explain the error by Bill Buckner in Game 6 that allowed the Mets to extend the series to a seventh game...

, the rule was adapted to its current format of only applying in games played in the American League team's stadium.

Similarly, there was initially no DH in the All-Star Game
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...

. Beginning in 1989, the rule was applied only to games played in American League stadiums. When this occurs, fans are allowed to select an American League player to start at that position, while the NL's manager decides that league's starting DH. Since 2010, the designated hitter has always been used by both teams regardless of where the game is played. When regular season interleague play
Interleague play
Interleague play is the term used to describe regular season Major League Baseball games played between teams in different leagues, introduced in . Before the 1997 season, teams in the American League and National League did not meet during the regular season...

 was introduced in , the rule was, and continues to be, applied in the same fashion as in the World Series. On June 12, 1997, San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....

 outfielder Glenallen Hill
Glenallen Hill
Glenallen Hill is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for 13 seasons. Hill played with the Toronto Blue Jays , Cleveland Indians , Chicago Cubs San Francisco Giants , Seattle Mariners , New York Yankees , and Anaheim Angels...

 became the first National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...

 player to be the DH in a regular-season game against the American League's Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...

 at The Ballpark in Arlington, when they met in interleague play. When the Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...

 moved from the American League to the NL in 1998, the Brewers no longer used the DH on a regular basis; thus, as also usually happens when a minor-league pitcher joins an NL team, their pitchers needed to take batting practice.

Occasionally National League teams utilize the designated hitter during spring training games, usually when a player is recovering from an injury.

In recent years, full-time DHs have become less common, and the position has been used to give players a partial off-day, allowing them to bat but rest while the other team is batting. Only a handful of players compile over 400 at-bats as a DH each year.

Major League Baseball present an annual award to the most outstanding designated hitter of the season, called the Edgar Martinez Award
Edgar Martinez Award
The Edgar Martínez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award, commonly referred to as the Edgar Martínez Award and originally known as the Outstanding Designated Hitter Award, has been presented annually to the most outstanding designated hitter in the American League in Major League Baseball since 1973...

. Renamed for the former Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...

 DH after his retirement in 2004, the Outstanding DH Award was introduced in 1973 and has been handed out every season since, except 1994 due to a player's strike. Notable winners include Martinez
Edgar Martinez
Edgar Martínez , nicknamed "Gar" and "Papi", is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and designated hitter. He spent his entire 18-year Major League career with the Seattle Mariners. He is the cousin of Carmelo Martínez.-Seattle Mariners:On December 19, 1982, the Seattle Mariners signed...

 (5 times) and David Ortiz
David Ortiz
David Américo Ortiz Arias , known as David Ortiz, nicknamed "Big Papi", is a Dominican American professional baseball player who is currently a free agent. Previously, Ortiz played with the Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox...

 (5 times consecutively).

Criticism



There is considerable debate over whether or not the designated hitter rule should be removed. Some have argued that the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...

 should adopt it. On the other hand, there are also fans who enjoy the fact that the American and National Leagues use different rules. Two generations of fans of American League teams have grown up with the designated hitter rule being in place, so some may consider the designated hitter to be as much a traditional part of baseball as the pitcher taking his turn at bat is for fans of National League teams.

Critics often argue that use of the designated hitter introduces an asymmetry to the game by separating players into classes, creating offensive and defensive specialization more akin to American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

. Opponents of the rule believe it effectively separates pitchers, other fielders, and designated hitters into separate roles that never cross, possibly causing issues with promoting 'batting cage
Batting cage
A batting cage is an enclosed cage for baseball players to practice the skill of batting.It is usually made of netting or a chain-link fence and rectangular in shape. A batter stands at one end of the cage, with a pitching machine at the opposing end...

' players whose scope of experience is extremely limited. However, when the pitcher bats alongside everyone else, all nine players must take turns at the plate and in the field, and the hybridization of roles requires that everyone knows other roles in addition to their own.

The designated hitter rule also changes managerial strategy in late innings. In the National League, a manager must decide when to let a pitcher bat or remove him, as well as whom to pinch-hit with and where or if that player should take the field afterward. When the decision to remove a pitcher is made, the manager may also elect to double switch, delaying the new pitcher's turn at bat.

Advocates of the designated hitter point to the fact that it has extended many careers, and, in a few cases, created long, productive careers for players who are weak fielders or have a history of injuries, such as Edgar Martínez
Edgar Martinez
Edgar Martínez , nicknamed "Gar" and "Papi", is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and designated hitter. He spent his entire 18-year Major League career with the Seattle Mariners. He is the cousin of Carmelo Martínez.-Seattle Mariners:On December 19, 1982, the Seattle Mariners signed...

. Hall of Fame members George Brett
George Brett (baseball)
George Howard Brett , nicknamed "Mullet", is a former Major League Baseball third baseman, designated hitter, and first baseman. He played his entire 21-year baseball career for the Kansas City Royals. Brett's 3,154 career hits are the most by any third baseman in major league history, and 15th...

, Carl Yastrzemski
Carl Yastrzemski
Carl Michael Yastrzemski is a former American Major League Baseball left fielder and first baseman. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989. Yastrzemski played his entire 23-year baseball career with the Boston Red Sox . He was primarily a left fielder, with part of his later career...

