A daily primer on baseball rules, etiquette and strategy
Issue: The designated hitter
Background: With the World Series moving to a National League ballpark Saturday, Game 3 was played with NL rules, meaning no designated hitter. That meant Boston manager Terry Francona had to bench one of his top hitters — he chose Kevin Youkilis, normally his first baseman, in order to play David Ortiz, normally his DH. The American League instituted the DH in 1973 to boost offense and, it hoped, draw more fans at a time when the National League was more popular. The debate over the DH rule has raged for more than 30 years, but neither league shows signs of budging, leaving the rule in place for World Series games when the AL hosts, and eliminating the position in NL ballparks, where the pitcher must bat.
Bottom line: AL teams lose much more from their offense when playing in an NL city because their roster is constructed with a DH in mind. That’s not the case with the Rockies. Francona did not have an easy decision. Going into Saturday’s game, Ortiz was hitting .385 with 13 walks, three home runs and eight RBIs during the postseason. Youkilis was hitting .396 with four home runs and 10 RBIs. “I wish we could play under different rules, but we can’t,” Francona said. “I’d rather have the DH; we have a special guy in David Ortiz.”
