Could you imagine in the NBA, if the Western Conference was using the three-point line, but the Eastern Conference was not?  Or could you imagine in the NFL, if the AFC was allowing the two-point conversion, but the NFC was not?  That would be unthinkable, right?  But that’s exactly what is going on right now in Major League Baseball with its designated hitter rule.  Even with the AL and the NL competing against one another during interleague play as well as during the World Series, we still play under one set of rules in the AL parks and under a different set of rules in the NL parks.  No matter which set of rules you may favor, everyone must agree the ideal situation would be to create consistency between the two leagues.

Baseball has been unsuccessfully attempting to resolve this issue since the days of Commissioner Peter Ueberroth.  In theory, the obvious solution would be to either have the AL give up the DH or to have the NL adopt the DH.  Unfortunately, neither one of those possibilities is likely to ever occur.  Among other reasons, the AL is never going to give up the DH is because the MLB Players’ Association would never go along with giving up those high-paying designated hitter jobs.  And on the NL side, too many baseball purists would never accept that newfangled DH rule.  Therefore, the only possible means of achieving uniformity is through some kind of a compromise. 

What is the best part of the designated hitter rule?  Most fans agree the increased offense that comes from the DH rule adds to the game’s excitement.  Does anyone honestly enjoy watching Chris Carpenter come up to the plate in the third inning, flail wildly at the ball three times, and then go back to his seat on the bench?  Wouldn’t nearly every fan prefer watching a confrontation between a pitcher and a real hitter like Travis Hafner?

The other big advantage to the DH rule is that it has allowed aging veteran hitters a chance to continue to play even after they have become unable to perform adequately on defensive.  Players like Frank Thomas have enjoyed many productive years as a DH.  Or if you want to look back even further, Hall of Famers such as Paul Molitor or even Al Kaline finished up their careers as designated hitters.  Any rule that extends the careers of some of baseball’s greatest hitting legends has to be viewed as a positive for the game.

On the other hand, what are the disadvantages to the DH rule?  Most fans would point to the lack of strategy in the AL game when contrasted with the NL game, especially the lack of late-game strategy.  With the designated hitter rule in place, sometimes the AL game almost seems completely devoid of strategy.  Meanwhile, in the NL game managers must scratch and claw for runs.  They are bunting.  They are stealing.  They are being confronted with difficult choices on whether to pinch-hit for an effective pitcher or to let him hit.  When was the last time you saw a double-switch in an AL game?  Probably never.  For the baseball purist, these strategies are all  major parts of the game that are missing from the American League.

I propose we make a compromise between the two sets of rules, attempting to maintain the best parts of each.  I suggest we borrow a page from the softball rulebook and utilize the re-entry rule. 

Under my plan each team would begin every game with a designated hitter batting in place of the pitcher.  For the first 6 innings of the game the pitcher would be allowed unlimited re-entry into the game for as long as he was never replaced defensively.  Then, beginning in the 7^th inning, the pitcher would either need to bat for himself or he would be forced to leave the game.  Also, for the first 6 innings of the game the DH would be granted unlimited re-entry into the game for as long as he was never replaced offensively.  Then, beginning in the 7^th inning, he would either have to play the field (forcing another player to leave the game for a new pitcher in a double-switch) or he would have to leave the game.

Here is how it would work with actual players.  The Boston Red Sox for example, could start the game with Jon Lester pitching and David Ortiz as the DH.  The first 6 innings of the game would proceed like a normal AL game.  After each time David Ortiz would bat for Jon Lester, Lester would be allowed to re-enter the game as the pitcher.  And each time Lester took the field for Ortiz, Ortiz would be allowed to re-enter the game as the DH.  

Then, beginning in the 7^th inning, we would shift over to NL rules.  David Ortiz’s spot in the batting order would now become Jon Lester’s spot in the batting order.  If the pitcher bats, Ortiz (or any hitter who may have replaced Ortiz) would be out of the game.  If the pitcher does not bat, Lester (or any pitcher who may have replaced Lester) would be out of the game.

Hypothetically, Jon Lester could be throwing a two-hitter when it is his turn to bat in the 7^th inning, but his team could be trailing 1-0.  Does the manager allow Lester to hit and stay in the game or does he allow David Ortiz to hit and remove Lester from the game?  All of those intriguing late-game strategies that arise in an NL game would still remain a part of the game under this compromise rule.  Yet, many of the benefits of the AL rule would also remain in place as David Ortiz would act as the designated hitter during the first 6 innings of the game.  We would get all of the offensive punch of the AL game during the first 6 innings, yet still maintain all of the late game strategy of the NL game during the last 3 innings.

At first glance, many fans may say my plan sounds too confusing.  Many AL fans may say, “I prefer the rules in the AL the way they are right now.  And many NL fans may say, “I prefer the rules in the NL the way they are right now.”  And those are all reasonable positions to take.  However, if you are willing to accept my premise that the AL is never going to give up the designated hitter and that the NL is never going to add the designated hitter, then a compromise solution such as the re-entry rule I am proposing is the only way the two leagues will ever play under the same set of rules.  And isn’t a universal set of rules for two leagues that regularly compete against one another a common sense idea that is long overdue?

Your comments are welcome.

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