Dee-Aitch

[Edgy MD]

Maybe I'm being thick, but what is the special quality that a universal designated hitter rule supposedly has to offset the conditions of this ridiculous season?

[ashie62]

Offering rest to players who were not trained properly for the accelerated pace of a schedule starting in the soup is all I can think of



Beyond that it is more a for/against opinion of the DH

[Benjamin Grimm]

I think it makes the expanded roster go all the further, because there will be less use of pinch hitters.

[MFS62]

To bring fans back to the park who may have lost interest in the delay of the season.

Oh, wait ...

Nope. No good reason.

Later

[Edgy MD]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I think it makes the expanded roster go all the further, because there will be less use of pinch hitters.

Except they do have an expanded roster, so ...

[Benjamin Grimm]

Right, but it gets even more mileage out of that expanded roster.



Not saying I agree with the decision, of course...

[Fman99]

It makes games last longer so more fans will go to bed while their favorite team is still playing and the outcome even perhaps hangs in the balance. Which is great because the people who make decisions are big fucking assholes and hate baseball fans.

[Lefty Specialist]

Part of the ongoing attempt to remove strategy from baseball.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I can't come up with an explanation for why a DH game would take longer.



I can see that a DH at bat would take longer than a pitcher's at bat, but that only happens three or four times a game.



Maybe because there's no pinch-hitting for pitchers, you get more mid-inning pitching changes?

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

It's the AB but also the results of those ABs, more balls in play, more baserunners etc

[Benjamin Grimm]

True, but would it really add a half hour or so to the game? If it does, maybe the way to shorten games is to only allow six position players to hit. Then there would be three designated hitters, and you would be required to have them be pitchers.

[Edgy MD]

I'll add that I don't see what this seven-inning thing has to do with Covid-19 either.

[Edgy MD]

Is President Trump scoring this game?

[Edgy MD]

That's why the Mets should be bunting all night.