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According to the Baseball Almanac, on April 6, 1973, Ron Blomberg of the New York Yankees became major league's first designated hitter. He walked against Luis Tiant of the Boston Red Sox with the bases loaded. A designated hitter is a player chosen at the start of the game to hit in place of another batter (usually a pitcher, since pitchers tend to be poor hitters). The designated hitter doesn't field. The DH rule lets teams keep hitters who aren't strong fielders in their lineup. The DH rule came about as a response to declining ticket sales in the early
'70s. It was an attempt to boost the number of hits, making the game more lively. It remains a controversial rule to this day -- the American League uses the DH rule, while the National League does not. For a thorough analysis of the rule, we refer you to The History of the Designated Hitter. The Arguments page offers several perspectives both for and against. Interestingly, the concept of a DH was first raised by the National League way back in 1928, but was vetoed by the American League.
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