For a couple of days, rumors are floating around that MLB wants to introduce the designated hitter in the National League in the upcoming season. If this is really the case, it will signal the end of baseball as we know it.
Not only will a diverse baseball landscape disappear in which two leagues have to deal with different tactics, but also the current situation with two separate leagues will disappear, let alone the two different tactics in the World Series.
With the introduction of the DH, one of the proposed realignments for the upcoming season will likely become the reality for the years to come. It is not the first time. Not so long ago, MLB already floated the idea of a three-division structure for all 30 teams.
So no more American League and no more National League. With the introduction of the DH, both leagues will become obsolete.
What fans likely will miss most is the different tactics during the World Series. American League managers hardly have to think about how to deal with their pitchers hitting due to the DH. But during the World Series, it is a completely different story. The World Series will likely become less interesting due to the lack of different tactics. What is better than to see an American League manager struggle with how to use his pitchers after the fifth or sixth inning in a National League ballpark?
Another thing that will disappear is the regular-season interleague game, which is not a bad thing persé.
But with the introduction of the designated hitter in the National League, MLB will become a bit less interesting again.
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