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Cubs: Kyle Hendricks scare changed my mind on the DH in the NL

(Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)

The Chicago Cubs starting rotation is pretty thin already. So imagine the suspected Opening Day starter going down for the season because he tripped over first base during spring training.

I hate the designated hitter. My 11-year-old self hated it when the Junior Circuit instituted it in 1973. For decades I mocked those who argued that both leagues should, for the sake of uniformity, adopt the DH. I agreed that uniformity was important in baseball, so force the American League to drop the DH.

I believed with every fiber of my being that the DH took a large measure of in-game tactics and strategy out of the game.