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It's Time for the National League to Adopt the Designated Hitter Rule

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     It is time for the National League to join the modern age and adopt the Designated Hitter (DH) rule. The National League has held onto the archaic tradition of pitchers hitting for far too long. The DH rule has been one of the best changes that has been made to the game of baseball. The game would be much healthier and more exciting to watch if the DH rule was universally adopted.
     I understand that this is a divisive issue. Pro-DH rule people and anti-DH rule people are just as divided on this subject as Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck are when they argue about whether or not it is rabbit season or duck season. That last part may be an exaggeration, but the Designated Hitter rule debate goes like this every time it is brought up by Major League Baseball:
     MLB: Maybe we should look into the National League trying out the DH rule.
     American League: Good idea!
     National League: Screw that! We aren't changing anything. We are happy with our pitchers being considered automatic outs in the lineup.
     MLB: Well I guess that settles it.
     This is how nearly every debate goes when the MLB suggests that the DH rule be expanded. The National League and Anti-DH rule people react with either outright hostility or merely brush these requests to modernize under the rug.
     The reason why the DH rule should be expanded into the National League is because baseball should be all about trying to attract new and casual fans. Potential fans are not going to be interested in a game where the pitcher hits. The vast majority of pitchers are considered automatic outs. Because of this pitchers kill rallies. If a team is down by a couple of runs early in the game, but they've been able to get two men in scoring position and the pitcher comes up to the plate, a potential fan is going to roll his/her eyes, grab the remote, and change the channel.
     The best way to get new fans watching baseball is more offense. Pitchers hitting does not lead to more offense. For every Madison Bumgarner there is a dozen pitchers that can't even hit the ball out of the infield. The average fan wants to see home runs, not to see games where four to five hits are the norm. Seeing pitchers hit is one of the most yawn inducing things a human being will probably ever see.
      The National League adopting the DH rule would also be good for the overall health of pitchers. Teams invest in their pitchers to pitch not to hit. Not one cent of Clayton Kershaw's of Zack Grienke's salaries goes towards their hitting abilities. They are paid because of their ability to get outs. Pitchers hitting is just another way for them to get injured. The decline of former New York Yankees Chien-Ming Wang has been blamed on the lack of the DH rule in the National League. He injured his foot while running the bases in a game against the Houston Astros, in 2008. This later led to an arm injury   when Wang attempted to avoid causing further pain to his foot by changing his arm angle. Wang could've had a long Major League career if it hadn't been for that injury.
      The DH rule would finally bring baseball into the 21st Century. The DH rule being adopted universally would finally allow pitchers to fully dedicate their time to their craft and would give a player an opportunity to fill in for hi and help out his team offensively.      

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