With DH shelved, another year of hapless NL swings
Get ready for another season — hopefully, the last — of the most hapless act in sports.
Pitchers trying to pass themselves off as hitters.
Pity those like Atlanta phenom Ian Anderson, who’s not exactly looking forward to stepping into the batter’s box for the first time since the 2019 Double-A season, when he went 0 for 15 with 11 strikeouts.
“I think my first at-bat was my hardest hit and it kind of went downhill from that,” Anderson recalled. ”I haven’t hit in quite some time. So don’t expect too much.”
It didn’t have to be this way. Major League Baseball and the players union could have come to a reasonable compromise that allowed the designated hitter in both leagues, as they did during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
But, of course, the two sides managed to botch the talks. Now, the DH isn’t expected to come up again until next winter, when it will be part of the knockdown, drag-out brawl over a new labor agreement.
For National League pitchers, that means it’s back to the batting cage to work on their feeble swings.
“Hitting a round ball with a round bat is already hard enough,” said NL MVP Freddie Freeman. “To give guys a whole year and a half off from doing that — and they’re not good hitters anyway — is going to make it even worse.”
His advice?
“Just try to hit the ball,” he said, chuckling, “and if there’s a guy on first, bunt him over. That’s all I’ve got.”
There’s still a slight chance to avoid this farce before opening day, but MLB has no plans to make another offer to the union, so it looks as though the DH will be used only in the American League this season.
Leave it to baseball to go back to a dual, unnecessary system that is totally out of touch with the times and only favored by the handful of pitchers who have some idea what they’re doing with a bat in their hands.
“Guys don’t grow up hitting like they used to,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said Friday. “Pitchers used to be better hitters because they grew up hitting. Nowadays, pitchers don’t even pick up a bat when they’re growing up.”
A season without the DH is just what baseball doesn’t need as it tries to modernize and lure a younger fan base to the game.
“We’ve got to continue to be progressive in MLB,” Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “We’ve got to continue to put a product out there that people want to see, that has action, and continues to hold our attention.”
That’s increasingly important in today’s increasingly fragmented world, where so many sports fans have turned away from the national pastime.
“In the NFL and NBA, you watch the rules change,” Mattingly says. “You don’t want to change the core of the game. But we have to be open-minded to change to make this a product people want to see.”
Full disclosure: I was long opposed to the DH, or at the very least, comfortable with the idea of having different rules for the two leagues. But watching even a shortened season with the universal
DH easily persuaded me that the game is much better off with nine legitimate hitters in the order.
Freeman followed a similar path to DH enlightenment — especially after seeing all the run-producing opportunities he was afforded batting second in a Braves lineup that was stacked from top to bottom.
He finished with 53 RBIs in 60 games.
“I was always that National League guy who thought there’s so many different strategies you can do with the pitcher hitting,” Freeman said. “But every single time I came up last season, it seemed like there were guys on first and second. There are so many more RBI opportunities when you have a real hitter down there in the nine hole.”
Oakland A’s third baseman Matt Chapman scoffed at the NL version of the game. He noted that everyone on his AL team benefits
from the lineup versatility the DH provides.
“Pitchers don’t really need to hit anymore, they just need to focus on pitching,” he said. “It’s nice to have a DH on both sides because it gives guys days off and they can DH instead of take a full day off.”
Besides, baseball’s pipeline has changed so much that it’s no longer reasonable to require pitchers to take a turn at bat.
The DH is used almost exclusively throughout the minors, giving pitchers few chances to hit on their way to the big leagues. Teams certainly don’t want their prized arms to be risking injury by taking a swing, or getting hit by a pitch, or even the rare possibility of being forced to run the bases.
While pitchers have always been viewed as the weakest link in the batting order, there was a time when they weren’t automatic outs.
Hall of Famer Bob Gibson
was renowned for his hitting skills, totaling 24 homers over his career and finishing with a respectable batting average of .206 — including a career-best .303 in 124 plate appearances during the 1970 season. He famously homered in his Game 7 victory over the Red Sox in the 1967 World Series.
There are still a few pitchers who enjoy stepping into the batter’s box.
“I always considered myself a pretty good hitter,” San Diego starter Joe Musgrove said. “I don’t see myself as just a pitcher. We get to play once every five days, so when I’m on the field I’m trying to do as much as I can to help the team win.”
By a pitcher’s standards, Musgrove is indeed a decent hitter.
But his career average is still a puny .149, with as many sacrifice bunts as hits (13 apiece) in 102 plate appearances. He’s yet to hit a homer, and has just three RBIs.
Baseball gets little value out of requiring Musgrove — or any other pitcher — to step into the box.
Back in 1973, with attendance dwindling and offenses struggling, the AL first instituted the DH to widespread ridicule from those who felt it made a mockery of the game.
The NL has long resisted, but it now seems inevitable that it will follow the junior circuit’s lead.
Not soon enough, however.
Which means if you’re able to attend a game at an NL ballpark this season, be prepared for a stiff summer breeze.
The pitchers will be swinging away.
Just don’t expect them to hit anything.
PITTSBURGH >> Jared McCann has always possessed the skills required to be a difference-maker at both ends of the ice. The trouble for the Pittsburgh Penguins versatile forward is consistency. Sometimes he looks like one of the better 200-foot players in the NHL. Sometimes he can disappear for long stretches.
