No Designated Hitter, please

I do not like the designated hitter. Not a single National League fan that I know cares for the designated hitter. It ruins what the game is about.
Oct 18, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright (50) bunts against the San Francisco Giants during the fifth inning of game four of the 2012 NLCS at Busch Stadium. Image Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
Nine guys. Nine Innings. 27 Outs per team or 24 in some instances. The DH takes all the fun out of the game. It always has and it always will.

But why are we talking about bringing the DH to the National League all of a sudden? It took a quick Twitter search to find out. An article by Anna Hiatt appeared in The Week on New Year’s Day with the headline that said Why baseball’s National League should adopt the DH.

The above-referenced headline later led to Craig Calcaterra writing an article with the headline I’m no fan of the DH, but pitchers batting has got to go on Hardball Talk.

Anna argues that they make the games fun. I disagree. I’ve had a fun time when I attend National League games more so than American League games. Plus, it’s fun to see players come off the bench, which happens more so in the National League then in the American League. Chances are most NL rosters carry more bench players than relievers unlike the American League rosters.

One can make the argument that pitches can be horrible batters most of the time. On the other hand, how do you explain Tony La Russa opting for Kyle Lohse or Jason Marquis as pinch hitters? By using a starter, he’s able to save a guy on his bench for later in the game. Adam Wainwright‘s first career home run came in his first Major League at bat in May 2006. He even hit .290 in 2007. Heck, he’s hit 7 home runs over the course of his big league career.

People can debate for and against the DH all day long but as for me, I will never truly enjoy a ballgame with a DH on both teams.