ATLANTA – A poll among baseball fans generally yields a mixed bag when it comes to opinions – and quite strong ones – as it pertains to the universally appointed hitter.
It turns out that the opinions from them on the court and in the dugout are just as strong and just as mixed.
“I’m in favor of leaving it as it is,” said Astros manager Dusty Baker, who has previously been exclusive to the National League with the Giants, Cubs, Reds and Nationals. Let DH stand in the American League and in the National League play the ball style of the National League because they are both interesting in [their own way]. “
Atlanta manager Brian Snitker, who has been part of the organization since the late 1970s when he was a catcher in its minor league system, said he used to think along the same lines.
That is, until the COVID-19 shortened season of 60 games in 2020, when DH was used universally. It is expected to be part of the next collective agreement (the current one expires on December 1, and that is not to say when a new one will be agreed).
“Before I experienced it last year, I was a bit like the old guard, I was not for it. I am for it now,” Snitker said.
Snitker then showed the names of a couple of pitchers who were considered suitable hiters.
“Because I look for every Max Fried and Adam Wainwright and Madison Bumgarner, there are 15 guys who can’t beat,” he said. “Again, they don’t grow up hitting. They grow up pitching, and they do not hitting. Most of the time, they guys were some of your better athletes. And when they did not pitch, they played shortstops, and they do. not so much now.
“I enjoyed the fights in Houston where I could let all the guys play and I also liked it last year. I didn’t know if I wanted to, but I ended up liking it.”
Not surprisingly, there is also some consensus among the players.
“I think there should be a DH in both leagues. I think that’s the way to continue the game going forward,” said Astro shortstop Carlos Correa. “People come to the ball field to watch a great game, but they also love watching homeruns. Pitchers don’t hit many of them. So I think DH should be universal.”
Correa added: “For me, it’s not really baseball. I want to see real batsmen out there who will also make it a little harder for the pitchers.”
Atlanta reliever Jesse Chavez sees it differently.
“It’s a little uncertain for us pitchers [but] we’m used to it, “he said.” It adds another aspect of the game we need to be aware of and your body needs to be ready to contribute to it when it comes to launch. My personal opinion, I think it should remain the same. I think it’s beneficial to the game because it adds two different aspects. It’s a chess game out there. These are not pieces. “
But after pretty much all accounts, pieces will be in the near future, probably from 2022. And if there were no hits by pitchers in Sunday night’s game 5, Houston’s Zack Greinke will be the answer to the trivia question of the last pitcher in. in the battle order to get a hit in a World Series match.
Which is just fine for Framber Valdez, Sunday’s starter for the Astros.
“Just for me personally, I think it can be a little difficult as a pitcher to have two different concentrations,” he said. “You have a completely different mindset on the plate and focused on the job you do there, and [when you] have to reset and go back out to the mound, it can be a little tiring and hard to have thoughts in two places at once. So I personally feel comfortable if they extend DH to both leagues. “
Erik Boland started in Newsday’s sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, and then switched to the Jets beat. He has been covering the Yankees since 2009.
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