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sports Saturday 16 July 2022
Scherzer, Harper, others discuss how NL DH rule changes game

By HOWARD FENDRICH Cruz, Washington Nation-
AP National Writer als.
Max Scherzer misses hitting. PITCHER WHO ENJOYED HIT-
He misses pitching to pitch- TING
ers. "I enjoyed the grind of hav-
And yet the New York Mets ing to get in the cage to hit.
right-hander is just fine with I didn't look at it as a prob-
the full-time addition of the lem. ... I didn't want to view
designated hitter to the myself as a pitcher trying to
National League as of this hit. No, my run means just
season, nearly 50 years af- as much as your run, so I'm
ter the American League going to run the bases the
adopted it. way you run the bases." —
"The biggest benefit," Scherzer.
the three-time Cy Young PITCHER OK WITH NOT HIT-
Award winner said, "is that TING
the sport is under one set of "There's certain games
rules." where you're definitely not
So now all Major League excited to go up to the
Baseball games, regard- plate. You've struggled
less of location, include a through a couple innings
DH in the lineup. The ballot on the mound, and you're
for Sunday's All-Star Game just trying to catch your
at Dodger Stadium includ- breath." — Erik Fedde,
ed a DH for the NL (reign- Washington Nationals.
ing MVP Bryce Harper of PITCHER ON HOW IT
the Philadelphia Phillies CHANGES THE ROUTINE
led the voting for that spot "In some ways, it's easier to
but is out with a broken left New York Mets' Max Scherzer throws during a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds in Cin- be in a better routine, be-
thumb and will be replaced cinnati on July 5, 2022. cause you don't have to
by William Contreras of the Associated Press hit. So now every inning is
World Series champion At- the same for you. ... It's easi-
lanta Braves). And scoring homers and 79.2 RBIs. that's just a problem from game with that. But this er to just focus on pitching."
is up in the NL in 2022. Compare that to the NL an aesthetic standpoint." year, of course, it's turned — Scherzer.
"In the future, you might be DH stats this year: .241 av- Here are some perspec- a little bit for me — being PITCHER ON WHY IT CAN BE
able to do some type of erage, .408 slugging, .728 tives on having the DH in able to DH while (I was) hurt HELPFUL FOR FOCUS
realignment, because ev- OPS, 159 homers and 567 the NL: (earlier) really helped me "I do know some guys
eryone has the same rules," RBIs. SLUGGER WHO WOULD out and helped my team would lose the strike zone
Scherzer said. "I don't know "We don't really think about RATHER NOT DH out." — Harper, able to bat when they faced pitchers.
what it would look like, but it anymore. It's just part of "If I DH too much, I don't when he couldn't play the I just try to take the positive
you have more possibilities the game now," Harper want to be labeled some- outfield because of an in- out of it: Facing a DH keeps
to do that." said. thing that I'm not. Person- jured elbow, but now side- you in your rhythm of really
Adding the DH should in- "The DH is here and I don't ally, my favorite thing to lined after getting hit by a staying focused." — Fedde.
crease offense by putting a think it's going anywhere do is to be out there in pitch. MANAGER ON WHAT'S DIF-
real batter in the lineup. It anytime soon." the field. I love playing first VETERAN DH NOW WITH AN FERENT
also changes a manager's Scherzer said he was hop- base. I feel like I can best NL CLUB "I love the strategy of the
job by eliminating some of ing for additional tweaks to contribute to the team by "It's good for players: It will pitcher hitting. It changes
the decisions about pinch- the way the DH works — he being out there. I'm young, lengthen careers. It's good the game. You're able
hitting, double-switching, called it the "double-hook I'm healthy, I'm fit, so I want for the game, I guess, be- to manipulate the lineup
etc. DH." to be out there as much as cause fans want to see to create advantages
"I've thought about it a few Here's how that would work: possible. When I'm older — hitters hit. And it protects — sometimes a disad-
times: 'When's the pitcher Either the player in the bat- if I'm still playing at 38, let's pitchers, too, so they don't vantage, if you have the
coming up?'" Arizona Dia- ting order as the DH would say — yeah, sure, I'll take a have to hit or run the bas- wrong player in the wrong
mondbacks skipper Torey need to leave the game few extra DH days." — Pete es. ... You have to commit situation. It's a different
Lovullo said early in the when his team's starting Alonso, New York Mets. to being a DH full-time or, style of baseball, because
season. pitcher gets removed or if PLAYER WHO LIKES HAVING when you get a chance to you lose one portion of be-
Runs per game for NL teams the starting pitcher made THE OPTION be a DH, you just need to ing strategic. But I love the
were at 4.5 through June a qualifying start by some "I grew up liking the Na- commit to being a hitter. idea of the offense being
this season, an increase measure — going five in- tional League style of the The first few years, it was able to step up there and
from 4.31 through June in nings, say, or lasting 100 game. I really enjoyed see- hard for me to just DH. I had smash the baseball and
2021 (although still down pitches — then his team ing the pitcher hit and ev- to embrace the position. It put up crooked numbers."
from 4.78 in 2019). would get to keep using its erything that went into the was a process." — Nelson — Lovullo.q
Over that same portion DH for the full game.
of each year from 2017- "If you connect the DH and LIKE US ON
21 (minus the pandemic- the starting pitcher togeth-
shortened 2020), pitchers er, it would help promote
for NL teams combined keeping the starter in lon-
to produce a .154 batting ger," said Scherzer, who is
average, .152 slugging 6-1 with a 2.15 ERA this sea-
percentage and .306 OPS son. "I feel like the game is
with per-season average using the starting pitcher
league-wide totals of 7.6 less and less, and I think Facebook.com/arubatoday/