DH In the NL?

With Baseball's CBA set to expire after this season and the players and owners having virtually nothing to fight about during negotiations for the new one, the topic of the DH in the National League has come up as a potential talking point.  A lot of experts are saying it's inevitable, and Commissioner Manfred has hinted that it could become a reality as early as the 2017 season.  After seeing way too many pitchers get hurt either batting or running the bases, National League owners, who've always been resistant to the change, seem to be more receptive to the idea, too.

This has seemed inevitable for a while, and a lot of reasons for it make sense.  The National League and one of the leagues in Japan are the only two leagues IN THE WORLD that don't use the DH.  The owners, who spend hundreds of millions of dollars on pitching every winter, so it's only natural that they'd want to protect their investment.  Likewise, the player's union wouldn't be opposed to 15 extra DH jobs and the high salaries they'll command.

They've used the DH in the All-Star Game no matter which league is the host since 2011, and we're going into the fourth season of year-round interleague play.  It took some getting used to during that first season, but we've got either American League pitchers hitting or National League teams using DHs every day of the season.  Short of expanding to 32 teams with 16 in each league (which I think is likely at some point), the only way to address that difference while keeping the leagues even would be to adopt the DH across the Majors.

But I hope it doesn't happen. Yes, you read that correctly.  I, a staunch DH supporter, hope they don't go to a universal DH in Major League Baseball.

Major League Baseball is unique in that they play by two different sets of rules.  No other professional sport can say that.  And that's part of what makes Baseball so great.  If you go to an NFL or NBA game, it's going to be exactly the same no matter what team you see.  Not so in Baseball.  The American League is completely different than the National League game.  And that's been the case for more than 40 years since the DH was first introduced in 1973.

I think that's why people get so passionate about the DH debate.  You're either on one side or the other, and there's no convincing you otherwise.  If you're a Cardinals fan, you're a National League guy.  You think the DH is an abomination and always will.  Likewise, if you're a Red Sox fan, you think the DH is great.  You can't envision your team without David Ortiz.

The strategy is completely different, too.  National League managers have to think about when to use pinch hitters and when to double switch.  They have to consider so many more things when making pitching changes than American League managers do.  It's not hard to see why plenty of people prefer the National League game to the AL game, which consists of an endless parade of one-batter relievers that can make the late innings drag on and on.

In some ways, managing in the American League is much easier, though.  You don't have to worry about pinch hitting for your starter when he's still throwing well or try to get him through an inning because his spot in the lineup is coming up and you don't want to waste a reliever.

It's because the games are so different that interleague play is such a cool thing.  Not only do you get to see teams that you otherwise wouldn't, they have to play a completely different style.  That's why home field advantage in the World Series can make such a difference.  American League teams have to figure out a lineup without a DH in it.  The reverse is also true.  A lot of National League teams aren't built to have a DH, and adding one requires a different kind of adjustment.

Call me crazy, but I've always loved that difference.  And I don't think I'd be the only one who missed it if they went to a universal set of rules.  The DH is a part of baseball.  But let the purists have their pitcher hitting, too.  Otherwise, what's the point of interleague play?  All the games would be the same.  And where's the fun in that?