Not so much at the moment, however. McCann pounced on a rebound and knocked it past Bryan Elliott with less than 10 minutes to go and the Pittsburgh Penguins slipped past the Flyers 4-3 on Saturday. McCann’s fifth goal of the season and third in five games since a two-week absence due to a lower-body injury helped the Penguins beat the Flyers for the second time in five days and draw even with their cross-state rivals in the highly competitive East Division.
“I think he’s trying to do the little things well,” Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said. “He’s trying to get himself into the areas where he gets looks ... And like any player, when the puck goes into the net it’s good for their confidence.”
McCann certainly looked confident while racing through the slot during a rush, and found the game-winner on his stick after Brandon Tanev’s shot smacked off Elliott’s pad. McCann fired it into the net, then went skates over skull after tripping over Elliott.
Zach Aston-Reese, Bryan Rust and Evgeni Malkin also scored for Pittsburgh. Tristan Jarry finished with 19 saves as the Penguins responded after letting an early three-goal lead slip away in a loss to the Flyers on Thursday night.
“I think that’s a great team win tonight,” said Tanev, who finished with two assists. “Obviously, the result the other night was was not what we wanted. There were times today when we were up and down, but we came out and had a strong third period and got it done.”
Travis Konecny, Kevin Hayes and Shayne Gostisbehere scored for the Flyers. Elliott made 23 stops but couldn’t beat Pittsburgh for the second time in three days.
“They made us pay on a couple of our mistakes and we were right there,” Philadelphia coach Alain Vigneault said. “But we made one mistake too many that cost us the game.”
TENSIONS RISING
There was the expected chippiness that comes when teams face each other three straight times, including an extended tussle
in the second period in between the benches that involved Malkin, Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang and James van Riemsdyk, among others, with Letang and van Riemsdyk getting minor penalties.
“I think what you’ll find is that the intensity in the game is starting to heighten just by the nature of the standings being so close and there (are) less games to (fight) for playoff position,” Sullivan said.
BACK IN (ORANGE AND) BLACK
Philadelphia’s Joel Farabee played 17:47 after sitting out Thursday night’s game when he was placed on the COVID-19 protocol list. Farabee, tied for the team lead with 10 goals, was not credited with a shot.
“I mean, obviously, we want to come in here and sweep all three games, but it’s a pretty tough league,” Farabee said. “They’re a really good team . ... I thought we gave a pretty good effort. I thought that third period could’ve went either way. We have some things to clean up.”
BACK IN (GOLD AND) BLACK
Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin (15 games) and forward Evan Rodrigues (16 games) both returned to the lineup after extended absences due to injury. Dumoulin played 23:46 while Rodrigues skated 10:39.
MINNEAPOLIS >> Jacob Young had 23 points, seven assists and five rebounds to help Rutgers hold off Minnesota 77-70 in overtime Saturday to finish the regular season with a fourth Big Ten road win — the most for the Scarlet Knights in seven years in the league.
“This is a team you can really cheer for. These are great kids, from great families,” coach Steve Pikiell said.
Myles Johnson added nine points and 15 rebounds and Geo Baker and Montez Mathis scored 12 points apiece for Rutgers (14-10, 10-10 Big Ten), which took a critical step toward solidifying the program’s first NCAA Tournament invitation since 1991. That was the last season the Scarlet Knights, then playing in the Atlantic 10, had four road victories in conference play.
“It’s just a blessing. We’re just doing it for our fans. I know they’ve waited a long time for this,” said Young, who also contributed stifling defense on Minnesota star Marcus Carr.
Young hit a jumper on the first possession of overtime to help get Rutgers re-centered after squandering a 14-point second-half lead. The Scarlet Knights were ahead for the entire extra period. Tre’ Williams went to the line for Minnesota with 1:51 left and a three-point deficit, but he missed both foul shots. With the Gophers still within one score at 7370, Carr went hard to the basket in heavy traffic but missed his layup with 1:07 remaining.
“It was just about stops. We’ve got to get stops,” Young said, reflecting on the team’s overtime mindset. “That’s what carried us over to better offense.”
The Scarlet Knights notched their first win in five visits to Minnesota since joining the Big Ten in 2014. They’re 6-6 against the Gophers as a member of the conference, their most wins against any opponent in the league.
Brandon Johnson had 19 points and 11 rebounds for the banged-up Gophers (1314, 6-14), who lost their seventh straight game to put the job of eighth-year coach Richard Pitino in jeopardy.
“I can’t ask for anything more from these guys,” Pitino said.
Carr, who had 84 points over the previous three games, finally scored with 3:32 left in regulation on a pair of free throws that cut the lead to 61-57. With 50 seconds to go, he swished the tying 3-pointer right in front of his team’s bench as he stared back in celebration. Carr finished with seven points on 1-for-13 shooting, with seven rebounds.
Eric Curry grabbed an errant pass by Baker with 18 seconds left in regulation under the basket, but Young stole it right back by intercepting Curry’s attempt to get the ball to Carr. Baker missed a contested jumper at the buzzer, but without Young’s play there might not have been overtime.
“It was a good bounce-back win,” Pikiell said. “We’re on to the next part of the season.”
Coming off an ugly 21-point loss at Nebraska five days ago that put them further onto the bubble than they would prefer, the Scarlet Knights came through down the stretch. They lost four of six games between a pair of wins over Minnesota. They surely would have made the NCAA Tournament last year at 20-11 overall, but the onset of the pandemic abruptly ended their season before they even got a Big Ten Tournament game in.