I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I'm really going to miss pitchers batting 9th (or 8th, if you're Tony LaRussa) when the MLB work stoppage ends. As you may of heard by now, the Universal Designated Hitter (DH) has now forced it's way into the National League, watering down the strategy of roster / lineup management.
I’m looking forward to raging about the universal dh in my elder care facility.
— Stephen @ 🏡 (@sbolen) February 11, 2022
As someone who almost universally supports unions (with a notable exception being the Fraternal Order of Police), I can see why the MLBPA - the Player's Union - wanted to advance the Universal DH. Older players can now command a high salary to mash baseballs and not put the wear and tear on their bodies playing defense. Pitchers can return to the dugout after their half-inning of work and not have to worry about injuring themselves swinging wildly at pitches they can't hit, or squaring up to bunt and failing miserably to advance a runner from first.
The union wins when players have high salaries. The owners win with parity of both leagues and (hopefully) increased interest/attendance at games due to more runs being scored.
I'm more a purist - I want to see managers sweat when a pitcher is due up in a pressure situation and have to weigh a double-switch vs other outcomes.