, and Paul Molitor
Paul Molitor
Paul Leo Molitor , nicknamed "Molly" and "The Ignitor", is an American former Major League Baseball designated hitter and infielder. During his 21-year baseball career, he played for the Milwaukee Brewers , Toronto Blue Jays , and Minnesota Twins...

 continued their careers longer than they ordinarily would have without the rule. Some believe that extending careers of older players is less of an advantage and more of a disadvantage, filling spots that otherwise may have been taken by younger players who end up not finding a place in the major leagues.

With the rule, the quality of play may suffer because the home team of a inter-league game automatically receives a significant unnatural advantage no matter which league's rules are in effect. To combat this, Major League Baseball Commissioner
Baseball Commissioner
The Commissioner of Baseball is the chief executive of Major League Baseball and its associated minor leagues. Under the direction of the Commissioner, the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball hires and maintains the sport's umpiring crews, and negotiates marketing, labor, and television contracts...

 Bud Selig
Bud Selig
Allan Huber "Bud" Selig is the ninth and current Commissioner of Major League Baseball, having served in that capacity since 1992 as the acting commissioner, and as the official commissioner since 1998...

 has proposed that the road
Road (sports)
Road game , more commonly known as an away game, is a reference to all cities and stadia/arenas/fields/venues where an athletic team plays games for which it is not the host. Most professional teams represent cities or towns and amateur sports teams often represent academic institutions...

 team's rules would be followed for interleague games.

Amateur baseball


The use of the designated hitter rule in amateur baseball is nearly universal. The primary difference between the DH in the professional and amateur games is that the DH may bat in place of one player in any position in most amateur baseball leagues such as those that use National Federation of State High School Associations
National Federation of State High School Associations
The National Federation of State High School Associations is the body that writes the rules of competition for most high school sports and activities in the United States. Most high schools, whether public or private, belong to their state's high school association; in turn, each state association...

 (NFHS) rules
Baseball rules
The rules of baseball differ slightly from league to league, but in general share the same basic gameplay.-Codes:There are several major rules codes, which differ only slightly....

. Most high school coaches use a designated hitter in place of the weakest hitter in the lineup, if they use one at all. In amateur baseball, many pitchers are also good hitters and will often play another position (or even DH) when not pitching. Professional pitchers usually focus exclusively on improving their pitching, thus their batting skills often deteriorate compared to their teammates. However, in Canada, the DH must bat for the pitcher still.

One notable exception to the NFHS designated hitter rule in youth baseball is American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...

 baseball. Legion rules exactly follow those prescribed in the Official Baseball Rules, which allow the DH only to bat for the pitcher. Prior to 1995, the use of the DH was not allowed in Legion baseball. Japanese high school baseball
High school baseball in Japan
In Japan, high school baseball generally refers to the two annual baseball tournaments played by high schools nationwide culminating at a final showdown at Hanshin Kōshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Japan...

 is one of the few amateur baseball leagues in the world that has never used the designated hitter rule at all. In South Korean high school baseball, the rule has been adopted since 2004.

In college baseball
College baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...

, NCAA rules state that the designated hitter must hit for the pitcher, but in many instances the pitcher is also a good hitter, and the coach may elect to let the pitcher bat in the lineup. If the pitcher opts to bat for himself, he is treated as two separate positions — a pitcher and a designated hitter (abbreviated P/DH on the lineup card) — and may be substituted for as such (i.e. if he is removed as the pitcher, he may remain as the designated hitter and vice versa). However, if a player who starts a game as a P/DH is relieved as the starting pitcher, he may not return to the mound even if he remains in the game as the DH, and he may not play any other defensive position after being relieved as the pitcher. Conversely, a player who begins the game as the DH, but not as the pitcher, may come into the game as a reliever and remain as the DH (in effect becoming a P/DH), be relieved on the mound later in the game but continue to bat as the DH.

International baseball leagues


The DH is used in most professional baseball leagues around the world. One notable exception is the Central League
Central League
The or is one the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consists of six teams from around the country,The Central League...

 of Japan, where pitchers bat as they do in the National League. Japan's Pacific League
Pacific League
The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series...

 adopted the designated hitter in 1975. However, when teams from different leagues play against each other in Japan Series
Japan Series
, or is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a seven-game series between the winning clubs of the league's two circuits, the Central League and the Pacific League....

 or interleague games, the DH rule is adopted if the Pacific League's team hosts the game. Unlike the AAA in America, minor team games in NPB adopted DH rule regardless of teams.

Minor leagues


All of the non-independent minor leagues
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...

 have adopted the designated-hitter rule for use in their games. At the double-A and triple-A level, when both teams are National League affiliates, they have their pitchers bat; otherwise the DH is used. (In the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...

, pitchers only hit when both clubs are NL affiliates and both clubs agree to have their pitchers hit.) The reason for this is as players move up and get closer to reaching the majors, teams prefer to have the rules mimic (as closely as possible) those of the major leagues. Single-A and Rookie leagues use the DH in all games.

See also

  • Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award
    Edgar Martinez Award
    The Edgar Martínez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award, commonly referred to as the Edgar Martínez Award and originally known as the Outstanding Designated Hitter Award, has been presented annually to the most outstanding designated hitter in the American League in Major League Baseball since 1973...

    (American League)

External links