Yet Another Myth

Designated hitters batted .255, which is significantly better than National League pitchers' .143, they hit 87 home runs compared to only 5 for pitchers, and their slugging average was .419 compared to pitchers .176, but that was for an extremely limited number of plate appearances, which is usually not acknowledged. These numbers probably explain the slightly---yes, slightly better offense in the American League.

American League teams are averaging 4.64 runs a game. National League teams are averaging 4.44 runs a game. That is not a significant difference. American Leaguers occupying the number nine position in the batting order score 0.41 runs a game. National Leaguers occupying the number nine position in the batting order score 0.26 runs a game. That is a telling statistic because it reveals that number nine American League batters score a miniscule 0.15 runs more a game than those in the National League.

The designated hitter was introduced in 1973 (pleased to meet you, Mr. Blomberg) in order to increase offense in a league that was a poor second to the National League. From 1968 to 1977, a ten year period, the American League teams' batting averages increased significantly with the introduction of the designated hitter but so too did National League teams' batting averages. The difference BETWEEN the leagues was a microscopic 0.003 points in favor of the American League. A major reason offense increased is that the height of the pitching mound was lowered from fifteen to ten inches after the 1968 season.

There were no statistically significantly differences between the leagues in batting average, home runs, RBIs and slugging average during the first five years of the designated hitter. The average number of home runs actually decreased for both leagues.

There is no question that the designated hitter increases offense but the increase is not great enough to make the blanket statement that American League teams' batting orders are much deeper than those in the National League and that is why it is much easier to pitch in the National League. Each case must be evaluated on its own merits. Inductive reasoning is helpful but it can be extremely dangerous when used incorrectly.

References:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/

http://abolishthedh.stonegauge.com/histo...

http://abolishthedh.stonegauge.com/effec...

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